why do we put up with it?
83
One frustrated consumer to another
The other day I went into Staples to buy some computer supplies. While I was there, that little voice that lives between my ears shouted, “Pens. Get some pens.” And it was true, I was at the point of searching high and low for one whenever I needed to write something. Where do they go?
Over in the appropriate section, I found a wide selection of pens in different quantities and prices. Now I’m not the kind of sap who spends big money on something that has a life expectancy of a day or two at the most in my house. I suspect there’s a peculiar burglar in the neighborhood who sneaks around while we’re all asleep, gathering up the pens from the jars we keep by our phones. What other explanation for their disappearance can there be?
So in keeping with my frugal nature, I opted for the bargain pack of twenty-five stick pens in a pack, with the promise “writes first time every time” emblazoned on the packaging. $9.95 for the whole lot – not a fortune, but still a ten bill out of my somewhat limited monthly budget. I congratulated myself on having solved the chronic pen shortage for at least a few weeks, and took them home.
Not a single one wrote anything. Their nibs scratched drily across the paper, leaving no trail of ink in any color. Twenty-five out of twenty-five turned out to be duds. And in what is truly a rare occurrence, I was enraged enough to take them back to Staples and vent my anguish.
“How can you market such rubbish to the public?” I demanded of the poor clerk who just happened to be within reach.
“We don’t do the buying,” she explained. “It’s done centrally and we stock whatever they send us.”
“Well, what genius decided pens that don’t write were worth buying?” I fumed. “I want the email address of your central buying office so I can get an answer to that question.”
“Uh-um-uh – wait a minute.” She ran off, and returned with a gentleman wearing a suit.
“What seems to be the problem?” he wanted to know.
I explained that none of the pens in the package worked, and I wanted to know why such useless trash was on market to the unsuspecting and already financially beleaguered public. I repeated my request for the email address of the corporate buying office so I might satisfy my curiosity on that score.
Needless to say, the gentleman did his best to soothe my ire, and made it clear my reaction was entirely out of proportion to the scale of the problem. And the sideways glances from the clerks in the vicinity communicated that they, too thought my anger excessive.
In the end, I received a refund and a glib, insincere apology, but a refusal to give me the information requested, and went home to my penless house, to find the email address of Staple’s corporate offices on the internet myself. When it came time to jot it down on my notepad, I used a mechanical pencil. (The lead broke several times and then ran out – but at least it wrote long enough.)
Was my reaction excessive?
Perhaps if it had been a one-time thing, I would consider myself ready for Valium or some other medication. But it wasn’t.
Just two days prior, I needed a bookshelf for my little office alcove, and went out to buy one. No matter which store I went to here in North Port, all I could find at a reasonable price was the put-it-together-by-yourself-made-in-China –and-good-luck sort. I bought one, and took it home.
Now I consider myself a handy person. I’ve built sheds from scratch, a dog kennel building, framed in rooms, built fences – in other words, I know my way around tools and the elements of construction.
But this simple bookcase tried what little patience I could muster – missing hardware, predrilled holes that didn’t line up, locking devices for those metal pins that couldn’t be inserted in the supposedly precut destinations, dowels that couldn’t be inserted. Oh, it was a nightmare, and one that ended with me throwing away the instructions (written in very strange English), pulling out my electric drill and building the thing my own way, with my own hardware (which necessitated a trip to Home Depot.) For $79.99, I basically purchased twelve sheets of particle board, and spent another $11.00 buying hardware.
On Saturday, I went to Walmart (I know, but my options are limited in this neighborhood) to purchase a new phone. By Sunday, the display screen stopped working. I took it back to Walmart and received another phone. Today the display screen is lit up, but with strange characters I cannot decipher. I’ll take it back later today. For $69.99, and two trips to Walmart, I have a phone that refuses to tell me who is calling, subjecting me to all kinds of marketing calls. More trash handed out to the public at a ridiculous price.
While there in the Walmart parking lot yesterday, I watched a young mom try to comfort her little boy whose new action figure toy hadn’t survived long enough to get to the car, hadn’t even survived removal from the packaging. The little tyke was heart-broken.
