or "A Liar's Guide to Plaques and Letters Online 'Sites".

     A Cheryl Walker emailed P&L out of the blue with: “I noticed on your web site that you have other competitors websites that we should check out so we did that. We went to www.bronzememorials.net and I noticed on that web site that they have pictures of “How we make our plaques”. The problem is that these are pictures of Matthews Foundry in Pennsylvania not Bronze Memorials which is located in Florida. Isn’t this false advertising? Apparently they are not manufacturers but are claiming to be. Are all bronze plaque sites false? Is this industry wide?”

    My Reply, addressing her points: “"Bronze Memorials" also offers Gemini products. "Isn’t this false advertising? "? Yeppers. "Apparently they are not manufacturers but are claiming to be."? Yeppers. "Is this industry wide?"? Yeppers. If one didn't know better they'd think there was a foundry located in every third state. "Not Really." "Are all bronze plaque sites false? "? NO, because we're not..."

  As I have written the Federal Trade Commission: "There’s a dynamic that lies run rampant in the architectural signage industry—False Advertising by my competitors—particularly as it relates to cast and etched plaques, and cast & flat cut metal letters offerings. If people choose to work with liars, that's their option…but they should be able to know who they’re dealing with. Please visit http://www.plaquesandletters.com/FTC/THE%20TRUTH%20ABOUT%20ARCHITECTURAL%20

PLAQUES%20&%20LETTERS%20AQUISITION_rev.pdf  for more. It is a simple fact that Matthews Bronze, A.R.K. Ramos, Gemini, Southwellco, & Trigard are the major, reputable manufacturers in the bronze & aluminum plaques industry. (The first four also produce letters.)" Sadly, many others pretend they're manufacturers, with all that might imply to prospects.

   As of November '09, Complaints have been filed against 17 of the most egregious ones. (One of them is a group of six, but actually the same outfit.) Some poseurs make something...just not what anyone will be ordering from them in this realm. They're selling under False Pretenses. They're signage distributors, as P&L is and states; they don't. I'm merely leveling the playing field.

    It stuns and amazes them that someone is finally shedding light on this industry. I'm "stunned and amazed" that they are "stunned and amazed". They consider as "audacity" that someone would actually tell the truth.

   Those Complaints are linked below. It would be quite impractical to post here the literally reams of printed & annotated pages which were provided to the FTC. However, if examined the evidence and visited the linked webpages found within those .pdf files, cases are well-substantiated. This page was posted August '09 and the pretenders know of it. I'd be swamped with motions from attorneys if I hadn't been accurate. Not one peep. Saxton's "Attorney"--The Law Offices of Koorosh K. Shahrokh, Esq. (Esquire??)--wrote to the LA AG November 25th 2009 that he'd file a lawsuit about this "in the next few weeks"...but never bothered because he/Saxton have no case. Apparently Saxton cannot afford a real attorney.

01/04/10: Matthews Bronze decided that as a result of these efforts, I am no longer a customer. P&L's Response. P&L's Letter to the FTC, stating they & their involved dealers are an illegal cartel.

   Those about whom Complaints have been filed may believe they've done something. The majority of P&L's work was going elsewhere anyway, to those who are quicker, more efficient, less expensive and provide a cleaner product. It will remain mysterious why at least 85% of the pretenders--like http://www.federatedbronze.com/--are exclusively Matthews dealers, with better foundries available. They even limit their letters offerings solely to Matthews, when Matthews does admit they can't compete with Gemini either on price, schedule, font or finish selections. This serves as a blanket statement, so all of the documents linked below don't require updating.

