A battered image; "absolutely, positively?" Well, maybe.A battered bat·ter 1 v. bat·tered, bat·ter·ing, bat·ters v.tr. 1. To hit heavily and repeatedly with violent blows. 2. To subject to repeated beatings or physical abuse. 3. image "ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY?" WELL, MAYBE At least that's the impression one could gain last week here from how Federal Express was standing behind -- way behind -- the implied guarantee in the company's advertising slogan Advertising slogans are short, often memorable phrases used in advertising campaigns. They are claimed to be the most effective means of drawing attention to one or more aspects of a product. . The slogan encouraged a Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, haven for battered women, the Association to Aid Victims of Domestic Violence, to use Federal Express to deliver an application for a $250,000 state grant. Since the application absolutely, positively had to be delivered the next day to the Office of Criminal Justice Planning in Sacramento, who better to do the job than Federal Express. Right? Well, not exactly. The charitable organization This article is about charitable organizations. For other uses of the word charity, see Charity. A charitable organization (also known as a charity) is an organization with charitable purposes only. , which desperately needs the funds to continue its already reduced services, was notified in a May 3 letter from the government agency that the application was rejected because of its late arrival. To be sure, the application for the grant funds may not have been approved even had Federal Express delivered the paperwork the next day. Trying feebly fee·ble adj. fee·bler, fee·blest 1. a. Lacking strength; weak. b. Indicating weakness. 2. Lacking vigor, force, or effectiveness; inadequate. See Synonyms at weak. to make amends AMENDS. A satisfaction, given by a wrong doer to the party injured for a wrong committed. 1 Lilly's Reg. 81. 2. By statute 24 Geo. II. c. 44, in England, and by similar statutes in some of the United States, justices of the peace, upon being notified of an for the goof, Federal Express apologized and sent a dozen roses to the poor woman who entrusted the application to the company's Van Nuys office. Shortly thereafter, though, insult was added to injury when the company included in its monthly statement to her an item for the package containing the application that was to have been delivered absolutely, positively the next day. All this could end happily, and Federal Express could gain considerable good will rather than ill, if the company were to stand behind its implied guarantee of service by donating $250,000 to the battered women's charity. |
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