“Take it back,” I told her, sticking my nose in where it didn’t belong.
She was a quiet, soft-spoken kind of person and shied away from the idea. I offered to go with her. In fact, I insisted. I was in that kind of mood.
“My little grandson here,“ I began, knowing when a lie was both acceptable and necessary, “just purchased this toy not ten minutes ago. It fell apart when he tried to take it out of the packaging. What are you going to do about it?”
“We’ll exchange it. Go and get another one,” the clerk said, with that minimum wage glaze in her eyes.
“Why?” I shouted. “So that one can fall apart too?”
“Please lower your voice,” the clerk said.
“Why? So others won’t hear how you prey on children, selling them junk you know won’t last? Look at him – he’s traumatized.”
And indeed the little fellow was the picture of misery, with his chubby cheeks streaked with tears and his tiny body still shuddering with suppressed sobs.
“And for the record,” I said, still louder. “$8.99 may be a drop in the ocean to Walmart’s bottom line, but to my daughter-in-law here, it represents a major slice of her budget. She can’t afford to buy much for her child, but to spend her limited money on a treat for her son to have it fall apart before he can even play with it – shame on Walmart!” The frustrations of the past few days had finally found an outlet.
My newly adopted daughter-in-law looked like she’d rather run for the door, but stood her ground. Of course, the iron grip I had on her arm may have had something to do with it. While the clerk grabbed the intercom mike and desperately hailed a manager, I whispered “What’s your name and his?”
She told me and together we waited for the manager, along with the audience we’d attracted.
When the manager arrived, I continued to orate on the perfidies of a multi-billion dollar corporation that exploited consumers by knowingly selling shoddy goods to the children of financially strapped parents. I was in fine form, ready to filibuster until a suitable solution and appropriate compensation was reached.
It was. My “daughter-in-law” and “grandson” received a $25 Walmart card; I felt the relief that comes of venting a long-held gripe and our audience enjoyed themselves and applauded when little Joey walked off with his mother, to pick out yet another disappointing and poorly made toy.
I left Walmart, much to their relief, and joined the girls (aged 55 to 72) for lunch on the patio at Joe Crackers, my neighborhood hangout. I shared my adventures of the morning. That set off a whole chain of consumer gripes.
- Women’s clothes made in Asia that don’t allow for the ample bosoms of many North American women.
- Packaged fruit with a top layer that looks delightful and mould growing on the lower layers.
- Lamps purchased that have poles that don’t screw together.
- Crossword puzzle books printed in China that don’t make sense.
- Books purchased for top dollar with missing or misplaced pages.
- Small appliances that give up the ghost within weeks.
- An electric drill purchased for $59 and the shaft bent on the second attempt to drive in a three inch screw.
- Clothing with seams that unravel on the first laundering.
- Reading glasses priced at $15 and up, and the lenses fall out.
- Put-it-together-yourself kits missing parts and the store that sold them doesn’t sell the missing parts, but will order them but it takes six weeks.
- Printers that need new cartridges and the store where you bought it doesn’t carry that type of cartridge.
- CDs and DVDs that won’t play.
- Anything sold in packaging that requires tools and an engineering degree to open
And then the eldest among us delivered the coup de grace:
- Pet food purchased in good faith, of a well known and trusted brand that poisoned and killed her beloved cat, Butterball.
And we all agreed, it was time to stop ”putting up with it.“
So instead of the usual “nice hub” in the comments below, please add your favorite consumer gripe, and if you have any ideas on how to stop “putting up with it” we’d really like to hear them.
Sincerely,
lmmartin and the girls.
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What is your favorite consumer gripe -- and what do you think we can do about it?
Hi pgrundy, And yes, it is a major peeve of our modern world that useful items have been replaced with useless ones. Not only has our manufacturing moved overseas to be more profitable, but the major retail chains, having put everyone else out of business, offer us only shit (and I'm still mad enough to mean the word) instead of what we're paying for.
