Page 8 December 14, 2017 TORRANCE TRIBUNE
Self-Serve Postage from page 3
Printers were humming, turning out shipping
labels for packages and stamps for envelopes.
Stamps.com customers pay a monthly
$15.99 fee, which enables retailers and small
businesses to print stamps and shipping labels
from their offices. It’s a convenient service
for a small business owner like Frazier, who
otherwise would be making trips to the local
post office in Flagstaff, Arizona where
he’s based.
The danger for him is when his packages
don’t go out on time, Amazon can suspend
him and freeze his account, according to
Frazier. Being late, especially on a Monday
following a busy sales weekend, has disastrous
consequences for a small store like his.
“It can be a huge misstep for an Amazon
seller,” he said.
Stamps.com is a competitor in the Internetbased
postage service business. It contracts
with the U.S. Postal Service to sell stamps
and postage labels for letters and packages.
The company targets its self-printing services
to small businesses and home offices, according
to its website.
Stamps.com spokesman Eric Nash said
the website outage in mid-October that
panicked its customers was due to heavierthan
expected Web traffic on that Monday,
close to Halloween when sales by online
retailers spike. “Staff observed a huge surge
of unusual traffic that took us some time to
identify, isolate and reroute to another data
center,” said Nash, the senior director of
online marketing. He said the company has
since fixed the problem so that surges in
customer traffic won’t take down the website.
So far, the U.S. Postal Service vendor has
made good on its promise to improve the
reliability of its site. Retailers and business
customers on social media reported very
few problems in the six weeks following
the Monday meltdown. Judging by the few
complaints on its blog site and Facebook
page, Stamps.com is doing better.
Customers were irritated with the company
back in October for not telling them
the outage wouldn’t be restored quickly. A
message posted on Stamps.com estimated
the service outage would be resolved in 30
minutes. However, as the downtime reached
five hours, retailers were getting nervous.
And they were ticked off, too. “If there is
issue please let all of us know immediately
instead of chicken out! So we will not waste
our time to figure out what’s going on!” one
Facebook user wrote on October 17. Another
person asked, “Are you guys down?”
An oft-repeated complaint on social media,
including the company’s Facebook page, was
that information about the October outage
was never updated. Without service, some
customers--especially on the East Coast-
-decided they couldn’t wait any longer.
Several customers said on Facebook that
they too needed information.
“Monday and it is not working for me
either. Not a good day to be down,” wrote
a woman who was dealing with stress and
deadlines for getting out packages in the mail.
Another wrote at midmorning on October
16 that she was in the dark about when--or
if--the service would be restored. “Down and
so much to ship,” her post read.
Stamps.com last week promised to do a
better job of communicating to customers
when service goes down. It responded to the
flood of complaints that its Web application
and communication to customers need improvement
by creating an system-status page
on its website. Rolled out on December 5,
the page shows if the postage-print services
are running. The feature will offer real-time
information, thus avoiding what happened
in October when customers had to rely on
old information about when service would
be restored.
The new page promised, “If there are
any interruptions in service, a note will be
posted here.”
Frazier is happy with the changes and said
he’ll remain a customer despite the website
hiccups that sometimes make it impossible
for him and his lone employee to print postage
before the end of the business day. “This
is so much simpler than going to the post
office,” explained Frazier, who decided not
to switch companies.
Stamps.com says it was the first company
to be licensed by the U.S. Postal Service for
home- and office-based printing of postage, but
it has got competition. Indicia, ShippingWorks
and ShipEasy are among the companies that
also sell self-printing postage to business and
retailers in the U.S. and Canada.
Online companies have a responsibility
to be honest and timely with information
about technical problems that interfere
with normal business operations, says
associate professor Nelson Granados at
Pepperdine University. Customers are
more interested in knowing when service
will be restored than in any technical talk.
“The best approach is to be forthcoming to
clients upfront,” said Granados, who teaches
about information systems and is director
of the Center for Applied Research at the
Malibu campus.
A recorded voice message, email or message
should inform customers what’s the problem
and when they can expect it to be resolved.
Messages should be updated when new
information is available, the professor said
Tech company executives can learn to
manage their customers’ expectations and
anxieties by paying attention to the airlines.
“Think of it as what happens when a flight
is delayed. If one announcement is made and
then the communication stops but the delay
continues, it only creates more anxiety,”
Granados said.
Mistakes happen, technology fails and airplanes
run behind the schedule. What sets off
customers is silence or, in the case of Stamps.
com, leaving an old message on a customer
service phone line up on the website. “The
best approach is to be transparent,” Granados
said, to reduce the backlash from nervous
and irate clients.
