You Get What You Pay For

It's a true enough statement. Just like free advice, services that are free are worth pretty much what you paid for them.

Case in point. I chose to use Acteva.com to do online registration for my Laser Calls. The service is essentially free because there's such a small charge for accepting payments. I signed up well over a year ago but only recently used the service. The customer service was great. My own personal sales rep was comforting and helpful. Almost too helpful.

Long story short, I had a problem each time I used the service. Some of the problems were easily fixable while others were serious and put my reputation in jeopardy. After the May 24 Laser Call (40 in 40: Amazing ADR Ideas) - I will not be an Acteva customer any longer.

I could go on but you get the point. Using free or inexpensive services are great when you're still in development mode. However, I think once you prove your concept, it's critical to find high quality, trustworthy vendors to work with. Otherwise, people will start to think "you get what you pay for" about you!

Try. Fail. Learn. Grow.

Dina