Can openers -- yes, indeed. I hadn't thought of that one, but it is a good one -- especially for people like me with limited manual dexterity.
But why do we put up with it? Why don't we demand that retailers be held responsible for what they sell? Have you bought electronics from Walmart -- it says on a special notice inside -- do not return this item to Walmart; return to manufacturer. In Shanghai?
Let's return to Staples; I just bought a scanner that was supposed to be capable of OCR according to the clerk and the box. What it does is send a graphic file to Adobe acrobat. When I'm about to direct a play, I like to scan in the script and reprint in on full size paper so I have room for notes and stage directions. My old scanner did this wonderfully for the last 10 years for around $50.00. This piece of junk cost over $100.00 and is great for pictures but won't handle OCR.
The Indians used to do the "Ghost Dance" that was supposed to make the Whites disappear and the Buffalo return. Instead it got them massacred for doing the dance.
I'm not sure that we are not trying to argue with signpost!
But, hell! It sure feels good.
I'm one of those silly people that believes if we all complained every time we got ripped off by the retail world, they would eventually demand that manufacturers clean up their act. Consider the idiot who put melamine in the pet food in China -- consumer backlash sent him to jail. As long as we stay quiet and don't demand fair treatment, then I guess we get what we deserve.
Nah, I make lots of noise and I still get less than I deserve. I think it's too harshly stated--I know what you mean, but I've also worked for too many big corporations to delude myself that they actually care unless somebody dies or melts or something--and even then it has to be in a very public way and it's not so much that they care, it's more like, "How do we keep this from cutting into our profits?"
I think the way to go is 1) Complain and write letters to the top as you suggest, and 2) boycott places that sell crap. Boycotting these places means everything will cost more and we will all buy less, but I don't think that's all bad. :)
I buy local or used every chance I get. Or fix the old thing.
Hi pgrundy, Glad you came back. Nah- I never meant they'd actually care, but suppose, just suppose everyone who found they'd been handed less than they paid for did complain. Yeah, like it's ever going to happen. That's what I mean when I say we get what we deserve -- not as individuals but as a society. Personally, I'd rather pay more for something of value, but the scales are balanced against us. The manufacturers want their stuff to break, so we buy more. And as for fixing the old? -- most of it is unfixable.
But it sure was fun to let off steam -- and they couldn't shut me up fast enough. Unfortunately, the steam was let off at those who were not responsible.
mmartin - Never let a good gripe go to waste. [ :-0 ] Usually, too, the boss will not want to take the heat. When I was a kid I worked at a soda fountain that sold bulk ice cream to folks. The boss taught me to poke the ice cream down with the point of the scoop, creating cavities in the ice cream within the container. I did that one time only. The customer yelled. The boss came over and demonstrated to me in front of the customer that I was not supposed to do things that way. I quit right then and there. Gus
Just this afternoon I'm meeting with a second insurance agent as the first one is guilty of a "bait and switch" tactic which has me paying premiums for a lifetime when they were only supposed to be paid for 10 years.
Great hub.
jgron
Thanks GustheRedneck for another of your wonderful anecdotes -- if you don't start collecting them I will.
Hijgron -- bait and switch -- one of the retail's favorite tactics too. Thanks for your comments and your story.
Hi Coldwarbaby -- I too have spent my time in corporate servitude as an accountant/ auditor, nonetheless. Then for some years I worked as an independent accounts payable auditor in the retail trade, so I know them all too well. And I've never suggested the big guys care about customer satisfaction, although some do. One example here in Florida is Publix (grocery) -- I audited their head office years ago. Not only do the strive to please their customers, but they treat their staff very well, and they still hold to the same philosophy. If you're unhappy with them or their products -- they'll do whatever it takes to fix it. I choose to shop there rather than Walmart grocery (the only other choice in my Florida town) even though things cost a little more, because of their fair business practices and how they treat the customer.
I know there's no way to fix the world -- but let me daydream. My fantasy life is so fulfilling.
I can only second everyone's emotions. Just had to jump in of course! I must also add, my heart goes out the drones and I always pray each night before going to sleep that I will never have to work for Wal-Mart.