   North American Bronze: http://northamericanbronze.com/AboutUs.html has recently cropped up and claims: "Our manufacturing capabilities allow us to pass the savings on to our customers...and maintaining a high level of quality control." Problem is of course...they don't HAVE any. They're simply and exclusively Matthews Bronze dealers. "Our dedication to service has established our place in this industry."? They don't have a "place in this industry"...other than being just one more lying Matthews dealer...as is Inspired Bronze, who clearly identify on their Homepage and About page that they are a foundry. That's obviously fine because they are...of bronze sculptures. HOWEVER: On their plaques and letters page http://www.inspiredbronze.com/Plaques-Signs-Main-Page.html they make no distinction between being a foundry vs. a "mere" distributor of them. As I've informed them: "NO you don't say you make architectural signage; you don't have to. Once you've identified yourselves as a foundry, likely 99% if not 100% of your visitors will also think you make the architectural signage you sell, with all of the ostensible benefits implied. You don't."

Joe Gabig, masquerading as "International Bronze" is merely one more manufacturer pretender. I'm not filing more Complaints to the FTC because it's futile. Joe et al will simply proceed on the basis that the buying public are easily duped.

Ideally these Complaints were read before scrolling down. Most images on this page click-to-enlarge. Before continuing, I'll address the likely:

Q: "WHY ARE YOU EVEN BRINGING THIS UP? PEOPLE DON'T CARE WHETHER THEY GET THEIR SIGNAGE FROM A DISTRIBUTOR OR A MANUFACTURER." A: Actually they do: From considerable experience, they think they'll get a bargain or better service buying 'direct' from a foundry. That's not how this industry generally works...although it's the reason there're so many pretenders. Preferable that this environment wasn't one where this is deemed "smart strategy".

Q: "OK I READ TWO OR THREE OF THOSE COMPLAINTS. ARE YOU OBSESSIVE OR WHAT?" A: I'm thorough. Anything worth doing−and expecting someone to take time to read & allow credence−is worth doing well. It's senseless to report one, when this isn't a personal issue, and many use the same practices.

Q: "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE ANYWAY??" A: I'm Don Baker. I own, and am, Plaques & Letters.com. "In a previous life", I was a Sr. Art Director of two international ad agencies in Dallas, the Creative Director of a small one in Tulsa. Eighty-four hour weeks "lost its allure", so I moved back to LA (LA Tech '77) and started a sign business in '94. Local cast bronze plaque orders were far more lucrative than any other signage aspect, so I went online with the most informative website in this industry niche.

   It was a challenge: In '02 I didn't know what the space bar on a keyboard was, much less how to type (others did that stuff for me before), much less how to use a computer or create a website. With no need for a storefront, I work in residence, as many if not most Distributors do.

 BTW: Have you seen images like those below on others' 'sites, implying there's myriad of CS in rows of cubicles awaiting your call...but they're always "offline"? "There's no one there, folks."

   The effort paid off...in spades. Speaking of which:

Q: "WHY DO YOU HAVE TO USE 'HARSH' LANGUAGE LIKE 'LIARS'? Mr. MAC DOESN'T SPECIFICALLY CALL Mr. PC A 'LIAR'." A: I'm not Apple^®'s ad agency & this isn't a TV spot. It's more like current Chevy vs Honda or Domino's vs Subway vs Papa Johns' ads. "I call a spade..." Let's consider: ▪"fibbing": a small or trivial lie; minor falsehood." I see nothing "trivial" about lying about who you are and what you actually do. ▪ "prevaricator: a person who speaks falsely; liar.." It's the same thing but with lipstick. ▪ "dis·sem·ble: To disguise or conceal behind a false appearance." ▪ "beguiler, cheater, deceiver, trickster, slicker, cheat: someone who leads you to believe something that is not true." Those aren't improvements; merely word parsing. ▪ "fabricator, storyteller - someone who tells lies." Then there's "disingenuous". "It's a distinction without a difference."  

   I'll stick with my semantics. These aren't harmless tales by some wooden boy lying about going to school. These are "adults" who take money and provide product literally under false pretenses. I've emailed some about it, and they think it's either funny or shrewd. Ken Cooper of Architectural Bronze replied with: "Hey Don,  It sells! ". The word "Lying"? "If the shoe fits" by definition...(Any attorney will inform those with their "pants on fire" that "the truth is an absolute defense". (Lagniappe: My brother has his JD, & MD, from Yale. We share many of the same traits & interests.)

