I want to tell you a story about my friend Jan. Jan is a teacher at one of our local schools and she is one of the friendliest persons I know. She loves teaching and wouldn't trade her job for anything. What's more, she is a single mom herself so she knows the value of a dollar and how to make it stretch. Yet, like so many others, she had a problem not too long ago. That's where our story begins.



It was late one cold January night when Jan called me, "Steve, I don't know what is wrong! My heater isn't working and the temperature inside the house is falling fast. Can you come over and look at it?" I bundled up and headed over the Jan's to take a look. Unfortunately, the news I had for her wasn't good. It looked as if the electrical box on the side of her furnace went out. I told her that she and her daughter could come and stay with me for the night because it was going to get mighty cold!

The next day, the repairman gave her the bad news -- $800 worth of bad news. Now Jan doesn't make a lot of money - what teacher does? - but she always pays her bills on time and keeps a modest house. However, she just wasn't prepared for this unexpected expense and payday was weeks away. She was beside herself trying to figure out what she was going to do. I felt bad, and wanted to offer to lend her the money, but truth be told I didn't have it myself!

Much to my surprise, later that day Jan called me up and said she wouldn't need to stay at my place that night - her furnace was working again! I asked her where she got the money and she told me she got a loan from a cash advance lender that a friend referred her to. She said it was easy - all she had to do was verify her income, tell them where to deposit the money and the money was hers. She was even allowed to pick a repayment plan that suited her best.

I asked her if she had to fill out a lengthy application or go through a credit check and she said no. She told me that it was the easiest thing she ever did. She said she checked at the bank that morning but they told her she would need to put up collateral for a personal loan and that it would take at least a week to process. Typical of a bank! They only lend money to people who already have money! And who can wait a week to get their furnace fixed in the dead of winter?

Jan told me that at first she was a little worried about getting a cash advance loan, but she soon found out her worries were unfounded. It was so easy and the process to customer friendly that she felt like they really were concerned about her well being and not just the money. She said it was one of the best customer service experiences she has had in a long time.

So Jan got her furnace fixed and repaid her cash advance in a little over a month on terms that didn't make her have to stretch her paycheck even further. Every time I talk with her she always tells me the story about how the cash advance loan place made it possible for her to keep her dignity and pride. Most of all, she tells everyone she knows about how she finally found a business that cared about the little person - her!