Now that you mention it Immartin, my wife recently read a piece that indicated Publix has not laid off any of its workers during this economic debacle. Such practices certainly make Publix a lesser evil. In my passionate opposition to the for-profit paradigm I sometimes neglect to give credit where due.
I agree there's no way to fix the world. The world isn't in need of fixing. We are. This idea of the world ending if Homo sapiens should become extinct is so anthropocentric. Everyone seems to do it without thinking.
In reality, we are quite capable of doing what's right. We even have the technology available to repair a lot of the damage we've done. We just don't seem to be able to make the choice to go ahead and do it.
Hi Kartika, I'll join your prayer. Please, God, don't make me so desperate that I work for Walmart. Thanks for dropping by and I always look forward to your comments.
Hi again, ColdWarBaby -- yes, I think it's important that we give credit, and better yet, trade to those whose business practices are fair. And I'm sure we do know what is right -- but change seems to be the hardest thing for mankind to accept. Thanks for your comments.
Haha..I would have loved to be there in Wal-Mart. Big corporations have become too arrogant for their own good!
The trouble I think is that the people running these huge corporations insulate themselves very well from the consequences of their actions. In the 90s there was lots of talk in management circles about how the product doesn't even matter, it's all about profit. So providing a bad product, who cares? The ultimate goal would be to provide NO PRODUCT, yet keep increasing prices and profits. Remember books like "Swim with the Sharks?" and the line from that movie "Wall Street" when Michael Douglas says "Greed is good?" We're still right there. More people buy into it than don't.
Why does ANYONE still shop at Walmart? I don't mean this as a criticism of you personally)--I mean seriously, why? I haven't been inside the place in years. When people tell me they got something from Walmart I always ask them why they did that, and if it turns out they regularly get things there because of the 'low low prices' I explain calmly why they are slitting their own throats and should stop that.
Then they never speak to me again about their shopping habits.
In the call centers, I got the 'rip the head off the wrong person' schtick all the time. But here's the thing--There usually IS no 'right' person, because the corporation had already made a conscious decision NOT to care about the customer. It isn't a secret or anything. There was no higher up person to talk to. There were the plebes and the billionaires. And you couldn't talk to the billionaires. And the plebes were empowered to do nothing but drool while you scream at them.
We very rarely buy anything anymore. I'm serious. The dehumidifier was a rare exception. You can buy local and small, it just takes more initiative and money.
We need more people like you to stand up to the big box and discount stores. Yes they offer us lower prices. But for what? Sub standard items manufactured in the far east. You are right on point. In today's economy we are all looking for bargins. However, I think we should be looking at quality and price comparisons. I wish I could have been there to see you make your stand at Wal Mart. I am proud of you.
Hi Pgrundy, Yes the problem is that decisions are made by those to far removed from the action. Case: Centralization of the banks in Canada. You have Seymour Milkatoast sitting in his suit in a tower in downtown Toronto make decisions on loans for farmers in the field in Saskatchewan. Didn't work. Duh!
Hi Martyjay, welcome back. It's been a while since you visited my pages. All I did was vent my own frustration on someone else's behalf, and as you are one of the few people who read this who actually knows me, and knows how I can get -- well you can imagine.
Does everyone remember that scene from some movie -- name of which eludes me at the moment -- when everyone in New York City starts sticking their heads out their windows and shouting "I've had enough and I'm not going to take it anymore"? That's one of my favorite fantasies. An entire population on the streets yelling "I'm not going to take it anymore." Sigh -- if only.
Bravo to the new Howard Beale! I join you in shouting from my window: "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more!"
Fortunately, I don't have a red cent to spend on anything these days but, when I did, I had one frustrating experience after another. One day I bought DVDs too dark to see what was going on in them (they were Westerns, not porno, though it was impossible to tell). When I returned them, the manager said, "Well, what do you expect for that price?" I argued that no matter the price, it still must work. Eventually - and very begrudgingly - he refunded my money.
