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The fastest way to alienate a mother/consumer is to insinuate that you know better than she does what's best for her children, says Maria Bailey, author of “Trillion Dollar Moms: Marketing to a New Generation of Mothers.” She also runs BSM Media, a Pompano Beach, Fla.-based marketing firm specializing in that demographic.

Another quick way to lose moms as customers is to invest in advertising campaigns that circumvent moms entirely and aim straight at their kids. Read more of this fascinating Stores Magazine article at: http://www.stores.org/Current_Issue/2008/02/Edit3.asp

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I don't normally like to bring my personal gripes onto this space, but in this case, I think sharing my experience might help others avoid the terrible service I received from a company called Lauder Photography.

Last February, my daughters' preschool sent out information about class photos. I thought the prices were a little steep, so I just ordered two class shots at $12 a pop ($24 total). August rolled around, and I finally got it together to ask about the photos that I had paid for (in Feb.) but never received. Our school directed me to call Lauder, which I did.

Now, nobody exactly expects good service anymore for anything. But the person I dealt with at the photography studio was truly rude. After I explained what had happened, she asked for my address and then she actually hung up on me.

The real disappointment came when I got the photos in the mail. Aside from being very low quality, one of my daughters wasn't even in the pictures. I made the mistake of telling my husband the whole story, and he insisted that I demand my money back. But at this point, it seems like I've already spent so much time on this, I'd rather chock it up to a bad break than work to get that $24 back.

So I guess the moral of the story is, be sure your school photographer knows what he/she is doing.

Do you have other bad service stories? I'd love to hear em! barbara.correa@dailynews.com