Alter Ego  introduces MailEgo, our first bulk/mass emailing system. Let us do your bulk emailing for you, while you sit back and relax.

Features

• Fully Automatic Email Verification and Sending
• Reliable Delivery, Bounce and Failure statistics
• Easy to use, User Profile (view stats, reports, settings)
• Safe Subscribe/Unsubscribe Functionality (embedded into your existing website)
• Subscriber Management
• Export Subscribers to Excel (CSV)

Benefits

• Cost Effective
• Reliable
• We do the work!

How does it work?

Mail Ego is different to any other bulk emailing system on the market. Why? We do the work for you!

With most mass emailing systems available, you would need to create each newsletter yourself, sometimes spending hours formatting and compiling your newsletter in accordance to the few templates available, leaving you to settle for something generic and sub-standard.

With Mail Ego, we do everything for you! Simply provide us with the content for the newsletter in MS Word. We custom design each newsletter according to your exact requirements and specifications. Once compiled and approved, your newsletter will be sent out in bulk.

MailEgo enables you to cost effectively and effortlessly use every email your business sends to increase brand awareness, website traffic, new business leads and your marketing footprint.

Activating MailEgo is not about increasing costs but rather about allocating and using your existing marketing budget more effectively.

To find out whether MailEgo is critical to your business, you need only ask yourself 3 simple questions.

• How many emails do I send to clients, prospects, suppliers and acquaintances?
• How many of these emails does justice to my brand, drives traffic to my website, allows me to intelligently markets my products and services and automatically generate new business leads?
• With most of our business communication taking place by email can my business afford not make every email we send work for us?

In fact MailEgois business critical for every small business that is serious about building brand and growing their businesses.

Why MailEgo

As the Global market leader, MailEgoalready delivers technology as a service to over 500 leading enterprise and thousands of small business clients on 5 continents.

Highly flexible and cost-effective our proven technology allows small businesses to take full control over the flow, appearance, compliancy and delivery of every email they send.

Considering that with MailEgoyour branded email correspondence is interactive, measurable, increases website traffic and generates new business leads, it is clear that no small business should miss out on this extraordinary opportunity.

Branding email correspondence the MailEgo way is set become a universal corporate imperative for successful small businesses. Why not take advantage of this opportunity today and enhance your reputation as a market leader.

How MailEgo Works

MailEgo allows you to intelligently wrap every email you send with your brand and a powerfull, interactive and clickable marketing message before delivering it to the recipient/s of your choice.

When a recipient clicks on any of the links in you branding and marketing insert you will automatically be notified which recipient and link was clicked. Immediately follow-up this lead or increase brand loyalty by sending courtesy email thanking recipient for visiting your company website.

There is a huge amount of work involved in the optimisation (SEO) of a website. SEO is a process which must be managed almost on a full-time basis. Because of the cost implications to do this, we have designed a few packages which are paid monthly to suite your pocket and business.

Maintenance Packages

If you are running a business, no matter what the nature is, you are going to have to make updates to your website. Instead of potentially costly alterations, simply sign up for one of our maintenance packages. You can rest easy knowing that you have a company backing your business 24/7, with peace of mind knowing exactly what your monthly expenses to maintain your wesbite will be.

We can work out a custom maintenance package for you, however below you will find some of our ready made packages.

One of the most common things web designers and clients forget about is Search Engine Optimization. About 70%, if not more, of South African websites are not Search Engine friendly. People seem to think that as soon as they have a website their business is going to boom. This is the biggest mistake people make when contacting a web design company who does not provide SEO as a service. SEO is an art, not a skill, which takes years to develop and refine. Good SEO is vital to any website’s internet marketing strategy.

What is SEO and Internet Marketing?

As mentioned above SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the art of making a website search engine friendly. Search engines such as Google, Ananzi, Yahoo and MSN all use computer programs called “Robots” which crawl the internet from website to website, reading and indexing web pages. SEO is the process which makes your website visible to robots. The more a robot understands your website, the better your ranking will be across search engines.

Internet Marketing is probably the most effective and affordable way of driving business to your website.

We have years of experience in SEO and Internet Marketing. We have built a strong reputation as a company which can deliver. Don’t be fooled! There are many companies out there who offer SEO, but only a handful who really know what they are doing.

Why is SEO so important?

People often under-estimate the importance of SEO. What most people don’t realize is that if a website is not robot friendly, it could be banned or simply not indexed by Google. Which obviously defeats the purpose of having a website in the first place. Have you ever seen these flashy websites designed completely in FLASH? They look great, but they are completely invisible to search engines. Remember, it’s impossible for a robot to “SEE” text contained in graphics or FLASH animations. Therefore they will not know what the website is about, and will therefore not be able to rank the page correctly.

