National Write Your Congressman [NWYC] review: lies about research 66

National Write Your Congressman was probably a great organization in the 1950's. Today what they offer is overpriced and available for free elsewhere.

What you are paying for is a monthly email filled with biased information about Congress that is available for free elsewhere. They have a website that looks circa-1994.

They advertise that they are non-partisan but after having been a member for a year I can tell you this is not true. They are conservative.

Try http://www.govtrack.us/ for completely non-biased information about your congressman. Plus, they are free.

Even if you can get this info for free, do you really have the motivation and discipline to actually do it on a meaningful and consistent basis? Probably not. If you want to make a difference, then don't discount NWYC.

I am a moderate Democrat business owner in Santa Fe, NM, and when the NWYC rep stopped in and showed me their program a couple of years ago, I was hesitant because I had been a member of both the US Chamber of Commerce and the NFIB and while they claimed to be non-partisan, it was obvious they are very Republican. I signed up (with some trepidation) but I want to be informed and involved on political issues I care about for my business and personally (I do not have much time for researching all this myself) and I have found this organization lives up to what it told me it was about and what it would do. And, by the way, I do everything by email, and their website seems professional, well-designed, and easy to use. Now, since I've come to their defense and given them my "thumbs-up"; maybe they will give me a free year's membership? LOL - just joking. I consider them to be a good investment.
Erce

I like them a lot! Who has the time these days to manage congress. This program actually works. I have now a working relationship with my federal, and very important to me and my business, my state lawmakers. If you are a member ask your rep to show you how to get to the regulatory agencies for your state, as my rep did. It is awesome, you actually can talk to the directors of the agencies. I am a highly regulated business, now the director of the department and I have a working relationship. I highly support the efforts of the group. Yes, they walk door to door. My rep is committed to her work as she says, to keep government in the hands of the people themselves. She is not out there for any other goal. A 21 year member of National write your congressman.

I have been a member and also know some of the reps personally. Anyone can choose to not think it a worthwhile endeavor but there is no reason to call it a waste or simply a scam. For some of us it is very worthwhile and we all can choose to be a part or not. I would also bet that if you own your business you need to make "sales" to earn a living, so what is the problem with people making a living providing a worthwhile service.

The salesman in our area is a real tool spouting nothing but right wing agenda. They like to show you a list of other people (your peers) who have signed on to whatever hyperbole they think will get you to cut a check. Very, very shady. You can get the same services emailed to you by congress.org or megavote for FREE. Or write a letter and put it in the mail. They use the scare tactic, normally on small business owners who think they are joining some kind of club that gives them more influence, it's a crock.

My husband made the mistake of becoming a member. He post dated the payment for 30 days, I cancelled it 7 days (June 3rd) later by calling their office and speaking directly with Betty Butler. As of June 27th, they have taken the payment out of our account. If this isn't dishonest, I don't know what is.

It's a great organization. I can tell you that since I joined, the people (i.e. my members of Congress and my state legislators) who were ignoring me for years are now responding to me personally. My new Congressman is a freshman in Congress so when I submitted my opinion on the prices at the gas pumps, he didn't respond. So I called NWYC, they sent one of their liaisons by his office, and I had a personal response addressing the issue within a half hour. That's not a free service - even if I did it myself, I'd have to travel to Washington. The guy who I bought my membership from didn't use any sort of scare tactic, it was just the opposite. He encouraged me not to join if I wouldn't use it or didn't think I needed it. It's been great for me. Plus, he routinely sends me business from others he talks to about joining everyday. In fact, the membership has paid for itself 7 times over.

This company is a scam! I can not believe that they took 425.00 fro
My husband ! This is a free thing to write your congressman- I have actual gotten further on my own! This company is a
Complete rip off!

Even the best organizations have bad salespeople and even the best salesperson has a stupid day.
You can't be in sales without someone calling you a thief. Most often this is the fault of the customer not paying attention to the details and not using the features.

