TAKE NOTE
KUDOS TO THE LOWLY MINIVAN
Sure, at some time in our lives we all swore we’d never drive
a minivan. But things change. Not only are minivans the ride of choice
for busy soccer moms, but for many businesses, too—they certainly
have their place in the window coverings shop-at-home and installation
business.
Now comes praise for the minivan from the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration. Among the minivan’s numerous advantages:
• 11.2 deaths for every 100,000 registered minivans in 2003 compared
to 14.8 deaths in passenger cars, 15.7 in pickup trucks and 16.4 in
sport utility vehicles (SUVs).
• A low rollover risk of 12 to 16 percent due to its lower and
wider base compared to a rollover risk of 20 percent and higher for
SUVs.
• Styling and utility that attracts safer drivers and fewer teens
or young drivers.
TWO WORDS: INTERNET TELEPHONY
Internet calling has been used for some time by a small fraction of
people in the United States, but that appears to be changing. Market
research firm In-Stat/MDR expects the number of Internet calling users
to jump from its current 600,000 to 1.5 million by the end of 2005.
Internet-based calling uses the same underlying networks and infrastructure
used to send e-mail. Several companies now offer devices that convert
voice signals into digital format that makes using the Internet less
ex-pensive than traditional phone service.
The problem is the converters are technically complicated and not
user friendly. If suppliers overcome these hurdles, you might soon
have a phone receiver next to your PC’s cordless mouse.
IN-PERSON SERVICE COSTS MORE
First, some banks began charging customers a service
fee for coming in and actually doing business with a teller instead
of using its ATM or Web site. Now, Northwest Airlines says it is
doing the same.
At the end of August, Northwest Airlines began charging passengers
a $10 fee for buying tickets in person at airport counters and a
$5 fee for tickets bought over the phone from its reservations lines.
The only way to avoid all fees is to purchase tickets through the
airline’s Web site. According to The New York Times, 16 percent
of Northwest’s tickets are purchased online, 22 percent are
bought over the phone and only two percent are bought in person.
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