I think I'd like to start a new blog devoted entirely to sucky companies, bad customer service, and general annoying business policies.  It would be a place to rant about the businesses you hate the most.  A place to warn everybody else.  A place to refer companies to when you talk to them and they go about doing their usual suckiness and you say, well, I'll just write about you whenever I feel like it on You're a sucky company blog and everybody in the world will know what you are doing and you will get a shitload of bad publicity on account of it.  That idea from that old commercial--I'll tell two friends, and they'll tell two friends, and so on and so on.  It'll be a movement! (thinking of you kaigou ).  So what do you think?  It might not be a very large two-by-four to smack back with, but at least you could air your grievances and hopefully have one or two souls hear you.

Di

It annoys me (a lot) when businesses are non responsive, or don't bother with customers, or sell shoddy stuff with warranties they have all kinds of fine print on, and so I have decided I'm going to have a list of which things I won't buy, and which companies I won't do business with, which will include a short explanation.  I'd like to hear yours too.  So call this a meme (what exactly is a meme anyhow?) and in the comments or on your own blog, pick it up and say what you think.  I mean, they think we won't talk to each other or take advice from each other.  Let's show them that we are not only paying attention, but that it will hit them in the pocket book.

So mine are, in no particular order . . . 

LaZboy.  Utter crap workmanship (ignore the warranty--they don't really do what they say).  I guess they used to be good, but to save money have gone to low quality everything.  I've written the CEO several letters, and his only response is to pawn me off on customer service reps who tell me that I am wrong about the problems with my furniture, that I it was impossible that I had to wait something like six months for repair parts (even though I did) and that they didn't actually have to be polite to me because they already had my money and they haven't the foresight to think that they might ever want more in the future.  Which they will never ever ever, did I say ever?  Get.

Sony.  We have had a problem with the Playstation 2 since we got it.  It won't play disks that have the blueish/purplish back.  At all.  We had it repaired once, which didn't take.  And letters (again to the ceo after I tried customer service) were pawned off on customer service who only repeated themselves (why bother even responding if you don't plan to be remotely helpful?) and who have essentially told us that our business doesn't matter.  I won't be buying anything sony ever if I can help it--that means music, games, electronic equipment, whatever.  Same thing as LaZboy, we have your money and we don't care about you anymore!

Marriott Hotels  This is recent.  I want to extend my WFC stay by a day.  A day.  I have a reservation already.  But they won't let me have the con rate for that one more day, instead they want me to pay double.  And what's worse, when I got a customer rep at corporate, hoping she could help me, she lectured me about how this was her job and I shouldn't attempt to ask anymore and she does this every day and when she says it can't be done it can't and she wouldn't let me speak.  She was the snotty as hell and I was really, really, really polite because I didn't want to even hint at a bad name for writers or participants in the con.  Then I tried back at the hotel, but Patti Long, who they referred me to, won't pick up her phone or return my call.  Dead silence.  Well, a speaking silence.  She couldn't care any less.  Or else she's too busy to do her job.  I think Marriott Hotels rank right up there with the we may be a service industry but we don't really want to serve so much as gouge you for all you're worth.  Won't stay there ever again if I can avoid it.  Just left another message.  Will she call back this time?  I'll let you know.

NEWS!  So it turns out that Patti Long is a goddess and wonderful human being.  I"m so glad I managed to be polite because I hate being obnoxious to nice people who ARE indeed, doing their jobs.  So get to get into the hotel at the conference rate on Nov 1.  Now, what that means is the WFC hotel rocks (because everyone I dealt with there was helpful and polite) but that the corporate suit was not.  So again, She rocks!

There are more, but I'll save them for later, adding them to my list.  Now, tell me about yours.  I really want to know.  If you put them on your journal, let me know and I'll post the links.

Di

edited to add:  Oh, and I will also be asking who did wonderful things for you as far as customer service because, well, we should seriously celebrate THEM.