As for Conservative Vs Centrist Vs Liberal, that all depends on where the viewer is standing and where they source their news.
I will consider NWYC. The positive posts all sound reasonable whereas the negative posts don't

DT

I don't work for NWYC, I work for NFIB though and our premise is similar. Yes, you can weed through all of the bill proposals and current legislation yourself if you have the time, patience, etc. Sadly, many Americans are working our fingers to the bone and dont have the time so our duty as Americans is never realized. Any SERVICE that provides a brief synopsis of proposals and an organized outlet to voice your opinions and concerns is a benefit to time deprived voters who choose to do something other than worry and complain. At NFIB we do ask for your opinion on issues to bring your focus off your current project and get you thinking legislatively. Voters are then given a choice to utilize the service or not. We do "cold call" often times with no appointment because we grow faster this way than by attempting to set appointments that too often are canceled or forgotten by busy constituents. It is also not volunteer work. We get paid on commissions which many of you will be happy about. We don't get paid unless we are growing our base and therefore your voice. The "free" way of communicating with your elected officials hasn't turned out to be free because too many people don't do it and we have lost many battles through our silence. Lastly

I guess if you feel you are receiving value you will buy the service. If you don't perceive a value, you won't. Isn't that what capitalism is all about. As for those who talk about other places where you can get the info for free... You could grow your own food too... But you don't. It is a company offering a service. If that service is of value to you, buy it. If it isn't, don't.

Well said and that is really the basis of it all. You can let others deceide what will happen to you and your family or you can have a voice in the matter and try and alter the course to better your chances for the future. The legislation continues with or without your input. Any company that provides a service to get your voice heard is worth something. Time is money and as a small business owner I do not have alot of time to research every bill and check voting records and then write a letter and do all the follow up, so its a natural fit for me and roughly 20.00 per month to get this done in my world is realtively inexpensive. It does not matter what side of the isle we are on just that the people that represent us hear from the majority on the issue and gets a accurate idea of what he/she is expected to do.

I agree. If a person doesn't feel like it is a valuable service, then don't buy it. What I don't understand is, if a person doesn't think it's a valuable service, why do they try to convince the whole world it's a bad service or that its a scam? I think it's more of an issue with 'control' than anything else.

I was recently interrupted during a conference call by an e-mail from the receptionist claiming a gentleman in our reception area had an urgent issue he needed to discuss with my BOSS who was out of the country. We do not take people into our offices without an appointment, but this gentleman dropped the name of one of my BOSS's best friends and colleagues, so I caved and ended my call. When I went to meet with the gentleman, he made it very clear that he needed to discuss this very urgent issue with me in private AND THEN...he started down the political opinion path. I gave him 5 minutes. What a nuisance and how disruptive. His name is Steve Kennedy. I agree...leanings in the questioning on the poll are conservative. I DO NOT appreciate the approach and tactics this representative used to solicit and learned something from my mistake.

I at this time am launching a campaign against National Write Your Congressman I want to introduce myself I am Tony Dore' Known by the Italians as the Closer I was an insider with these tiny little dicked ###ers, these guys spend their days playing golf on your MONEY!
(In their own words) we the people Can hold them accountable, . Tony Dore'

NFIB it's a SCAM...I worked for them for 6 months in the Rochester NY area. Sales reps back then got 75% of the member-ship dues. I'm not surprised one member found the survey in the garbage, that's just a way to get you in the door. My district manager even showed me how to get "stopped payment" checks cashed. after someone changed there mind about becoming a member. At one point the min membership price was $75 dollars, but that was lowered to $50 dollars. Some members paid hundreds of dollars ?
The sales reps even carry bank draft notes ( that they fill out with your banking info) They sent us to a training course in Niagara falls once for 3 days, thinking this might be about small business issues, and maybe I could learn something ? NOPE all about "getting the payment" (membership) 3 days of sales training (and drinking) of course...My district manager (Carol Rainville) knew nothing about running a business, but boy could she get the checks !

Do some people write stuff just to see if they can take us for fools? Seriously, how long to you think the law would turn it's eye on an organization getting stopped payment checks forced cashed? Or bank drafts that the sales person filled out and illegally cashed it? That might happen once then the company who was defrauded would report it to the authorities and the sales rep arrested; and if that was happening company wide it would last about a day or two before company was out of business and all the CEO's all arrested. And after 54 years they can still do that and no one ever turned them in to the authorities, no Better Business Bureau complaints, the law simply turned it's back on the problem all those years? right.

If people are reading this website, make sure the complaint makes common sense, none of them here do, and especially the one I'm frustrated with. Kevin Snover has some sort of hidden agenda, it's highly evident in his "complaint".

My salesman came in today, nice guy so I thought. He got me talking about the issues and made sure to bring up some personal items about me that we had talked about previously. He asked if he could count me in for a half membership this year, I responded that I'd like to research a little more about what NWYC is all about before I commit. He said, "well the research is right there" and pointed to his literature and local business owner cards. I stood my ground and declined. He turned and walked out without any regard, he could give a S^%t less about me. Now I'm also in sales, Insurance sales and I'd never do that. Any missed customer is a potential customer next year or if nothing else, a good contact. As far as I'm concerned, he isn't welcome here ever again.