I too have bought the pens that don't write, pencils whose lead is so faint I can't tell if they're writing or not, light bulbs that 'will last for years' and burn out in three months, tea bags that explode when pouring hot water over them, and a refrigerator that became entirely inoperable twice in two years.
The latter incident was a disaster par excellence. The appliance was 4 and 6 years old respectively, a good, sturdy model, when it gave up the ghost. Sears put $1200 into a $450 refrigerator - no, I'm not kidding - because it was still under the manufacturer's warranty. It took weeks of waiting until they got all the right parts, and three mechanics working at it over several days after that. Since I was told I would never have to worry about it again, I didn't buy insurance. When the same thing happened less than 24 months later, Sears said tough luck - and I'm now using someone's cast-off dorm-sized fridge for the duration. Mad as hell barely covers it.
My dad used to tell me that Sears would never let you down. He didn't live long enough to see how times have changed. It would have made him very sad indeed.
Hello Mindfield, I'm so glad you came by. Well what can I add to your comment -- you said it all.
Thanks, and I hope you come back and read some more of my thoughts on the world.
lmmartin, I so love it when I have time to come and visit your hubs! You are a breath of fresh air and you always just "nail it!" I would like to say that I have never bought at Wal-Mart, but I have. One year for Christmas I got my DH a surround sound system for the TV. It took forever to figure out how to connect it and we also had to dig into our "Parts box" to complete the job. It lasted about 3 months after which they, of course, would not refund the money.
I'm going to join your chorus and travel with my head out the window yelling "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more!" This is timely as Christmas shopping is not started yet for this year. A great reminder of where NOT to buy!
Hi Duchess, Yes we should all get a spanking for being so politically incorrect as to shop at Walmart, but I admit I do. There's a 24 hour one just five minutes from my house, right beside a Target (like there's much of a difference!) Last night I ran out to pick up some of those little things we always run out of and guess what -- I found something made in the U.S.A. I almost fainted!
pgrundy says:
2 weeks ago
Wow, you are my hero now. Seriously!
This is my biggest pet peeve--that so many SIMPLE items do not do THE ONE THING THEY ARE SUPPOSEDLY DESIGNED TO DO.
Case in point: Manual can openers. Can you even guess how many manual can openers I bought that broke after a single use or never even worked once? And they weren't cheap either. The one I have now cost me about $25 but at least it WORKS. I spent way more than that on can openers that don't.
My biggest pet peeve is Mr. Coffee style pots that can't seem to pour coffee without dribbling it. The way I see it, a coffee pot has only two functions: To hold coffee, and to pour coffee, so these pots are only 50% efficient right out of the gate. How hard is it to design a pot that doesn't dribble coffee all over everything whenever you try to use it? Too hard, apparently.
I am SOOOOOOO on the same page with you about appliances and furniture that is missing a part or is totally dysfunctional the minute you take it out of the box. Recently we bought a dehumidifier that came with a drainage hose. I specifically asked about the hose in the store and oh yes, the clerk said it came with one, and it also said so on the box. I got it home, and inside, in the instructions, it said BOTH that there was indeed a hose included AND that there wasn't. I shit you not.
I then spent about two hours driving all over town looking for a hose and finally found one. The clerk cut it too short. I said, that looks like three feet not four, and she was ready to go to war over it but NOT ready to remeasure it. I got home, it was three feet, not four.
So we put the damn thing on a lower perch, problem solved.
Yeah I could have returned the dehumidifier and talked to the brain dead zombie child who sold it to me (it was the only one in stock) but trust me, I've been there done that, and it's easier to just deal with it myself. I could have returned the hose to the hardware store and brought my ruler with me, but at this point I'd spent the entire afternoon and about $160 on something that should have taken me 5 minutes to accomplish, so I was in no mood.
Why can't 1) things do what they are supposed to and work at least once, and 2) people in retail stores be nice and act like you matter more than fungus?
Great hub.
BTW I buy stuff at yard sales now whenever I can. The older, Made in the USA stuff is way sturdier in most cases than the new stuff.