Q: "YES BUT WHY DO YOU 'NAME NAMES'? IT'S LIKE SOMETHING FROM THE McCarthy COMMISSION OR THE "HOUSE COMMITTEE on UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES WORK." A: Those would entail "without proper regard for evidence" as they engaged in, which is no factor here. Vague references like "some of my competitors" have no currency. Specificity does. And after all, this is "A Liar's Guide to Plaques & Letters Online 'Sites".

   Also written the FTC: "The five Complaints already filed—as well as the five more I now submit—are meticulously documented and supported. As I’ve previously conveyed to you: “A [prospect] offered us, after [we followed up and learned we'd lost that bid], and we informed...who they were dealing with: “Obviously this is not a good situation we find ourselves… If what you're telling me is the truth, then yes, we have been duped, and I don't appreciate it.” Customers don’t like being hoodwinked even if they do receive a lower quote.”…but it’s happening many times daily in this architectural signage industry. Countless people are being ripped off in one fashion or another as a result. “Caveat Emptor” has never been more true since the advent of online commerce. The same prospect later inquired of us:

“Don,
Here is their "about us" page that explicitly says that they cast their own plaques...Is this a lie? If so, how is that this is allowed? Pete”

My reply to Pete & offered to the FTC: “"Is this a lie? If so, how is that this is allowed?"? Ask state Attorney's Generals who don't [do much about it]. Please see attached.” The “attached” I referred to then were actually the five Complaints I’ve sent to you, FTC. As for the various state Attorneys’ General, I’ll have them “send them a letter”. But as for Tom’s “how is that this is allowed”, it’s “allowed” because no one—besides me—is doing anything about it." "allowed" is the operative term. There is no entity NOT "allowing" it."

   The FTC replied five times with boilerplate: "The Commission does not resolve individual complaints. The Commission can, however, act when it sees a pattern of possible violations developing. The information you have provided will be recorded in our complaint retention system. This computerized system enables us to identify questionable business practices that are generating numerous complaints and may be in violation of the law.” I offered the FTC: "I’ve no way of knowing if your “a pattern of possible violations” is applicable to a sole company you receive multiple complaints about posited by multiple parties against same, OR if it might apply to one person making complaints about multiple parties in the same industry. If it’s exclusively the former, I have previously offered: “I don’t foresee any others—whether they’re architectural signage distributors OR buyers—making the same complaints. The first group is largely complicit in this; the latter group either doesn’t know any better, or just “moves on”, believing that nothing either can or will be done...The “pattern” you seek is that, each of these companies that I have brought to your attention lie about themselves (and sometimes others) on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis....Is anyone doing anything “illegal” by your definition? I can’t say, but most would think “there oughta be a law”. It’s safe to say most people have some vague sense that there’s somebody paying attention to matters such as this.”

