I became a member of AFGE in June, 2003. Almost all of my co-workers had good credit and computers. I work in a very competitive field, and I was not up on technology, and therefore could not compete with my co-workers. This made me miserable and I asked my supervisor if I could use the idol laptop in the office to take courses over the internet in order to advance within our agency. She was nice enough to let me do so, but I wasn't happy about having to go this route. When we were leaving to go home, one of my co-workers, Ms. Alice Johnson, approached me and asked me if I were a member of AFGE, and I told her that I was. She then took the time to tell me about a program called Purchasing Power. I was excited about the info she gave me, and the next day she brought a flyer that had been mailed to her by AFGE, and on the back it had the web site for Purchasing Power and the customer service number to place orders. I couldn't wait to go home that day in order to get on the web site, and look at what products were available. I was really amazed at the no "credit check, no interest" policy and called Purchasing Power the very next day, because I was working an evening shift at the time. The customer service representative was not only professional and courteous, but she had knowledge of the product that I was inquirering about. In 2 weeks, I had my very own Dell desktop computer with an all in one printer, fax, copy and scanner. My kids were excited as well. I was not only able to take the online courses, but I was able to start my own personal business, and build my customer base because of this new Dell computer. Since then, I have purchased another computer, an ipod, a playstation 3, and an X-box 360. I can give my kids the best birthday, and christmas gifts now without having to worry about buying expensive game consoles, etc and pay up front. I thank God for Purchasing Power, because although I now have decent credit, I can't forget when I didn't have it- and Purchasing Power was there. I will continue to use this program and I will continue to refer my current co-workers to Purchasing Power and take the time out to let them know what a good hassle-free program we have through our union, AFGE, just like Ms. Alice Johnson did for me. Thank you Ms. Alice, and thanks also to Purchasing Power.