The website Isitdownright now.com can
reveal if a site is working or whether the client’s
computer system is the problem. It’s also
a place to view comments left by customers
about technical issues and any suggestions. •
City Council from front page
PUBLIC NOTICES
fOr mOrE dETaILEd INfOrmaTION CaLL 310-322-1830
Fictitious Business
Name Statement
2017329010
The following person(s) is (are) doing
business as 1) EGUNDO.COM 2)
EGUNDO, 345 RICHMOND ST #B,
EL SEGUNDO, CA, LOS ANGELES
COUNTY. C3645321 Registered Owner(s):
SNATCH MEDIA INC., 345 RICHMOND
ST. #B, EL SEGUNDO, CA 90245, CA.
This business is being conducted by a
corporation. The registrant commenced
to transact business under the fictitious
business name or names listed above on:
03/2010. Signed: SNATCH MEDIA INC,
CEO, Truman Hedding IV. This statement
was filed with the County Recorder of Los
Angeles County on NOVEMBER 16, 2017.
NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement
expires on NOVEMBER 16, 2022. A new
Fictitious Business Name Statement must
be filed prior to NOVEMBER 16, 2022.
The filing of this statement does not of
itself authorize the use in this state of a
Fictitious Business Name in violation of
the rights of another under Federal, State,
or Common Law (See Section 14400 ET
SEQ., Business and Professions Code).
El Segundo Herald Pub. 11/23, 11/30,
12/7, 12/14/2017 H-1723
Fictitious Business
Name Statement
2017306688
The following person(s) is (are) doing
business as 1) THE ART GARDEN LA
2) THE ART GARDEN LOS ANGELES
3) THE ART GARDEN L.A. 4) THE L.A.
ART GARDEN 5) THE LA ART GARDEN
6) THE LOS ANGELES ART GARDEN,
9401 CRENSHAW BLVD. UNIT 2,
INGLEWOOD, CA 90305, LOS ANGELES
COUNTY. Registered Owner(s): KJP
INVESTMENTS, 3004 SONYA LA,
SNELLVILLE, GA, 30078, WY. This
business is being conducted by a LIMITED
LIABILTIY COMPANY. The registrant
commenced to transact business under
the fictitious business name or names
listed above on: 07/2017. Signed: KJP
INVESTMENTS, CEO, KASHIF POWELL.
This statement was filed with the County
Recorder of Los Angeles County on
OCTOBER 24, 2017.
NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement
expires on OCTOBER 24, 2022. A new
Fictitious Business Name Statement must
be filed prior to OCTOBER 24, 2022.
The filing of this statement does not of
itself authorize the use in this state of a
Fictitious Business Name in violation of
the rights of another under Federal, State,
or Common Law (See Section 14400 ET
SEQ., Business and Professions Code).
INGLEWOOD DAILY NEWS Pub. 11/23,
11/30, 12/7, 12/14/2017 HI-1724
Fictitious Business
Name Statement
2017336551
The following person(s) is (are) doing
business as 1) YELLOW BRICK ROAD 2)
MUNCHKINLAND DOGGIE DAY CARE
AND GYM, 1501 E EL SEGUNDO BLVD,
EL SEGUNDO, CA 90254 LOS ANGELES
COUNTY. Registered Owner(s): DOWN
DOG LODGE, LLC, 1501 E EL SEGUNDO,
EL SEGUNDO, CA, 90245, CA. This
business is being conducted by a LIMITED
LIABILITY COMPANY. The registrant
commenced to transact business under
the fictitious business name or names
listed above on: N/A. Signed: DOWN
DOG LODGE, LLC, MANAGER, RYAN
SIEGELMAN. This statement was filed
with the County Recorder of Los Angeles
County on NOVEMBER 28, 2017.
NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement
expires on NOVEMBER 28, 2022. A new
Fictitious Business Name Statement must
be filed prior to NOVEMBER 28, 2022.
Fictitious Business Name in violation of
the rights of another under Federal, State,
or Common Law (See Section 14400 ET
SEQ., Business and Professions Code).
El Segundo Herald: Pub. 12/7, 12/14,
12/21, 12/28/2017 H-1725
Fictitious Business
Name Statement
2017333670
The following person(s) is (are)
doing business as MARVELISH
ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, 9818
SOUTH 8TH AVE, INGLEWOOD, CA,
90305, LOS ANGELES COUNTY.
Registered Owner(s): 1) ISHMUN
LEROY BROWN II, 9818 SOUTH 8TH
AVE, INGLEWOOD, CA, 90305. 2)
MARVIN CASTRO, 4380 W 132ND
STREET, APT 11, HAWTHORNE, CA,
90250. This business is being conducted
by a GENERAL PARTNERSHIP. The
registrant commenced to transact
business under the fictitious business
name or names listed above on: 11/2017.
Signed: ISHMUN LEROY BROWN II,
OWNER. This statement was filed with the
County Recorder of Los Angeles County
on NOVEMBER 22, 2017.
NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement
expires on NOVEMBER 22, 2022. A new
Fictitious Business Name Statement must
be filed prior to NOVEMBER 22, 2022.