Certain “SEO” companies try and trick Google, by repeating certain words often throughout the website, or making the text the same colour as the websites background colour. This will result in your website being banned and is known as keyword spamming. SEO is a very complex topic to write about concisely, so why not contact us for a detailed analysis of your existing website for FREE?

What do we do?

If you ask us to design and develop a website for you we will give your website a “once-over” to ensure that it is Search Engine Friendly, however if you have an existing website, and want more traffic the process is as follows:

• We check all HTML code, and make sure it confirms to the industry standard
• We check that all meta tags are correct, and that no duplication is present
• The content of your website will be studied, from which 6 – 12 keywords are gathered for the entire website.
• Each individual page is analyzed for a specific theme or topic, from which 3 main keywords are retrieved.
• Keywords are then analyzed to make sure they are worth optimizing the specific page for that specific keyword
• We repeat the process throughout the entire website and check the main keywords against the title and description meta tag
• Once this is complete, we check the website against your competitors websites, and make various changes to ensure your site will outrank them
• We may be required to add additional text or content to your website so ensure proper keyword density for the content, meta tags and title
• After we are happy with the content, programming and meta tags, we will submit your website to over 150 search engines and a further 50 directory listing websites.

Integrating a CMS, or a Content Management System into your website, will allow you to single-handedly update, edit or delete any element of your website that you like – be it content, images, prices of products or your product list itself if you have an e-commerce website, etc.

A CMS is the easiest and most efficient way to run a website that requires regular changes; it allows the easy management and maintenance of your website.

Transforming a graphic design into a functional web page

Once we have completed the graphic design of your website, we convert the design into a fully operational web page, or with other words: we bring it to life. This phase we call the “programming” or “development” of your website.

Programming is usually the most complex part in the website development process and exactly here lies our competitive advantage of skill and expertise. This is where we shine as a company. Over the years we have made a name for ourselves by developing high end web applications that can do what initially only PC based software could.

Our programmers are proficient in multiple programming languages including PHP, AJAX, HTML, CSS, MySQL and JavaScript. At Alter Ego we can program your website to perform just about anything you please. However complex your requirements are – with us you can be sure to receive a quality product that fulfils your every need.

We offer you the option to start off with a basic website that we can upgrade for you at a later stage if needed. This is possible as we build all of our products with a component-approach, meaning that additional components or functionality can easily be added to enhance your website. This gives you the freedom to grow your online presence, as your business and budget does.

Alter Ego  has spent years developing our own in-house PHP development framework. Which allows quicker development of complex websites while maintaining a custom approach. All our sites are built using a MVC (Model View Controller) approach, utilizing OOP (Object Orientated Programming).

What happens when the price displayed is wrong?  For example, the price displayed for a cell phone is R120 when it should be R1,200.  The consumer sees R120 and thinks “Great, that is a good deal!” and decides to buy it for R120.  the consumer gets to the till and is told “Sorry it is actually R1,200“.  Is the retailer or supplier obliged to sell it for the price advertised?  Can the consumer insist that they can buy it for R120 and get a deal of a life time.

Up until now, South African law has not really provided clarity on this issue.  Legislation dealt with it to an extent and the Advertising Standards Authority did not really deal with it in their Advertising Code.

Is the retailer or supplier obliged to sell it for the price advertised?

But that will change when the Consumer Protection Act becomes effective.  Section 23 dealing with the “disclosure of price of goods or services” says the following.  I have emphasised some words in bold.

“1) This section does not apply to a transaction if-

a) a supplier has provided an estimate pertaining to that transaction, or the consumer has waived such an estimate, as contemplated in section 15; or

b) section 43 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act applies to that transaction.

2) In this section, ‘‘price” includes a unit price.

3) Subject to subsection (4), a retailer must not display any goods for sale without displaying to the consumer a price in relation to those goods.

4) A retailer is not required to display a price for any goods that are displayed predominantly as a form of advertisement of the supplier, or of goods or services, in an area within the supplier’s premises to which the public does not ordinarily have access.

5) A price is adequately displayed to a consumer if, in relation to any particular goods, a written indication of the price, expressed in the currency of the Republic, is-

a) annexed or affixed to, written, printed, stamped or located upon, or otherwise applied to the goods or to any band, ticket, covering, label, package, reel, shelf or other thing used in connection with the goods or on which the goods are mounted for display or exposed for sale;

b) in any way represented in a manner from which it may reasonably be inferred that the price represented is a price applicable to the goods or services in question; or

c) published in relation to the goods in a catalogue, brochure, circular or similar form of publication available to that consumer, or to the public generally, if-

i) a time is specified in the catalogue, brochure, circular or similar form of publication as the time after which the goods may not be sold at that price, and that time has not yet passed; or

ii) in any other case, the catalogue, brochure, circular or similar form of publication is dated, and in the circumstances may reasonably be regarded as not out of date.