I am a member of NWYC and a busy business person. I find that the services offered by this company are valuable and very reasonably priced. Can I get most of this information for free by myself? Sure. Is my time worth more than that? Absolutely. Do I have the time or desire to research all the issues in Congress, how my legislators are voting, what the regulatory agencies and state government are doing? No. Is it worth it to me to pay $5.10/wk (less than one starbucks) to have all these services provided to me that they provide? Heck yeah. It's even less for each additional person you add on. NWYC does the research, provides the debate on both sides of the issues, gives you a personalized page to respond on the issues, tells you how your legislator voted on the issues, gives you regulatory updates, tax changes, has a jam-up web page, a smart phone app, and does door-to-door legislative research getting our opinions directly to our congressmen for us. They have a research dept that will get answers for me on any clarification I need. They even clarify some false beliefs. All this as well as their door-to-door reps who do legislative research to inform our law makers- getting OUR voice to them. They are not a lobby, don't take donations, and are supported entirely by their membership. That is a bargain to me! I can't think of ONE busy person who is making a difference in this country and in the lives of their families who has the time or inclination to listen to the naysayers, or complainers. Those who sit in the recliner all day with remote in hand believing what they hear on the media have plenty of time to voice their negativity. I believe we should ALL be involved and this service is one that everyone should be a part of. I'd be willing to bet that anyone who tells others that this is a fraud and a scam have never lifted one finger to do the work on their own and probably have never written one letter to their Congressman. Plenty of time to degrade others who are making a difference though...This company is debt-free, 54 years old, BBB A+. Founded on principles. Yep I did MY homework. Let's all get involved in a POSITIVE way. I'd seriously consider being a part of NWYC if you want an easier way to get involved.

Lol notice on the card they leave you it has no contact info to the rep at all. I and most people have there opinions on politics and thats how they get you started asking these top topics that are current and they will agree with you all along they way. Then they hit u with which credit card u want to use LOL. My question was how is my money going to go into affect-Funny answer to help get more reps out into the field and sign up more members. I said how can i get my opinion herd or have it replied back to. Says repition of letters and emails - so what good is he or his company good for? After i said id like to do some research on his company before i pay, he took my business card out of his binder and put it on my table and left with his snobby attitude. Whatta Joke.

From 1969 to 1973 my schools assigned me to work with our local Commission on Economic Opportunity youth advisory counsel. During this time period then President L. B. Johnson had made it mandatory that local communities must establish oversight of any federal funds spent. This may sound easy, I can attest it is not. Review proposals to identify applicable fact and determining benefit and cost it very time consuming. It is tedious detailed work and if you are going to implements programs that work for you community you can not take short cuts. We came up with a system in which we out lined the document taking care to compare the costs of individual proposal the average cost of all the proposals received for both the youth and adult programs. It was also important to look for excess or exploitive costing. As a young person it was very eye opening to learn how many thief's and con-artist there were. This is very true in reviewing any federal bill. I actually did not learn of this organization until two days ago when I was sent a job application. I am seriously considering it but not for the money. http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=181581411 is my work history. My face-book page is Hiding in Shadows and fire the legislature 2014. I care about my nation and I consider it my duty to protect the constitution and in so doing I am protecting my people. I learned this ethic from the staff and leadership with the Commission on Economic Opportunity. Yes, I was a registered republican up until G.W. Buss Jr. The Neocon stole my party not I am not happy. I am even less happy because of all the laws that have been passed by both democrat and republican that have placed the nation at risk. I help them do this. So did you if you were not and are not monitoring what your congress is doing. Ok so I have to pay for a service that breaks down the pending bills. If the research is quality then I will be happy if not then I will work with them to make it simple and use full to the average American. So here is my question to you as a citizen how much time do you have to monitor congress? How much time have you invested up to now? What is at risk if you do not monitor congress and state legislatures? A bankrupt economy is what our political leaders have given us of the past 30 years. I do not have the answers but I know that none of our present political leaders (democrat or republicans) can be trusted. I know this because none of them are tell you and me the truth. The American Press has failed to their duty as the fourth institution. Today the press is more concerned with profit from exploitive journalism than in exercising effective journalism. So if the press will not monitor our state and federal legislature then it means we need an organization that will do this task. We need every bill ripped apart to identify any hidden agendas and pork and policies or procedures that attack our civil liberties and promised in the constitution. We also need to insure that the safety net established during the first great depression is not destroyed by special interest who care more about their profit and power than in the people of this nation. The moral of my tail is to ask you to join me in doing our duty for our nation. If WYCM provides a service you can use then contact them. If not the use what ever resources you have. We need to replace the present congress. They have failed to abide by their oaths of office and America is at risk.