Fictitious Business Name in violation of
the rights of another under Federal, State,
or Common Law (See Section 14400 ET
SEQ., Business and Professions Code).
INGLEWOOD DAILY NEWS: Pub. 12/7,
12/14, 12/21, 12/28/2017 HI-1727
Fictitious Business
Name Statement
2017336605
The following person(s) is (are) doing
business as NATURAL HEALTH
PARTNERS, 1403 W LOMITA BLVD,
STE 303-B, HARBOR CITY, CA
90710, LOS ANGELES COUNTY.
Registered Owner(s): ROLAND TAY,
N.D. NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE &
ASSOCIATES, P.C., 1403 W LOMITA
BLVD, STE 303-B, HARBOR CITY, CA,
90710. This business is being conducted
by a CORPORATION. The registrant
commenced to transact business under
the fictitious business name or names
listed above on: N/A. Signed: ROLAND
TAY, N.D. NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE
& ASSOCIATES, P.C. PRESIDENT,
ROLAND TAY. This statement was filed
with the County Recorder of Los Angeles
County on NOVEMBER 28, 2017.
NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement
expires on NOVEMBER 28, 2022. A new
Fictitious Business Name Statement must
be filed prior to NOVEMBER 28, 2022.
Fictitious Business Name in violation of
the rights of another under Federal, State,
or Common Law (See Section 14400 ET
SEQ., Business and Professions Code).
EL SEGUNDO HERALD: Pub. 12/7,
12/14, 12/21, 12/28/2017 H-1728
Fictitious Business
Name Statement
2017339570
The following person(s) is (are) doing
business as WESTCO SIGNS, 2413
AMSLER ST, TORRANCE, CA 90505,
LOS ANGELES COUNTY. Registered
Owner(s): SKYWAY SIGNS, LLC, 2413
AMSLER ST, TORRANCE, CA, 90505,
CA.This business is being conducted
by a LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY.
The registrant commenced to transact
business under the fictitious business
name or names listed above on:
11/2017. Signed: SKYWAY SIGNS, LLC,
MANAGING MANAGER, ABDULLAH A.
ISSA. This statement was filed with the
County Recorder of Los Angeles County
on NOVEMBER 30, 2017.
NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement
expires on NOVEMBER 30, 2022. A new
Fictitious Business Name Statement must
be filed prior to NOVEMBER 30, 2022.
Fictitious Business Name in violation of
the rights of another under Federal, State,
or Common Law (See Section 14400 ET
SEQ., Business and Professions Code).
TORRANCE TRIBUNE: Pub. 12/14,
12/21, 12/28, 1/4 HT-1729
12 Chromebooks, a mobile printer and all
computer lab accessories. The labs would be
able to provide services anywhere that will
provide Wi-Fi access.
The Council unanimously accepted and
appropriated a grant from the California State
Library in the amount of $24,795, as well as
a $10,000 donation from the Friends of the
Library, both to be used for the PORTAL
Program. Through PORTAL the library
branches can offer classes in job skills, genealogy,
research databases, creation of original
online content and other needs identified in
the community. In addition, PORTAL will
provide training on an ongoing basis in each
library branch without the need of building
a permanent computer lab.
Back in 2012 the Torrance Public Library
began its efforts to meet the need for technology
training among the public. Through
surveys, staff inquiries, requests for assistance
and other planning, Library staff concluded
that direct technology training is required
for many community members. In 2015 the
California State Library launched the Public
Library Broadband to allow public libraries
to connect to CalREN--a high-speed “fiber
backbone connecting” University of California,
California State University, California
Community College, and K-12 campuses.
The California State Library also offered
connectivity grants, which were applied to
and received, to enhance wireless connectivity
and speed. Since those enhancement
grants, the Torrance Public Library--along
with the Communications and Information
Technology Department--has been planning
to build new technology services based on
wireless access.
“This year, the California State Library
launched a new grant opportunity, Libraries
Illuminated, specifically to assist libraries
in their ability to add or enhance new and
innovative technologies, and leverage their
new high-speed connections to CalREN,”
states the staff report signed by City Librarian
Hillary Theyer.
The Torrance Public Library was eligible
to apply for $30,000 and the grant specifically
would cover technology, hardware and
software, but required a 25 percent match in
cash or in-kind. The grant also mandated no
less than three public programs that use new
or enhanced technology.
After discussion of several options for
requesting funding, the PORTAL Project was
developed and a team formed consisting of
the Principal Librarian of Operations, the
Principal Librarian of Public Services, the
References Supervisor, the Youth Services
Supervisor, a branch Senior Librarian, and
a Youth Services Librarian. Furthermore, the
Friends of the Torrance Library committed
to donating the matching funds. •
“A city is not gauged by its length and width,
but by the broadness of its vision and the height of its dreams.”
– Herb Caen