Let's view this beyond industry-specific. In a waning recession (although 10.2% official, 17.5% + defacto unemployment isn't much of a "wane"), some still wonder: "What the 'heck' happened??" It's not complicated. "Things" were never worth what people believed−wished− they were; they were artificially valued. This country−great as it is−sometimes operates on faulty fundamentals. Here's two:   1) "Boom or Bust" (aka "Make Hay While the Sun Shines", "Take the Money & Run" OR: "My Fantasy is Just as Good as Your Reality"): Time Magazines' Barbara Ehrenreich's written a book on this "positive thinking", demonstrating that it’s brought us an era of irrational optimism resulting in fiscal disaster. She ends with a call for existential clarity and courage. Earlier, Ayn Rand formed an akin philosophical system she called Objectivism. She considered reason to be the only means of acquiring knowledge and the most important aspect of her philosophy. Her friend Alan Greenspan deemed the lack of same "irrational exuberance", referring to the outlandish speculation in the housing market. No, "they'll never make more land'"...but they made many more houses than anyone could ever afford. Mortgage brokers were "incentivized" to do the wrong thing: The higher the mortgage risk, the higher their % rate of compensation per sale. Ergo: $25,000/year custodians were living−temporarily− in $250,000 homes. That temporarily benefited the brokers. That temporarily benefited the new "homeowners"...many of whom became homeless. That temporarily benefited contractors & Home Depot & Lowes, but...      I visited Vegas in '07 with the thought of living there. After all, hearing it was "the fastest growing city in the U.S."−temporarily−and property there should be a good investment + Vegas is a fun place to live, it seemed a sound idea. (Circe du Soleil acts & Blue Man Group are as fantastic as many have seen & heard.) As a failed architecture student (a D in physics in '74 at LSU was a poor harbinger, so I went into advertising), I deem some of their buildings (replications or other) amazing.    The problem then & now: Those houses were built on wild suppositions and many aren't worth squat now. Home Depot's stock has plummeted. Unemployment in NV is 14%, 1 in 56 homes are in some form of foreclosure (09/09), home prices are down 27% (12/09), real estate agents are SOL, and many of those contractors' employees now...aren't. I'll take a half moon to a total eclipse any day. It wouldn't seem to be "political" to say (though is to some) that "planned growth" is a reasonable path.      When people pay sparse attention to a country's direction−as when Congress in '99 managed the dismantle of regulations over financial intuitions (Banking vs Insurance vs Investments)−and too few balked, we arrived: An implosion of confidence in the American economy...if not the economy itself. A significant contributing factor was, the members of the FTC−the 'watchdogs' of Wall Street−were ostensibly policing their own former co-workers. Bernie Madoff's advice to a colleague concerning how to handle the FTC: "...It's better off just to be 'casual' ... You don't have to be too brilliant with these guys." The FTC−along with the FAA, FDA, DOJ, DHS etc.−was and is underfunded.       Tangentially: For all "patriots"−anarchists both right & left, including a few (?) "Teaparty-ers" denigrating our duly-elected President with racial slurs and claims he's a Nazi because of the Administration's T.A.R.P. stimulus package (if banks don't lend, "U gots no mony fer either per'nal nor 'biddness'"), manufacturing support (few sensible want to see what the U.S. would be like without "The Big Three" & related industries, distasteful as bailing out two was; GM & Ford now make world-class product at a fair price, despite hoary stigmas; "May the Best Car Win.") & healthcare plans (U.S. healthcare costs rise 3 X the rate of inflation, crippling businesses & prompting layoffs): Where were any "Get government out of our lives!" protests eight years ago when the U.S. engaged in a devastatingly-expensive, albeit unfunded, "pre-emptive strike" against Iraq?; who don't believe in government, nor the taxes required to support it; that government should be held accountable... but without proper funding, and that their services should be "pay as you go"−here's offered an email from a non-fiction author conveying: "I believe ALL taxes are theft. The reason why people play taxes is out of fear. If you resist, you will forcibly taken and possibly killed...I believe we should be working toward a society were all government is supported the same way churches are—by a voluntary collection basket.  Under that system, we would get government exactly in the size we want, and it would be very small...An Army? Every able bodied adult should learn how to shoot...I believe health care...is like a marriage. It is a relationship between you and the doctor. The State should not be involved except in licensing and in resolving contract disputes (courts). When in doubt, return to a fee-for-service scheme as in every other transaction."   My reply: "Pave your own street then, monitor your own flight safety and food and drug safety, check to see if there's mercury in your water, pick up your own garbage and deposit it in your own landfill, provide your own utilities, address the environmental aspects of that...ad infinitum." Try having a liver transplant a la carte, or handling "invading hordes" with an ad hoc "Army". There is a need for government programs...just without all of the "waste, fraud & abuse". The solution with both business and government is some effective level of scrutiny.       We've now paid for parsimonious lack of oversight in both the financial & housing markets. "You get what you pay for." We in the U.S. often "close the barn door only after the horses have escaped". If the Army Corps of Engineers had ever been funded properly, Katrina's destruction of NOLA would not have occurred...costing far less. The Netherlands believe in science & prevention and acted before disaster happened. (It's tough to deny, but...)      Same applies when we feint oversight in other business realms cannot be improved, and is "As Good as it Gets", and "regulation" is considered an epithet. Tisant. It's either that, or businesses should do a better, more honest job in their own claims & actions.    Brilliant former NY AG & Governor Eliot Spitzer (with his own issues) recently offered that our financial woes are due in part to "recklessness, greed and a 'fundamental misunderstanding' of what the 'Free 'Market' is all about. Financial products and tools don't create any actual wealth. Investments in actual industries like bioenergy do." With all the bank failures, those in the upper Midwest are doing just fine because they didn't bite the derivatives bullet. Instead, they kept investing in things that had real worth. 2) "Engage in superlatives & hyperbole until it hurts." When a cardboard rack at a box store is "Battery Headquarters", and everything's "the best", then there is no "best", and words become meaningless. The "Groundhog Day"-like" Only if you call within the next ten minutes..."  spots are another example. Some'll recall Carson's “Suzy the Rope” & the über-useful "Dickey the Stick" lampoons. SNL's Dan Aykroyd's "Irwin Mainway" character selling his "Bag O' Glass" for $1.98 is a later take on "overpromise": "I mean, it's a creative toy, you know? If you hold this up, you know, you see colors, every color of the rainbow! I mean, it teaches him about light refraction, you know? Prisms, and that stuff! You know what I mean?". "This just in from NBC10: The residents in the area are 'in a state of shock'." That's a medical diagnosis. Either they were all interviewed by psychologists...or the residents were simply "shocked" by the murder. But when it's ratcheted down to real, there's not much "viewer value", is there. "For the first ten callers this product is ! Please provide $12.95 S&H. Offer does not include tax, title & license. (Fine print: Your acceptance of this offer means you are now enrolled in our monthly offerings which will automatically be shipped to you. Your credit card will be charged accordingly.) Not valid in Guam & the Galapagos Islands. May cause psoriasis and a wariness to believe everything you ever hear." Some people would rather lie when telling the truth is easier. In this environment, most people either A) Believe most of what they hear because they "don't have time" to find out otherwise, or B) Believe nothing...except everything's a "conspiracy". There's a third option: "Trust but Verify.".    It's largely true that lying rarely pans out..."in the long run". Please see: WorldCom's CEO Bernard Ebbers' accounting tricks to cover falling profits; Bernie Madoff's mug shot; Nixon's "I am not a crook"; Reagan's & Ollie North's "We don't sell arms to terrorists."; Bill Clinton's "I did not have sex with that woman; Ms. Lewinsky." ; & Enron's Kenneth Lay's "I know nothing. NOTHING." Problem is, too few seem to agree with that, or at least act so.