6) Subject to subsections (7) to (10), a supplier must not require a consumer to pay a price for any goods or services-

a) higher than the displayed price for those goods or services; or

b) if more than one price is concurrently displayed, higher than the lower or lowest of the prices so displayed.

7) Subsection (6) does not apply in respect of the price of any goods or services if the price of those goods or services is determined by or in terms of any public regulation.

8 ) If a price that was once displayed has been fully covered and obscured by a second displayed price, that second price must be regarded as the displayed price.

9) If a price as displayed contains an inadvertent and obvious error, the supplier is not bound by it after-

a) correcting the error in the displayed price; and

b) taking reasonable steps in the circumstances to inform consumers to whom the erroneous price may have been displayed of the error and the correct price.

10) A supplier is not bound by a price displayed in relationship to any goods or services if an unauthorised person has altered, defaced, covered, removed or obscured the price displayed or authorised by the supplier.

11) If, in addition to displaying a price in relation to any goods or services, a supplier has advertised or displayed a placard or similar device announcing that prices are, will be or have been reduced by-

a) a monetary value, generally or in relationship to any particular goods or services, the displayed price for the purpose of subsection (6) must be regarded as being the price immediately displayed in relationship to the goods or services, minus the announced monetary reduction; or

b) a percentage value, generally or in relationship to any particular goods or services, the displayed price for the purpose of subsection (6) must be regarded as being the price immediately displayed in relationship to the goods or services, minus an amount determined by multiplying that price by the percentage shown,

unless the supplier has applied two or more prices immediately to the goods or services concerned, and the difference between the highest and lower or lowest of those applied prices is equivalent to the advertised or placarded reduction in price.”

Sub-section 9 is the most relevant.  So in some circumstances, the retailer is obliged to sell it for the price advertised and the consumer can get the deal of a lifetime.

Are you wondering what impact of the Consumer Protection Act will have on your organisation? We can help. We offer a seminar, workshop or webinar (online seminar) on the subject. Get a working understanding of the affect of the Consumer Protection Act on your organisation and its business. Get up to speed quickly.

Reserve your seat below

What do we cover?

• Why consumer protection matters – the top risks for organisations and individuals
• What must an organisation comply with?
• Who is responsible?
• An overview of related laws, rules, codes and standards
• Overview of the Consumer Protection Act:
  • What is it and what is the current status? What are the time lines?
  • A heads up
  • Important definitions
• Implementing an effective compliance program
  • The questions you should be asking
  • Finding answers
  • The documents that will be affected
• How will the CPA affect organisations? What is going to have the biggest impact? Some practical implications:
  • Your documents
  • Promotional competitions and other marketing efforts
  • Are you liable for damages caused by the goods your supply?
  • When you display the wrong price
  • Bundling under the CPA
  • Do you need additional insurance?
  • Why you NEED to use plain language?
• Take Home points and Action items

Outcomes

• Understand how consumer protection impacts your organisation and its business
• Be aware of the risks
• Get an overview of consumer protection laws
  
• Become sufficiently familiar with the general content of consumer protection laws to discharge your duties
• Understand the context of consumer protection laws and how they interact
• Be aware of the challenges it will bring and the opportunities it will create

Who should attend? Why?

Business people and managers – not consumers.

• Directors (executive and non-executive, CEOs and FDs) – to discharge their legal duties and direct the course of the organisation
• CAEs, auditors and assurance providers (internal and external) – to audit and provide assurance
• CROs and Risk Managers – to manage risks
• Compliance officers – to effectively comply with consumer protection laws
• Legal advisors (corporate lawyers or in-house lawyers) – to provide good legal advice on consumer protection issues

Who is the presenter?

One of the professionals from the firm will present it. Michalsons Attorneys is an agent for Made Easy and the attorneys at Michalsons are consultants trained to help you comply with the Consumer Protection Act.

How long is it?

It depends on the format – the seminar is 45 minutes, the workshop between two hours and a full day and the webinar about 45 minutes.

“It’s an absolutely awesome platform from which I benefited immensely” Winston Seyama, Group Risk Management, Standard Bank Group Limited

What does it cost?

Please email us asking for a quote.

The price for the webinar version is R949 per person. After you have registered, we will send you an invoice. Once we have received payment, we will approve your attendance and send you information on joining the webinar. We offer a 100 percent money back guarantee. If you miss the event or are not happy for any reason, we will give you your money back

Reserve your seat

Dates:

• Wednesday 23 March 2011 11AM to 12 AM – click here to register

If this date or time does not suit you, let us know.

