days thinking. What kind of policy was this? One that charged people thousands of dollars for tapes that they had in fact returned promptly? Wasn't there governmental overseeing agencies to deal with stuff like this? Theodore thought that he might call the Better Business Bureau - he had heard of them in some of the magazines he read. Upon calling them, he was referred to the NSBA, the National Small Business Agency, for evidently the BBB did not deal with issues like this - they only dealt with fraudulent businesses or false claims and the like. They told Theodore that according to the information he had provided, the movie place was not misrepresenting any information. The NSBA turned out to be a large voice-mail device with tips on common problems: how to speak to your credit-card company, what to do if a business goes bankrupt, why large corporations often put small businesses out of business. They also recommended contacting a larger federal department for other, extraordinary problems. When Theodore contacted the number referred to him by the NSBA, he found that that federal department had been dissolved six months ago, and that perhaps he might try calling the BBB or NSBA, please. Theodore knew that he could not give up. There must be something he could do. He knew it. These things just couldn't happen. There must be some reason, some problem with something. "How about calling a different video store - maybe they could give some insight," recommended a friend with whom Theodore was discussing his problem. "Sure, that's a good idea. Maybe they'll tell me if this policy is really out on a limb, or if it is typical," he responded. Theodore located a telephone book and called the first store he could find. "Yes, hello," he began, "I'm curious to learn about your late- return policy." "Why? Do you have a tape that you would like to turn in late?" "Oh no, I'm not even a customer at your store. I'm just curious." "Well, sir, then, we can't really tell you that. I'm sorry." "Why? I'm just asking what would happen if someone turned in their tape late."