There’s an old Jack Handy deep thought that goes something like this… “Children need encouragement. So the next time your child gets an answer right, tell him it was a lucky guess – that way he’ll develop a good lucky feeling.” Well, Jack kind of has a point, no? I thought I’d apply this same logic, or perhaps its cousin, to my 2009 New Year resolution. Why not turn the table on my old foe, Father Time? Why no set VERY achievable, and even enjoyably achievable, goals?

So here, for your eyes only, is my DRAFT 2009 resolution list:

Resolution #5: Gain up to 300 lbs by Christmas. Yep, you read correctly. Without revealing too many personal details, that would represent a whopping weight gain, and I’m certain it would be truly a delight to pursue it (as in ‘almond delight’ or ‘wow, that third helping of ice-cream was delightful’). But all of that food is going to cost me… better save some money (budget $100 per month more in fast food receipts).

Resolution #4: Average 20 hours of television a week. OK this one isn’t much of a stretch, maybe it would really just represent year-over-year consistency. Thing is, I need to have a television goal, because mostly I like to eat in front of the television – well - there and also in front of the refrigerator.
But television can be so boring these days… ? Come to think of it, Beyonce suggests that I ‘UPGRADE’ to Direct TV, and really, who can resist the combination of Beyonce and Direct TV beckoning you – SIMULTANEOUSLY! I need to find some money to pay for the upgrade though (budget $30 a month more for TV bill).

Resolution #3: Keep more stuff … Why keep pretending I’m going to donate those clothes to charity? Besides, in 2010 I may decide to lose 200 lbs, at which point I am going to need those size 34 parachute pants. But wait, not enough room in the closet for my high-school wardrobe AND the Atari game device – going to need to rent some storage space (budget $30 a month for self-storage).

Resolution #2: Acquire more ‘things’! I’ve spent the better part of my post-pubescent life longing for ‘As Seen on TV’ products. I even bought the hand-held sewing machine one year (I convinced myself I could use it for sutures in the event of a home emergency – but now I know that I really wanted it to sow cuffs – I’m not proud). With the exception of the “Super Sewing Machine”, I’ve resisted further purchases. But in 2009 I’m going to buy more gadgets than a Saudi Prince (budget $20 per month + $12 shipping and handling, total $32 per month)

Resolution #1: Pay for what I WANT by eliminating what I NEED. Yep, unlike Wall Street, I have to balance my books somehow. Since the above resolutions will cost me $192 a month ($2,304 in the year), I’m going to have to get rid of a few things. I can save $30 a month by eliminating homeowners insurance; I can cancel the annual veterinarian visit/shots for the dogs and spread the savings over 12 months, that’s an additional $10 per month; I should probably stop chlorinating the pool (let’s put the green back in green people) that’s another $20 a month.. Hmm, what next? Well, there’s my LifeLock membership. Do I really need to protect myself from identity theft, countless hours of credit repair and the knowledge that I will likely have my credit violated again in the near future - what when there are things and food to be bought, television to be watched, and ‘antiques’ to be stored? Cha-ching, just saved another .33 a day…

Happy New Year Everybody (but fraudsters).

Have you called the number on the back of your credit card lately?  I have.  Recently, I called due to a discrepancy on my billing statement and was a little frustrated when there was a language barrier between myself and the representative.  Have you called a company that you do business with when you really need their help to find that they are closed?  I have.  Prior to becoming a LifeLock member I called my bank (a local credit union) when I noticed a fraudulent charge on my checking account.  It just so happened that I noticed this charge late on a Friday evening.  When I called I received a recording advising me they were closed for the weekend.  My frustration grew as I noticed the fraudulent charges adding up and the money in my checking account decreasing.  I finally got in touch with a representative the following Monday, to find that they were most unhelpful.  The agent told me that I needed to open police reports, and get documents notarized, offering very little assistance and no empathy.

Most of the nearly 100,000 people who call LifeLock each month don’t realize they are reaching a state of the art 25,000 sq. ft. contact center that is bio-metrically secured, ISO certified, and houses nearly 200 Member Service Agents who are there and available 24 X 7 X 365.  They also don’t realize that one of LifeLock’s mantras is ‘do what you should, not what you can’.  This might sound like corporate jargon, but at LifeLock it’s what we do.

