This article was featured in the Scranton Times Newspaper, SUnday October 14, 2007.
Harold Cameron says he just wants to help.
The 51-year-old Scranton resident wants to guide people through the red tape that sometimes tangles their efforts to deal with government and private business.
His pay?
"The pure joy, the thrill and the adrenaline-pumping experience of righting another wrong," said Mr. Cameron, the chief of Helping People, the title of his one-man group.
Mr. Cameron has vowed to spend the rest of his life helping consumers deal with difficulties ranging from businesses that don't keep promises to maneuvering around government bureaucracies.
And he does it for free. Mr. Cameron aims to assist just about anyone who contacts him. His personal e-mail address and home phone number are listed on his Web site.
It's part of a new life Mr. Cameron has built for himself after losing much. About three years ago, he had a bad spate. He lost a home to fire, his father and stepmother died, and he found himself unable to work because of a medical condition, he said.
Still, he remains positive.
"I've found what I am looking for, and I'm happy. I'm centered," he said.
Mr. Cameron works from his Scranton home, spreading the news of his service by word of mouth and the Internet. He writes an online journal in which he gives advice.
Mr. Cameron said he hopes the blog, http://haroldsays.typepad.com/haroldsays, becomes a popular site, because in the future he'd like to support his work by selling a step-by-step book of his methods. That will help with buying things like business cards, which is something he now lacks.
In the meantime, the blog has increased to about 30 hits a day. On the Web site, there are posts listing contact information for customer-service lines and tips for dealing with people who answer the phones.
Part of his success is due to persistence, Mr. Cameron said.
"I make it very, very clear I will not go away," he said.
He has the time to wait through hours of hold music, a luxury someone who works might not have.
That's not to say he isn't annoyed by listening to the droning music while waiting for a human being to answer the phone. He says he dreams of standing before a crowd of telephone customer-service operators and making them listen to hold music.
It wouldn't be for revenge. It would be a teaching experience, Mr. Cameron explained.
If anything, Mr. Cameron is an extremely pleasant man.
He's so positive that he is also pushing a new March holiday called "Do Something Positive."
"What a great day it would be," he said. "Can you imagine?"
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