Why You Should Fight for Your Rights... (as a consumer and a business owner)

Despite all of the modern conveniences associated with technology, it seems we are all fighting something: fighting for the right to privacy, fighting to keep our jobs, fighting for safe schools, fighting to lose weight, fighting to be heard, fighting for a marriage, fighting the urge to scroll more, fighting to find time for peace and quiet-- with all of this fighting, it's no wonder people are tired. I for one, find myself fighting to keep fighting at times and just not give up. Chances are, you've felt the same way. So, let's talk about it.

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Music: One Fine Day by Keep Calm Podcast

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hi, I'd like to return this. Okay. So your store policy is that returns are allowed within 14 days of purchase. You haven't even bothered to look at my receipt, so how do you exactly know when I purchase this? Why are you telling me that you can't take it back already? I need for you to get me a manager because I do know when I purchase this, because I'm the one holding the receipt. I'll wait. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Oh, yes, you will be taking this back. Because it don't work. And today is only day 10. Thank you very much. Hey, this is Ray with Get Real Ray, a place and space for life and business tips from this creative soul to hopefully inspire you on your journey, or at the very least, provide you with some laughs. And so let's get real. Let's get real about being brave enough to use the rules to your advantage. Basically, know your rights and fight for your right. Craving real advice. Tired of feeling like every other small business owner or solopreneur is raking in the dough, well, you just seem to be raking, secretly looking for a reminder that starting your own business is not as glamorous as others make it look. Whether you're looking to change the game in your relationships at home or at the workplace, you've come to the right place. My name is Ray. I went from corporate America to running my own small business to becoming a solopreneur. I'm a professional actor, and dare we say a professional busybody. Because this body is about to be busy all up in your beds. So let's get it real. Remember the Beastie Boys, you gotta fight for your ride to party. Ba ba ba ba. Okay, maybe maybe you're like, I have no clue what you're talking about. I don't even I've never heard the Beastie Boys. What is wrong with you? And if that is the boat that you are in, then I don't apologize. Google it. Okay, the Googles you can find it's B-S T B-E-A-S-T-I-E. Boys, look it up. It's a good song. Okay, so my friends. I recently had an opportunity to visit someone that is near and dear to my heart, and we were chit-chatting, and I was getting all the updates because we don't get a chance to talk very often, and I don't visit very often either. So we were catching up and she was sharing with me some information about various events happening where she just she wasn't getting the results that she needed or wanted, and I was just kind of like, Mmm, have you right? I like to be mindful of avoiding saying things like, Well, did you try? Because or you should try, you should try. Maybe the person already tried that, maybe they already did that. Um, maybe there's a reason why they can't do that. So I I really do like to get more information. Um, I love to problem solve, I love to strategize, like that's my jam, and I also accept that especially when someone is you know tired or sad or busy or feeling overwhelmed, the idea of strategizing and brainstorming can be really off-putting. It's like I got a million and one other things to think about and do. So, as much as I'd love to toss around ideas with you, that ain't gonna be happening right now. I just have to manage to focus on like feeding my family and re remembering to put my clothes on the correct way before I go to work. Like, for some people, they're they they need time before they can then be open to discussing ideas or sharing what ideas that they've tried. So I was being mindful of this, and as she gave me more information, I'm thinking, that's not okay, no one messes with my friend, err. And with all that being said, I left the conversation feeling like I wanted to fight for her, but I also had to remind myself I cannot fight her, fight for her. And the best thing I could do is continue to be a good friend, um, offer my support, and let her know that the opportunity to further discuss or um review solutions is absolutely there, it's and I'm here for whatever else she may need, right? Um sometimes that is enough in the moment. For me, I find it frustrating when I feel that there is a time constraint. So if for example someone was struggling with health issues, and if they don't change their diet soon, then they could end up with being diabetic or um having to go on certain medication. While I would definitely want to run in there and be like, let me help you with your grocery shopping and let's throw out all the ding-dongs and ho-hos and chaco whatevers. That's not really gonna help the person if they really do like those items because they are going to reach a point where they find themselves going, I miss my ding-dongs and ho ho's, I want them back, so she's gone. I'm gonna go buy some more. Or maybe they last for a week, a day, a few days, a few months, and then realize that they want or they are finding something else to replace that thing. So, no, I'm not eating