I actually work for NWYC and I absolutely love the organization. What they are doing is the work of our Founding Fathers. The country is obviously falling apart and we need to all do something about it. It is up to each and every one of us. I am sure some of the reps that work here are in it more for money then anything else but those of us that are passionate would do it for free if we could, at least I know I would. It is an organization founded on the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Yes, all the stuff is available elsewhere, all the information is but I work here and I dont have time to go through half the things myself. Do you have time to read hundreds of pages of legislation on one issue? If you do, then you should get a job at our research center. Everyone I have met from this organization is extremely dedicated to preserving "We The People". We are unbiased and factual and although there are some things that may seem as if they are more conservative, that would be false. They are for preserving and nothing else and as a representative here, I do not give my opinion on the issues. Every member who has joined, loves what we do and what we have accomplished. Also, I dont know what representatives went and saw some of you people on here but we are told NOT to pressure people into becoming a member. If I dont think you are passionate enough to be involved, I wont even ask you to be. Why would we want people to get involved and waste all of our time on them if they are going to never take action? For someone from our organization to be deceitful and somehow get money out of your account, well that doesnt seem even plausible and on top of that, it doesnt make sense as to why they would even do that. If it has happened, then I apologize for NWYC and we need to be more selective of who we hire. However, NWYC is doing the work of our founding fathers and encouraging RESPONSIBLE Americans to get involved. You can either continue to ### and complain about how bad it is or you can stand up and do something about it. Whether it be to join our organization or just write your representative once in your lifetime, GET INVOLVED! Also, if anyone would like some actual and factual information on our organization please feel free to contact me. Email is mmetallo9954@gmail.com

This is not a NWYC rep because of at least two reasons. .First- I would not know how he got your financial information, let alone try and use it. Second- The amount he was trying to withdraw $80.00 is not an amount that is in the NWYC price structure. I do not know you so I will not say you are fabricating this story for some space time but I will say you are mistaken about what happened. You also might want to ask your bookkeeper to confirm the name on the check or the on the account if you used a credit card should not be hard if your accountant
is as good as you say

Tiffany Scadder of National Write Your Congressman came into my husband's office today and sold him a membership for $265.00. When he came home and told me I knew we had been had. I told my husband we already have access to our congressman and showed him our congressman's website and all of the information available to us and that we can contact our congressman by email or phone or letter at any time. This salesperson basically was implying how she knew people that he did and was showing my husband business cards from other companies in the area by implying they had also bought memberships.. Her tactics were very good because she suckered him in. I think my husband assumed she was on the up and up. What out for this company in my opinion. If the sales reps really get paid 75% then she made a fast $200.00 off my husband,

I had a salesman come into my small business this morning, apparently ignoring our "no soliciting" sign on our front window. After taking around 45 minutes to get myself and my wife's views, primarily on immigration, and showing me the app for my smartphone, he then brought up the $445 per yr membership. At that point that I had been pulled away from work I needed to do to listen to a sales pitch under the guise of an organization reaching out to people to get their opinions on issues that would then be sent on to our government, I had to excuse myself and tell him that I needed to return to work. He said he would stop back by tomorrow and see if I decided to go with this program. They may offer a good service for the money they ask, but the way they go about "sticking their foot in the door" will never make me a fan of the way they go about getting their business, and is a group I would never want to become a member of.

The only way your ballot would be in the trash is if you refused to provide contact information, in which case there is no point in sending it to your Congressional representative. Your Congressman rep cannot count a constituent's opinion if it cannot be verified by address. That's the law.

I work for NWYC and the interview process is very, very clear that we are a membership based organization. There are NINE points in the interview process where the business owner is asked if s/he wants to proceed. People like you are generally a waste of a rep's time: you have lots to say, tons of complaints, and are very opinionated, but are unwilling to actually take action.

The standard interview with close takes about twenty minutes. We are not there to waste your time or to have you waste OUR time. If you want to join, it's the best way I've found to get concise, unbiased, facts on legislation that is personally tailored to you. Feel free not to join, feel free to spend hours online finding information that may or may not be accurate, feel free to reach out as an individual whom your Congressional rep may or may not know, but please do not feel free to bash someone who ~asked~ to come into your office, ~asked~ if you would like to see what they do, ~asked~ if you wanted to get your voice heard, and ~asked~ seven times during the close if you wanted to proceed. Take some responsibility for your own actions.