Recently I sat down with one of our Resolution specialist named Kelly who told me a great story about a recent call she had taken.  Our Resolution Specialists are folks you hope you never have to speak with, but you’re grateful that they are there when you need them (this is the team that helps you when your identity has been stolen).  Kelly told me about a member named George who called in and thought he’d been a victim of identity theft.  After speaking with him, Kelly was quickly able to determine that he had not been a victim of identity theft, rather a victim of an unscrupulous DVD club that wouldn’t stop charging his account.  Because George was not a victim of identity theft, Kelly could have easily told him that he needed to work directly with the DVD club, but she knew she could help.  Kelly mediated multiple calls between the DVD club and our member. She was able to help get the account cancelled and George’s money credited back to his account.  George was so grateful for Kelly’s help he wrote into us, here’s an excerpt from his letter:

“Kelly jumped on my issue with this company and didn’t give up until she was able to talk to someone and get this mess straightened out.  Even over the holiday weekend and during our vacation, Kelly was extremely patient with me until I could get home and get her the information to get this company in line.  I truly enjoyed talking to her.  She made me feel like I was the only person she was dealing with.”

You don’t get to pick when you might become a victim of identity theft.  Knowing no matter what time a thief decides to steal my identity, there’s a professional sitting in Tempe, Arizona ready to answer my call helps me rest a little easier at night.

“Do what you should and not what you can”, is a familiar phrase to everyone here at LifeLock but do we really understand its true meaning? From the first call I took here at LifeLock I knew there was something different about our service. Not only are we number one in identity theft protection but I believe we have something different than our competitors. No, I’m not talking about Todd Davis (although he is great). I’m talking about our unique 1 million dollar service guarantee. We don’t always want to rant and rave about how great it is because we hope that very few clients have to actually invoke it. It is important to understand that there are many types of identity theft that cannot be prevented by fraud alerts, credit monitoring, or even credit freezes. This is why the guarantee gives our members peace of mind in knowing that they belong to a company that does “what it should” and not “what it can.”

I think back to a story that I remember happening over the holidays in December of 2007. A woman from Florida had contacted us because her checking account had been fraudulently drained of every last penny. The bank (I’m not saying who, although I will never do business with them) told her they would investigate and contact her in 7-10 days. They gave her no provisional credit and didn’t offer her any temporary help. After listening to her story, I asked if she had any money to get her through the next couple of days. She replied, “No, I have just enough money to feed my dogs.”

I could tell she was desperate and I felt that we needed to do something different. I told her I would call her back while I scrambled to figure out a plan. Being late on a Friday afternoon, there were little options for getting money to her fast. Western Union was the quickest way we could get her money. Working with the LifeLock team, we were able to transfer money to her nearest grocery store. We gave her enough to cover her until the bank finished their investigation and returned all her money.

The point of my story is not to tell you how great we are for taking care of this client. The true point of my story is to tell you what it means to do “what you should and not what you can.” It would have been easy to tell her sorry and to wait for the bank to call her but something about this didn’t feel right. When you do the right thing you know because it feels right.

A few weeks later I received a check from our member with the same amount of money we sent with a “thank you” note. Although we never thought to have the money returned, it was apparent that LifeLock had exceeded this member’s expectations. Stories like this make me proud to work for such a giving company.

The ongoing explosive growth of LifeLock is honestly amazing. I remember the first day I started at LifeLock the company was scattered around in about 25+ executive suites on the ninth floor. On my fourth day the company officially moved to its own floor and on day five we had already officially outgrown the space! Luckily we’ll soon be taking up an additional floor as well.

The LifeLock offices are currently located in the Hayden Ferry Lake complex in Tempe, Arizona. The building itself is amazing - very modern and sleek. There are incredible views of the McDowell Mountains out of the east side, and astounding sunset views out of the west side. Being nestled in between Tempe Beach Park, Mill Ave and Arizona State University is great as well - there are always events going on.

I’ll bring in a digital camera to get some interior shots, but until then I think I need to devise a plan to get roof access for the Tempe fireworks show on the 4th of July.