GIVING BACK

Today we are going to explore one of the really great things that is coming out of this whole crazy situation. 

Actually there are quite a few good pieces of news – testing is improving, people are recovering, the environment is getting a break, friends and family are staying in touch using video chat, lots of content is being made available online for free and people are volunteering and helping out in record numbers. 

Companies are getting into the spirit and dropping prices as well as offering all sorts of deals and specials. 

College kids are getting some special treatment given that many of them were left stranded by the virus. Here are some examples of companies who are helping students out. U-Haul is offering 30 days of free self-storage by showing your college I.D. Hertz and Enterprise are waiving fees for college kids between 18 and 25 through May 31 and Avis is doing the same for 21 to 24-year olds through April 30. Adobe is offering free access to Creative Cloud programs through May 31 to schools with Adobe plans. 

Car companies are helping consumers out as well. Acura/Honda is offering payment extensions and deferrals of up to 60 days, as well as late fee waivers. They are also contributing $1,000 toward buying a new Honda and $500 toward a new Acura. Ford is allowing customers payment delays and has also laid out a 90-day no-payment plan for new purchases. GMC is waiving late fees, and for new buyers with great credit, has rolled out 84-month, 0% interest financing, with no payments due for 120 days.

Finance is pitching in with credit card companies like Amex and Capital One letting customers skip payments without late fees/interest. Telecom companies like AT&T and Verizon won’t cut off service to people who don’t pay their bills, will waive late fees, and are offering free internet capability. Samsung and Google are offering free phone repairs to healthcare workers. All the big insurance companies are offering discounts or rebates since we are driving so much less. Finally, airlines and hotel chains are waiving cancellation and change fees. 

As we mentioned earlier, there is a ton of content and virtual experiences available for free. 

Google Arts & Culture has teamed up with over 2,500 museums and galleries around the world to bring anyone and everyone virtual tours and online exhibits of some of the most famous museums around the world. The collection includes the British Museum in London, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Guggenheim in New York City, and literally hundreds more places where you can gain knowledge about art, history, and science. 

On the music side, Music festivals and “live” concerts are taking place on YouTube, Twitch and Minecraft. Here is a complete list from Billboard of all the livestreams and virtual concerts you can watch, with events ranging from Miley Cyrus to the Metropolitan Opera. 

Spotify, through its Covid-19 Music Relief project, is matching funding contributions from those organizations which offer financial relief to the music community in need around the world, including MusiCares, PRS Foundation, Help Musicians, Unison Benevolent Fund, and Centre National de la Musique.  Fender is offering free guitar lessons for three months and Skoove is offering free piano lessons. And here is a list of free resources to help keep artists creating while they are confined to home. 

It really is amazing how many companies have stepped up to the plate and found creative ways to assist in this crisis while at the same time preserving their customer base and brand loyalty. They recognize that customers are struggling financially and making hard decisions about what to cut back on and what is essential. While some of it is good business mostly there is a recognition that we are all in this together and everyone needs to do their part if we are to come out on the other side of this stronger. 

Since launching last year we have had tremendous success with Revactin. With so many people facing extraordinary challenges, we’ve reduced our price to help you take care of you.  You can see our current pricing here.

Stay well and safe out there!