Today is July 15, 2015...I had the same scenerio converge on my business today and yes I had the NO SOLICITORS on my entry door. I was on my way out the door when they came in. I took the 7 minutes he asked me for and we filled out the immigration questionaire...Then asked for another 17 minutes and I said NO gotta go. We agreed for him to come back around 2pm. I gave them my card, they did not give me one. I got busier when I returned to office and could not take the time to chat. Had I been given a phone # would have let them know to reschedule. Told office to let them know I am sorry and need to reschedule when they return. I was told they came in and walked right past the receptionist and when confronted they were stern enough to state they had a meeting with me. When told I cannot see them right now they became irate and mumbled as they left.

That organization needs to regroup and figure their strategy out. I was seriously interested in joining even after reading the negative posts. I feel the same as others about my time and thought it may be a good thing...NOT NOW

The People making negative comments about NWYC are actually explaining why the organization is so important! I got a kick out of the negative comments I hear about them! Comments about how you can get all of this information for free and it is only about getting the "Money". My wife and I had a good laugh about the comment from a employee who left a important business call to address a person in the lobby regarding a important business issue.
As a business owner I do not count the hours I work, I know the amount I make depends on the profitability of the business that week, month and year. I do not have enough hours in the day or week to do what NWYC does for me to respond in seconds every week. I need those hours to run my business. NWYC does not cost me money - it saves me money! I am worth a lot more per hour in my business than I am paying them to provide me the service. Fear of Government is why the employee left the conference call. Fear of what might happen if the employee did not respond, the Fire Department inspection, or City inspector or any new government intervention.
Every time I increase the cost of goods to my customers, I lose one. I am always fighting a fine line to stay in business. By being better informed about pending cost, I can control the pricing of my goods to match the cost of doing business! I can plan out 6 months or a year the new pending cost of doing business the government has for me.
It is all about the "money". In the real world it is always about the money. We have to have it to provide for our families, to pay our employee's so they can provide for their families. The organization has to do the same. In the real world people either work to make money or live off someone else who made the money. The people working for this organization have a difficult job to do everyday. I have been rude to people coming into the business when I am busy. They do it in all kinds of weather, rain and snow etc., I am sure there are easier jobs to do. I think it takes someone who really cares about our country to do this work.
I visited Washington D.C. one time in my life. While I was there I went to the Vietnam War memorial and read "Freedom is never Free". Every time I write a check to pay a bill, I remember that and thank "God" that I have the freedom to write that check and not have government deduct it from my account.!

Just got a visit from a rep. He told us he was only needing a moment of our time and took 45 mins. He was filling out a form to charge us when I stopped him, I hadn't said we'd buy into it. We also have a "NO SOLICITING" sign on our door. This man cost our company money holding up 2 high level managers for 45 mins. He falsely stated why he was there and I felt though this maybe a good tool the tactic was shady. I've now warned my receptionists to ask anyone coming in asking for a manager if they are selling something.

You are delusional if you think this outfit is up front. Nothing but a con job money grab. Their sales pitch is so slick, they can sell a membership to a used car salesman! Bernie Madoff would be proud...and you know where he is! And you know damned well that the positive posters here are more than likely National Write Your Congressman employees. Sad that people have to do this to make a living.

NWYC reps came to visit me the other day. What started out as a "Few minutes of your time for a quick questionnaire", turned into a 30 minute sales pitch and a very irritating waste of my time. One guy just stood there and glared the whole time while the other guy did most of the talking. Through our conversation, I asked where they were from and they named a small town down the road a few miles. I used to live there and still have friends that do, nobody has ever heard of either of them. If they had told me at the initial contact they were soliciting membership fees, I would have saved us both a lot of time. Since they didn't mention that until later, I told them to let me think about it and come back in a couple days. He wanted a post dated check, didn't happen. When they came back, I told them I wasn't paying any membership fees, since they were not upfront about their intentions. He asked if I still had the papers he left 2 days ago. I told him they were in my office. He proceeded to walk into my office to get them. No "Can you go get them for me?" or anything, simply just walked from the shop floor into the office saying, "We need to take those with us." He then gave me back my card I had signed along with his card that has the website info on it. His name was nowhere to be found on the card.

I'm sure some of the respondents to this complaint have had a positive interaction with this group and are truthful about it. I'd be willing to bet most of the "in support" comments are NWYC employees trying to boost support for this sham. BUYER BEWARE!

Inappropriate language and lacking any value to the discussion.