ho-hos and ding-dongs, but I am eating two bags of Doritos a day. So you really have to make sure that when you are tackling a problem, you get to the root of the problem. Now, with all that being said, as much as one may desire to solve the problems of other people, we're not always able to do it. You can only what's that old saying you could teach a man to fish? Um, if the man don't want to fish or isn't ready to fish, or uh is busy picking dandelion flowers to cook to go with the fish, you could be there standing there like, I'm ready to teach you to fish, but homeboy ain't ready to fish. So, what you gonna do? So, what you gonna do? So, with that being said, I also found myself reflecting on different areas of my life where I have found it very frustrating to fight for my rights. And why am I finding this frustrating? Like, I shouldn't even find this frustrating. It is my rights, it is in the contract, and therefore I should be willing to fight for them. One thing that comes to mind was if you've watched other videos on this channel, my court case where I sued my landlord for not keeping a property that was uh within building code, and though I won that case, I didn't win the money that I thought I was going to win, I didn't win on the grounds that I expected to win on, and I left that process, felt like I was in the wrong, I had done something wrong, and that just I was looked at, perceived as that black person who's uh poor and a troublemaker, and these things were really bothering me. But those are the things in my mind. I don't have exact validation from these individuals that that is their perception, but you know, sometimes things be happening, you just get a feeling like okay, so that guy, I'm just gonna give you an example. That guy over there thinks that I don't want to talk to him because um of his clothes or he looks a little nerdy, but actually I would love to talk to him, but I am committed to someone else, or I am in a relationship, but I'm struggling with that relationship, and even though I'm not wearing my ready wing right now, I know that I'm not ready to start talking to people and dating, right? So there's all these other things that can be going on completely separate from what we may internalize and think is going on. Um so with that being said, with that being said, the guy who's being rejected also knows, well, if I was super duper hot, she would definitely be talking to me regardless of all these things that she got going on right now. So, you know, you kinda truths, half truths, or it I guess it's not half a truth, but half applause. Anyway, and behold, I won that case. I had another court situation or legal situation. Say this one was resolved before I went to court, but I was fighting three different companies, definitely three. I'm trying to figure out like, did it get up to four companies, but definitely three different companies, about a laptop I had purchased that did not work correctly, and I just wanted repair or my money back. And the repair attempts were not sufficient, it just didn't work, and I it was a whole hot mess. There are other videos where I talk about that, so we're not even gonna like do a deep dive. But with that being said, I felt like I was fighting, and I spent a lot of time saying, I know my rights, it is written here. I am contacting you within X number of days, I have contacted you within the correct channel that we're supposed to contact. I have confirmed that this item that I purchased is listed as new. However, I did more research, and the item that I was given was not new. Warranty already activated. That is not okay. I know my rights, and it was months, actually, almost six months, of trying to get this issue resolved from the day of purchase to the day I got my refund. But it was a lot of time and energy, and I felt like, oh my gosh, people, it must be costing you far more to answer my inquiries and have all these different departments contact me than to just give me back my money or to talk to the people who took my money and make them give me back my money. Like, what is going on? And so it's very easy to want to give up when we feel like we are fighting so hard to get what we know is rightfully due to us, but that doesn't mean we give up the fight. Don't give up the fight, and even when you look at the current political landscape in the US, um, there's a lot of fighting, and people are fighting so hard on both sides, but it's those who are not giving up who are the ones who are seeing results or will ultimately see results. I kinda hate to um call out certain uh strong conservative groups um that have pushed various agendas, spending like six decades pushing certain agendas, and yet those groups did continue to push those agendas to make small wins when they could, where they could, and ultimately got their way. But they didn't give up, whether or not it was their right, I mean they're impacting other people's rights and freedoms, but they do have the right to fight for what they believe in. Now, with that being said, when it comes to your personal life, things that you should fight for most definitely are things where it is in writing, in writing that you have a right to XYZ. So if it is in writing that you have a right to a refund, or you have a right to service within certain number of days, you have a right to get a um compensation if there's a change with your flight, or you have a right to um request additional help at work because of a various disability, don't be afraid to stand up and ask for what you have a