April, 2006
On my desk here at FORTUNE Magazine. A piece of direct mail from “Billy Fletcher.” Handwritten in magic marker.
THE
WORLD OF PRODUCTS
Over 3000 products
Write THE CATALOG
MARKET TECH
H.P.Q.
Professional
2005
25% off on med. Orders, and 50% on Large orders.
DELIVERY
Billy has also nicely taped the word FREE onto the page in a few places. FREE has been cut from a newspaper and is in red, capital letters. He’s also patriotically placed a small American flag sticker on the page. His address in Zionsville, Indiana is included. As is a phone number.
The top right-hand corner of the page is torn. Hmmm. Looks like it was originally stapled there, but then the corner torn off.
I turn the page over. Theres white-out all over the back of the page.
Holding the paper up to the light, I see through the white-out and can read:
UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT INDIANA
INDIANAPOLIS DIVISION
The rest of the white out covers Billy’s bankruptcy filing information.
Anxious to purchase right away and take advantage of the amazing offer I’ve been mailed (or at least to find out what I’m being offered), I call the number.
Which is answered by a pentitentiary. Oh, that Sheriff of Nottingham!
Billy Fletcher, you just made my day.
It’s weird having ones name listed in a magazine masthead.