Venue:

We are happy to give the seminar or workshop at your venue.

The webinar is online. It is live, so you can ask questions to make sure that you get the information you are looking for. If you want a personal in-house seminar at your offices, please contact us and we will send you a quote.

What do I need for the webinar?

For the webinar, all you need is a reasonable Internet connection, and a pair of headphones.

Still have questions?

Click here to find out more about webinars. If you have any questions please email learning@michalsons.co.za or call 086 011 1245.

Many people view the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA or “the Act”) as the Bill of Rights for consumers – probably rightly so, as consumers will have ample rights in terms of the Act, once in operation. One of these rights is the Right to Choose as contemplated in Chapter 2, Part C of the Act.

What does the right to choose really entail?

The Right to Choose actually deals with all of the following issues:

1. The Consumer’s right to select suppliers;
2. Expiry and renewal of fixed-term agreements;
3. Pre-authorisation of repair or maintenance services;
4. The Consumer’s right to a cooling-off period after direct marketing;
5. The Consumer’s right to cancel advance reservation, booking or order;
6. The Consumer’s right to choose or examine goods;
7. The Consumer’s rights with respect to delivery of goods or supply of service;
8. The Consumer’s right to return goods;
9. Unsolicited goods or services.

The right to select suppliers by implication excludes bundling of products or services.

The Consumer’s right to select suppliers

Section 13 of the CPA prohibits a supplier of goods or services to require (as a condition of offering to supply goods or services or to conclude an agreement with a consumer) that the consumer purchases other goods or services from that supplier or a specific third party supplier. In practice, this means that it is against the law to bundle products or services, because it infringes a consumer’s right to choose its supplier. For example, where supplier A provides a software solution on condition that the consumer buys the hardware required for the software to run on from supplier B (or A for that matter).

The CPA wants to avoid the situation where a consumer is forced to buy more than one product (or obtain a service) from the same or nominated third party supplier where it does not  actually want to buy the second product (or obtain the service) from the supplier.  The consumer might not need the second product or service.  For example, you want to buy a surf board, but the surf shop says that if you want a surf board you have to buy a wet suit.  Fine if you live in Cape Town, but not if you live in Durban.

Exceptions

There are certain exceptions to the general prohibition on bundling. The CPA prohibits bundling, unless the supplier can show that:

1. the convenience to the consumer to bundle the goods or services outweighs the limitation or restriction of the consumer’s right to choose
2. bundling of the goods or services results in economic benefit to the consumer – surf board R100, wet suit R100 – surf board and wet suit R180
3. the supplier offers bundled goods or services separately and at individual prices as well

The bundling must be to the consumer’s advantage or the different goods or services must be offered individually as well

So, the bottom line is that the bundling must be to the consumer’s advantage or that the different goods or services must be offered individually as well.  In practice, exception 3 won’t be problematic – it is easy to ascertain whether a supplier provides goods and services at individual prices or not.  Applying exceptions 1 and 2 may be a bit more difficult. Convenience v limitation is a matter of interpretation and each case will have to be judged on its own merits. The same goes for economic benefit. On the face of it, a “saving” to a consumer seems to be an economic benefit. But is it really an economic benefit if the consumer did not want or need the second product or service in the first place? We’ll have to wait and see how the Commissioner and Tribunal (National Consumer Tribunal established by section 26 of the National Credit Act) and Courts interpret these exceptions.

Real life cases

Recently Telkom has come under fire for the bundling of it voice services with that of its ADSL data service, or more specifically that it is impossible to subscribe to ADSL service without first getting a voice subscription. This is a clear example of bundling, as defined in the Act, and is unlawful unless Telkom can rely on one of the exceptions.

Telkom cannot rely on exception 3 as currently they do not offer ADSL services separately to voice services. The fact that ADSL services are priced separately from voice services on ones bill does not mean Telkom has met the requirements exception, as these services are not offered separately.

As mentioned above, it is difficult to determine how the National Consumer Commissioner will interpret exceptions 1 and 2, so how it they will rule in in telkoms matter is difficult. Given the Commissioners strong “pro-consumer” statements thus far, it is likely Telkom will not meet the requirements for exception 2. I say this on the basis, that even if ADSL prices are subsidised by the voice services, I don’t think the subsidisation is so great that it would benefit the Consumer to take voice services, that they don’t intend to use.

I think Telkom’s greatest chance lies in exception 1. Because this section is so loosely defined, Telkom could possibly make an argument that, for technical reasons,  ADSL services can only be provided on lines that have voice services already enabled on them. To my mind, I don’t think that this argument will work, and if the matter goes before the Commissioner I think we will see them rule in favour of the Consumers.