right to get. Yes, it can be frustrating. Yes, you might find that you are alienated or punished at work because you exercised a right, but ultimately that's good for you because if an employer fires you or financially penalizes you, doesn't give you that promotion, uh, punishes you because you fought for your rights, you have proof. You have proof that you asked for XYZ, they begudrently gave you XYZ, and then they stopped providing you all these other things that you were supposed to get, or then suddenly you were no longer in the running for that promotion, and so it can feel stressful and difficult and really really really hard and downright depressing, but that's not a reason to give up. Someone created those rules thinking of you, thinking of your situation, and wanting to help you, wanting to protect you. Somewhere out there created those rules. Now, if you are a solopreneur like me, you really want to think about the rights that you are giving your clients and consumers, and you also want to make sure that your contracts clearly state what's going to happen if either party falls through, right? So when I had contractors working for me, it was very clearly stated that if you missed three shifts or had three um kind of write-ups or what have you, then you were off the team, you're off the roster, submit your last invoice, bye-bye. If you pulled no show and did not communicate while you were not showing, don't expect to be paid. It was also very clearly listed how long it I had to pay you. So just because you sent your invoice on Tuesday and payday is Wednesday, if you sent your invoice after 3 p.m. and you knew the cutoff was at 3 p.m. I'm not gonna bust my butt to pay you. Contractually, I have the right to pay that invoice the next pay period because you missed the cutoff, and I have other work that I need to focus on. My whole day in life does not revolve around checking to see. Ooh, did everybody did everybody give me the invoices? Are they all gonna I I want to make sure everybody gets paid this week? No, my focus is to make sure money is coming in, clients are happy, and that I can pay you. But in terms of paying you when you want to be paid, and initially I was a bit easygoing on that, and I would just send people reminders like, hey, I haven't gotten your invoice, hey, can you send it in? And I'll push for your payment early, but finally I just stopped doing that. Um actually, what worked really well was with the new hires, I no longer used my um email address, and so all of the invoices went to the accounting department, and the emails from the accounting department were always signed accounting department, and so I would always think it was really funny because I was the accounting department, but I would think it was funny when um team contractors would send their invoice to me, and I would just send a message back being like, Hey, just a reminder, this needs to go to the accounting department, right? Like it's been eight months now, or your new hire, it says it in the contract, it says it in your welcome email, um, it says it in the reminder, the weekly reminder email that reminds people when to send in their invoices. It says where to send it, but you're not bothering to read anything, you're just like, Oh, she's the girl who interviewed me, so I'm just gonna send it to her. Like, nope, sorry, boo, I ain't doing it for you. And lo and behold, they would send it to the accounting department. Um, and then I would see other people who would send it to the accounting department late. And there would be little messages like, hey, um, Ray told me to send this over. I just want to check if it's gonna be paid out this week, or um just just little like just little messages, and I just thought like okay, I'm gonna put on my other hat and pretend to be this other person right now. Um, but the great thing about that separation is because everything was just written down, contractual, the accounting department has no emotions or feelings. Everything is by the book. If it's in on time, it's paid on time. If it's not in on time, it's held for the next period. So I don't have to respond to any of your various inquiries. And if you're sending me messages to the accounting department about um, oh, I don't know where to find uh uh here here's the thing I could just send back um data is missing from this invoice. Please check uh employee manual page 23. That's it. I ain't gotta have any emotion, personalization, niciness, because Ray, the team leader, the director, be like, hey so and so, I just went over your invoice and it looks like you're missing some information. So um I put it on here for you, but can you just sign off on it, then send it back to me, or can you double check your calendar? I ain't gonna do all that. All I have to do as the accounting person is just to send it back very without emotion, just very cold. Um, not because there's no love, but there's no need for interaction. You're only communicating with accountant because you want to get paid. Accounting only needs to communicate with you on making sure we've got everything to pay you. That's it. This is just very straightforward. And so when you are fighting for your rights, yes, when you are making a purchase of stuff, especially something that's big. I mean, you can't really do this with all your purchases, right? But if it's something that's big, double check on okay, if I'm gonna do a trial of some software. Well, how long do I have before they're gonna charge my credit card? Or what if uh they charge my credit