Allen And Associates Complaints, Information Blog

Author: George Van Lieu

No product or installation is perfect. In the real world – a good manufacturer or supplier does everything possible to achieve perfection, but it doesn’t always happen. “Making it right” is a major focus of every good company. The thing that keeps company managers awake at night is the possibility that something didn’t go right and the customer just became frustrated and angry and didn’t say anything, but just decided to never call or use that source again !

This is where quality control, inspection and attractive and adequate packaging come to the forefront. Consider the following example of quality inspection and its’ real cost to the company as provided and printed with the permission of Smiths-Heiman Product Inspection Division and Tellico Harbor Consulting. Assuming a high volume product sale and distribution:

· For every “nuisance” or “irritant” complaint received, there may be 50,000 similar incidents out in the marketplace.

· For every health concern complaint received, there may be 1,000 more out there.

· For every actual injury complaint, there may be 2 more unreported.

Based on the seriousness of the complaint, a customer is not likely to buy your product again in the following estimated percentage of probability:

· Perceived poor value – 2% loss.
· Health Concern – 10% loss
· Injury concern – 25% loss
· Actual injury reported – 50% loss.

So – what is the solution to this potential problem? Perhaps an answer is in the equipment used to inspect your product before shipping. The steps may be:

· Analyze where complaints are coming from.

· Calculate what the cost may be to the company in potential lost sales.

· Choose a technology that can solve the most identified problems.

X-ray systems may be the answer since this technology is :

· Estimated to reduce complaints by 33 to 50%
· Able to improve packaging system uptime by 1 to 5%
· Able to inspect for previously undetectable contaminants
· Estimated to reduce capital costs by replacing check weighers and metal detectors previously used in production lines.*

Contact us for further evaluation assistance and information about Smiths Detection X-ray equipment configurations.

Author: Paul Megan
Articles Posted by Complaints
Sticking to fundamental business principles is the basis for successful career planning. To us this means that our customers are able to lock up job high-paying offers in as little as 14 days or less.

Old-fashioned methods that require seemingly unending mailings and postings of resumes just don’t get it anymore. It can take weeks or months to achieve mediocre results.

I recently had the good fortune to read an article about career success by Larry Thompson, a Hollywood producer.
It struck me as a fabulous piece of career planning advice.

Thompson reports that, in his experience, there are 10 success killers. As I read about them it occurred to me that they apply to job search success, as well. That’s because one of the key insights into alternative and non-traditional strategies is that employment success follows the same rules as business success.

Here are the success killers you should avoid:

1. Comparing yourself to someone else.

2. Not facing your fears.

3. Leaving a job undone.

4. Feeling sorry for yourself.

5. Failing to speak assertively.

6. Dressing inappropriately.

7. Saying you hate computers.

8. Not taking advantage of advice from family, friends and mentors.

9. Saying “I can’t.”

10. Having more regrets than dreams.

No one said finding a job is easy. However, most job hunters suffer from lack of results. It’s usually because they’ve taken the wrong approach. They can’t achieve fast and lucrative results by using last century methods.

By: Attorney Gabriel Cosh
A person’s willingness to continue working in order to provide for the needs of his family is admirable. However, when one reaches a certain age, it comes to a point when a body fails and unable to do the things it can when young. That is the time when a person must forgo of his or her employment.

Nevertheless, it must be pointed out that age is not major factor in determining if an employee can no longer comply with the demands of his occupation. The condition of the body that determines whether one is qualified to continue with his job.

As always, the employer has ample authority to terminate an employee and break the employer-employee relationship, especially if the production process is already affected by the incompetent acts of the employee. Yet this power granted to the employer cannot be exercised without due regard to the regulations contained in our Constitution and laws.

This means that if an employee has been terminated on the sole basis of his or her age, then such act amounts to unfair labor practice or labor law violations. It is also tantamount to employment discrimination based on age. If this case occurs, the employer would be liable for any untoward damages that may be experienced by the employee.

To further stress the point, if an employee reaches a certain age wherein he would be considered rather old, and then he were terminated from work or become subject to a constructive dismissal by the employer which primary factor solely depends on his age, then the act would fall under discrimination in employment on the basis of age.

An employer has the prerogative to hire or fire an employee, however, this prerogative cannot be used as basis for discriminating against an employee, whether basing on his age or other notable factors like gender, race and religion.

A termination would be valid if it is based on acceptable reasons like if the employee is considered as a liability, already rather an asset to the company. These reasons and other civil wrongs and criminal acts can be the valid reasons for an employee to be dismissed.