   I could have cheated on that physics test but I still would've made a poor architect. These distributors live duplicitous lives, which I couldn't engage in. As I’d stumble if I tried getting into the "manufacturer-pretenders" mindset (“I” & “we” vs. the actual “they”, or using “here” vs “there” etc.), I prefer the simple & honest. The fundamental problems are: 1) Few enough distributors seem capable of much self control, and 2) There is insufficient oversight for that.

Q: "OK DON I DO HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION OR TWO. IF YOU DON'T THINK THE FTC'S GOING TO DO ANYTHING, WHY DID YOU BOTHER WILL THIS?" A: Public opprobrium. While there's a need for government, it can't solve everything. When those who I've filed Complaints against become aware, they might consider changing what they disseminate online. Franklin Bronze has already deleted some of their silly stuff after seeing a copy of their Complaint. See also lavender box above re: NOTE: getplaques.com/kbronze.com et al. Change happens when it's in their best interest.

This has also been submitted to the Attorney General of Louisiana, awa those of the applicable states. When replied, they are posted below:

Q: "I STILL DON'T GET IT. I THINK YOU'RE JUST A MUCKRAKER, A TATTLETALE, A WHISTLEBLOWER , A WHINER AND THIS IS JUST 'SOUR GRAPES'."  A: It's unknown what I'd be "SOUR" about: In non-recessionary times I enjoy a six-figure personal income. My search results generally surpass all competitors. It's silly psychoanalyzing this. I just disdain cheating & lying. (Think of all of the great athletes whose lights were dim compared to colleagues taking performance-enhancing drugs.) Think: "Conscientious Objector", one who's creeped out playing in the same sandbox with those I eschew the practices of. I dislike conflict, but don't capitulate, succumb to the silly either. Most successful don't.