card but I don't like it and I don't figure it out till after they just charge my car? Do I stand a chance of getting a refund? Um, if I'm going to order some supplies, how many, how long will it take? And if I don't get it on time, like if I'm paying for express shipping and I don't get it on time, do I get any kind of compensation for that? If I am offering some kind of class or workshop, how am I going to make sure that if someone doesn't like the class or workshop, I am not feeling like I'm forced to give a bunch of refunds? Because if that's no fun, you've already. Paid for materials or space or set aside your time, turned out of the work, and then all of a sudden you were feeling pressure to give people all these refunds. I remember somebody who wanted refunds for a ticket to a show, and um after a good deal of back and forth, I was like, okay, if you let me know by such or such a date and time what you want to do, if you want a refund, then I will give you one. But again, I communicated with everybody. This issue was coming to me kind of last minute, and you didn't express an issue at the time of previous communication, so I'm a little surprised, but whatever. And days, maybe even more than a week, went by. They're like, Oh, yeah, I'll take the refund. I'm like, no, the deadline has passed. Deadline has passed. The initial policy was no refunds. I offered a partial refund for a few people because I felt like the what they were provided was subpar. Um it was not what I expected. I trusted someone else to um perform at the show, and they just weren't good. And I talked to them about them, they got really upset with me. And I was just like, we're we should be in this together. Like, we should want to make this show really fun and high energy together. And I mean, the audience vibe is you know, when people at intermission, when people like don't come back, that should be a sign to you that something's not working. That's a big sign. And this person just took it um personally, like I was saying, they are not good. Because like, no, I don't know what's going on, difference between the last time um you were in this position and what's happening now, but the vibe's not alright, so let's fix it. But they weren't into working together, so I did issue some partial refunds because I was just like, oh my gosh, I wanted to leave my own show. That's not a good sign. But with that being said, there was a cutoff, there was specific information given, and these people were just acting like I'm just sitting around waiting on them. I'm not waiting on you, I'm not waiting on you, and so your rights are not just when you want to exercise them, understanding what you have a right to, being willing to fight for that right, understanding that it may take time, it's not going to look like what you want 99% of the time. It can be extremely frustrating. You may want to give up, you may want to give up three times, five times. By the time I got this uh laptop issue resolved, I had already taken out a loan to purchase a different laptop. Um, I shed a lot of tears, I was already super stressed out. I was like, I can't do this anymore. I also reached a point where I couldn't no longer get work done. I was having to turn down work because of my technology issues. So I could not wait any longer. But the issue was ultimately this resolved, not resolved as quickly as I had expected it to be, or as cleanly and nicely as I would have wanted, I thought I was gonna say it doesn't work, they're gonna be like, Oh, we're so sorry, here's your money, it doesn't work. Oh, we didn't know those people lied, we're so sorry, here's your money. It was not like that at all, but it did get resolved, it did get my money, and so if you have an area in your life where you feel like giving up, where you feel like you think you have rights, you're not sure if you have rights, you know you have rights, but it just feels like it might be too much, or you just got all these other things. Don't give up, look into it, research whether or not you have some rights there. Um, people be using Chat GPT for just about everything nowadays, so use AI to help you research, go to those chat forums, YouTube, whatever. Do research, look up to see what your rights are, reach out to that company or person, customer, client, whatever, um, and communicate your needs, your concerns. Exercise those rights, make sure that for your business you are structuring your policies and whatever it is you're selling so that way you are not being taken advantage of because you weren't clear on what someone's rights would be when dealing with you. Make things what we like to call idiot proof because you want to make sure that you get to continue to succeed in life, and the more you exercise your rights, the easier it is for someone else, the easier it is for you as well, because you'll be in this flow where it's like, yeah, it's gonna take some time, but I know I'm right, and I got my rights here in writing, so it's worth it, it's worth the fight. Don't let others rely on you being so worn down that you just give up. You gotta fight for your right to get a refund, to get better service at that place, to get your package delivered on time. Yeah. Alright, my friends, I hope you found this helpful. Until next time, peace. Thanks for listening. If you think this podcast would help a friend, then please feel free to share it with them. If you want to check out some more Real Ray or just see me hang out with cute dogs, then feel free to visit me over on YouTube. Get Real Ray4273.