An employee who is a victim of discrimination for his or her age and is unlawfully terminated for this reasons, can file for labor law violation claims and can be actually given a higher settlement amount if it is proven that the employer acted beyond his or her jurisdiction. Usually, the reason for the high claims is when an employee is discriminated for his old age and he finds it difficult to find another job again.

Posted by Complaints

Author: Stephanie Larkin

The term “freelance” comes from the works of Sir Walter Scott and refers to traveling knights offering their services in battle to noblemen for a fee. This colorful designation is now used for independent contractors who offer their services to companies but are not officially employed by them. The freelancer is free to work in whatever manner they would like in order to accomplish the task given to them.

It is easy to see the benefits to working for oneself. However, a freelancer must quickly learn how to run all the aspects of their business. Unlike employees, a freelancer is expected to calculate and pay their own taxes. This is difficult task, but there are advantages to this financial control.

What is a W-2?

A W-2 is a statement that an employee receives from their employer at the end of a year. It lists their gross wages, taxes withheld, insurance payments, and other transactions made between the two parties. The company has already sent the employee’s income taxes to the IRS and usually has paid some of the social security tax. The employee uses their W-2 to file their taxes for the last tax year. They may need to add additional income received from investments or independent work. The forms aid them in calculating their taxes and determining whether they owe taxes or will receive a refund.

What is a 1099?

A 1099 is a statement that an independent contractor receives from a company. It is simply a form showing how much the individual has been paid by the entity. There have been no taxes withheld and no other deductions. The freelancers are completely responsible for filing and paying their own taxes based on their income.

An employer of an independent contractor is required to file a a1099 form with the IRS if they pay the worker more than $600. This is so the IRS is aware that the freelancer is receiving wages and can make sure the taxes are paid.

Filing Self-Employment Taxes

Switching from receiving a W-2 to a 1099 may seem like a lot of added trouble during tax time, but there are advantages to having control over how the process. Those who pay self-employment taxes are subject to a tax rate of 15.3%. Those who make under $400 do not have to pay taxes at all. The rate is not flat. It is adjusted according to the net income of the individual subject to their filing status. An independent contractor uses the 1099 and other records to calculate their net income and taxes. This works much in the same way for those who file with W-2s, but the tax is not overpaid because of an estimate on the part of an employer. Therefore, the 1040 form a freelancer files at the end of the tax year will calculate the correct taxes for the calendar year without any overpayment.
The American pay-as-you-go tax system that requires employers to regularly make payments to the IRS on behalf of their employees also compels freelancers to make quarterly tax payments. Independent contractors who estimate they will owe more than $1000 in taxes over a year must complete a worksheet of four estimated payments and pay them throughout the year. Unlike those who pay taxes automatically, freelancers have the freedom to predict changes in working situation. If the estimate is wrong, the taxes can easily be adjusted upon the next payment or the end of the year.

Know Your Limits

Freelancers have to dabble in every area of business. Although issuing invoices and managing expenses becomes easier overtime, some tasks are not worth the effort. As a business grows, chances are the tax filing procedure will become more complicated. A freelancer with a booming business should know when to outsource work to others. Hiring an independent CPA to take care of the quarterly taxes is fairly painless if one can provide good records. Focus on finding a preparer who has experience with independent contractors. The small fee could end up saving money and a lot of extra work.

For day to day operations, an option might be to outsource your invoicing and receivables to a third party. Having an experienced firm bill your clients and do your collections may be worthwhile, as your time is better spent focusing on what you do best. Besides, it can help maintain good client relations to have someone else be the collections “bad cop.” Some companies can even handle your quarterlies for you. If you struggle with your back-office operations as an independent consultant, look into outsourcing some of your business administration to an experienced professional services firm.

What are the advantages of Freelancing?

Those who freelance have complete control over their finances. They are allowed to file their taxes in order to take full advantage of their deductions and business expenses. Those working under an employer may not claim the same tax credits unless the employer is a certain kind of umbrella company, or “portable employer of record” specifically designed for independent consultants and freelancers. The freedom to be involved in their finances from beginning to end may be extra work, but freelancers often avoid overpaying taxes.

Independent contractors should make sure they save money to make their estimated payment at the end of the year. This might take some self-discipline, but at least a 1099 makes this an option. With some financial planning, and perhaps some help from experts, freelancers can breeze through tax time and avoid costly IRS penalties.