Q: "ONE FINAL QUESTION: WHAT ELSE DO YOU THINK WILL COME OF THIS?"  A: 1) I don't have a shot with any "patriot" 'biddness'. "OK." 2) Some prospects would prefer to work with liars than a "truth teller". "OK." A British ex-pat colleague has offered: "Americans say they want to be told the truth. When they receive it, they run in the opposite direction." 3) Some prospects would prefer to work with an honest person & appreciate this effort. "OK." 4) "Righteous indignation" will arise from those who've been outed. If they are concerned with "character assassination", that's their doing. I won't maintain here that lying is a character flaw, merely bad business. They quit lying, I'll quit pointing it out. They may well be admirable folks in other respects; that's not the issue here.

   After I emailed Jim Savage of www.bronzememorials.net with Ms. Walker's concerns, he offered in CAPS: "I AM ALSO SEND [sic] THIS TO GEMINI [NOTE: I don't directly source them, despite Jim's facile assumption.] AND SEE IF THEY WANT YOU TO CONTINUE TO REPRESENT THEM IN SUCH A MANOR, BY SLANDERING THEIR OTHER DISTRRBUTORS [sic; NOTE: He's just divulged he's a distributor, not a foundry.] I AM GOING TO SEND THIS TO EVERY LINK THAT YOU HAVE LISTED IN THIS EMAIL AND MAY BE THEY WILL JOIN ME IN EVEY [sic] EFFORT TO STOP YOUR ACTIONS" [NOTE: That's defined as a "cartel", which is illegal.] Q: "DON, WHY DO YOU DO THIS? ITS A BIG COUNTRY, THERE'S PLENTY FOR EVERYONE'...................My answer in part to Jim: "Get a clue... "SLANDER" is something...articulated. LIBEL is something...written. Neither is illegal if it's true. That you're a liar is true. "Case closed.".

This industry's "dirty little secret" is disturbing. My options were: 1) Resignation & acceptance, or 2) Action taken. I chose the latter. When you see wrong being done and keep silent, you're enabling and encouraging; they have no change incentive. The best path appears to be: Be who you say that you are. If that's insufficient, then improve...instead of believing that lies will supersede that. 

If interested, visit: Pinocchio Gallery.

• "You can make an omelet without breaking any eggs. It's just a really bad omelet." ~ Stephen Colbert

• "I am trained to be intolerant of anything less than the highest standards of my profession." ~ Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, "Miracle on the Hudson"

• "Being Fake is the strength of the Weak." ~ Unknown

• "He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world's believing him. This falsehood of tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good dispositions." ~ Thomas Jefferson

• "He who sacrifices freedom [embodied as truth] for security deserves neither." ~ Attributed to both Thomas Jefferson & Benjamin Franklin. Most think it was Franklin.

• "The profoundest of all sensualities is the sense of truth and the next deepest sensual experience is the sense of justice." ~ David Herbert Lawrence

• "Justice consists not in being neutral between right and wrong, but in finding out the right and upholding it, wherever found, against the wrong." ~Teddy Roosevelt

• "Never be discouraged from being an activist because people tell you that you'll not succeed. You have already succeeded if you're out there representing truth or justice...or fairness...." ~ Doris Haddock (Granny D)

• "Justice to my readers compels me to admit that I write because I have nothing [better] to do; justice to myself induces me to add that I will cease to write the moment I have nothing to say." ~ Charles Caleb Colton

• "We must not allow ourselves to become like the system we oppose. If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." ~ Bishop Desmond Tutu

• "It is no dishonor to be in a minority in the cause of liberty and virtue." ~ Sam Adams

• "You read about some injustice and say "Who is going to fix that?" And then you say "No one is going to do that unless you do." ~ President Barak Obama

• "Integrity means doing the right thing even when it's not convenient." ~ Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger.