A consumer complainer, that is.
I’ve never been one to complain to a company or business about poor service or faulty products. I usually just get irritated, and if I can make a return, I do. (Which of course makes me even more irritated because it takes more of my time to return the product!) I decided to change that last week after buying yet another poor-quality item.
I had asked my hubby to pick up a box of firelogs since winter is setting in and I love to have a fire for a little extra heat, as well as for the ambiance. Fires are lovely, right? Well, not so much with the Pine Mountain Firelogs we purchased. They didn’t want to light (smoked and smoldered mostly for the first hour or more), and then when they finally did light, the front half of the log would fall off! Not cool.
I found myself once again getting perturbed by the lack of quality of a product we had just spent good money on, and decided then and there that I was going to take action. I sat down and emailed the company to tell them about the issues we were having. I explained to them that we used to love their firelogs, but since they changed their log formula the quality is terrible. (Their SuperLog was the bomb, but they quit making them. Major bummer!)I was not crabby or offensive, just stated exactly what was happening and why we would be switching firelog brands.
I really wasn’t expecting to hear back from them, but I did. They said they were going to be sending us coupons for 4 free boxes of firelogs. Wow! If they follow through with that, I will be impressed. (I just hope they send us coupons for a different version of their logs, otherwise I will be stuck with 4 boxes of firelogs that sit and smolder and then fall apart. That wouldn’t be such a great deal.) I will keep you posted with an update as to how this all plays out.
Then, a couple of days ago my hubby decided to buy a couple of pints of ice cream at the corner gas station. He picked up the Dreyer’s Maxx brand and both of our pints had a very gritty almost freezer-burnt like texture. Yuck! I was not impressed.
I emailed them today, so we will see if they respond. Their containers state that they will replace your purchase if you are not fully satisfied so we will see if they honor that or not.
Lastly, our latest complaint was with our local Taco Bell. Once again, they forgot part of our order. This time it wasn’t anything huge, but considering how many times over the years different fast food restaurants have forgotten part of our order when we go through the drive-thru I decided to write a letter and complain. Again, I will keep you posted on if they contact me back or not.
On the flip side, I will also be contacting companies that have provided us with great service and/or superior products. If it is good to complain about poor products and services, it should be just as important to give kudos to those companies who provide great products and services. I am sure they would like to have some positive feedback once in a while.
Those on my list to write a “thank-you” note to?
- DuraFlame – great firelogs with lots of flame!
- Crafters Companion – had an issue with a product I purchased, and not only did they replace it very quickly, but they also sent along a few “freebies” in the box to make up for the inconvenience.
- Les Schwabb – They always give us great customer service when we go in there to switch our tires over for the winter
So, are you a complainer or are you the type of person who just “deals with” poor products and/or services?
Would love to hear your thoughts!
