Summary

The author used their influence as a writer to obtain a $340 refund from a company that failed to deliver promised writing-related services, despite initial support for the young, innovative, black-owned business.

Abstract

The author recounts their experience with a black-owned company that failed to provide the writing-related services they paid for. Despite their initial support for the company due to its youthful, innovative approach and shared cultural background, the author's patience wore thin after months of unprofessional conduct and unfulfilled promises. Eventually, the author leveraged their position as a writer to demand a refund, feeling both satisfaction and guilt over their actions. The author reflects on the ethical implications of their threat to expose the company and questions whether their actions constituted a smear campaign, despite the truthfulness of their grievances.

Opinions

The author believes in the responsibility of writers to use their influence for good and initially supported the company because of its potential and shared cultural identity.
There is a sense of betrayal and frustration directed towards the company for not living up to its commitments and for being unprofessional.
The author feels that their threat to use their writing status against the company was somewhat justified due to the company's failure to deliver services after multiple chances.
The author grapples with mixed feelings about securing a refund, questioning the morality of potentially damaging the company's reputation, yet also feeling a sense of justice.
The author is conflicted about not disclosing the company's name, weighing the duty to inform other potential customers against the potential harm to the company.

I Used My BULLY Pulpit to Get a $340 Refund!

Have you ever threatened someone by telling them you’re a writer?

I wrote a story on Medium in the past, and I said that we writers should use our creative powers for good. Well folks, I just used my bully pulpit to help me obtain a $340 refund, but at least it was a fight for justice (no pun intended).

If you’re a writer or author who’s ever paid for and got scammed for some type of writing related service, you will definitely relate to my experience. You’ll also understand why I took the actions I took, when this happened to me.

NOTE: All images below, provided by Author via Canva.com

Let me start by saying:

I tried with all my might, to give the company a chance to provide the service I paid for. For months, I gave them the benefit of the doubt, but…

Some businesses are just sketchy, no matter what color the owner is

It’s a shame when businesses take advantage of people, by attempting to exploit their creative aspirations. I have to admit, it seemed to sting a little bit more, because the business owner was a young black man.

Not that color has a lot of relevance to this story, because sketchy business owners come in all shades.

I bring the issue up, because my main reasons for wanting to work with the company in the first place, was because they were young, innovative, and black owned. I’m an older black woman who takes pride in our youth, so I really wanted to see this company succeed. I was happy to support them all I could.

I knew they were a fledgling company and they were still ironing out the kinks. But I loved their creative ideas, so I agreed to work with them.

Needless to say, I was disappointed when I saw things not progressing like they should, but I refused to accept the reality. It’s not that the company was fraudulent, or anything, they were just unprofessional.

Here’s how the incidents unfolded:

I let it be known that I wouldn’t hesitate to use my status as a writer against him. Maybe that was wrong, but after all this time, I was finally pissed and I made it clear in my email.

I felt smug and satisfied when I received a PayPal alert, letting me know that money had been sent to my account. But I must admit, I felt a little guilty too.

Final Thoughts

I can’t deny that I’m extremely pleased that I was able to secure a refund, after months of waiting around for creative projects that never materialized.

But in truth, I still kind of have mixed feelings about two things

I feel like I’m kind of shirking my responsibility, by not exposing the name of the company
I also feel kind of bad for having threatened to use my writing privileges in that way, almost like a blackmailer or extortionist.

I don’t ever want to be the kind of writer who doesn’t respect the position we hold, and who plans and plots to do smear campaigns. But then again, is it really a smear campaign, if everything you say is true?

Hmm. What do you guys think?

DEAR READER: The advice and opinions I share are not always taken from a book or based on professional statements. I merely share accounts I’ve experienced personally and I tell you how I handled a situation when this happened to me, OR my suggestions, if it were to ever happen.

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