Dr. Broken Stuff or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Customer Service

[Courtney]

This project started a couple of weeks ago because I was fed up with the planned obsolescence of consumer products I was buying. It's ridiculous that a $200 pair of shoes would have a strap break after 7 months, or that an $80 frying pan would lose its non-stick coating from regular use in less than a year and a half. So I decided to start sending letters to the makers of things that broke or were unsatisfactory, and preferably send back the item itself too. I had bits of free time here and there at work, and it was my little way of protesting the disposable nature of our consumer culture.

I made rules:

1. Every claim made in each letter must be true.
2. I only send letters about products that I have used in the last six months.
3. I send at least two positive letters for every one negative letter, to balance out my karmic energy.

This is the thread wherein I will record the results.

[ivankay]

(sitting on the edge of my seat)

This should be neat.

[faxman75]

In the two cases you are citing, did you mail those products in and how long ago? Is shipping going to be a deterrent if that proves costly and will that result in just a letter? Have you tried phoning the companies?

I'm sorry I have so many questions. I look forward to the results of your experiment.

[Courtney]

The first response I received back was actually from the lovely people at Rosebud Perfume Co, makers of a very popular line of salves sold at Sephora. I wrote them saying how much I enjoyed the product, and asking if it would ever be possible to tour their factory. Their response said that although they cannot give factory tours, they can give me two free samples of their new salve tubes including their newest product, Mocha Rose Lip Balm.



Outcome: Successful (And for the record, the Mocha Rose Lip Balm smells great and makes me want to eat it.)

[Courtney]

In the two cases you are citing, did you mail those products in and how long ago? Is shipping going to be a deterrent if that proves costly and will that result in just a letter? Have you tried phoning the companies?

I'm sorry I have so many questions. I look forward to the results of your experiment.

For the shoes, they were very minimalist sandals and the shipping cost only $2.89 so I went ahead and sent them back. For the frying pan, I haven't dealt with it yet, but because it's heavier I'm thinking I will just mail a photo.

Phoning the companies is obnoxious and their customer service lines are often outsourced to India and you often have to wait on hold for long periods of time. I'm a fan of the written word. And letters seem to be more effective than e-mails.

[faxman75]

Thanks. I wish you continued success in this endeavor.

[Courtney]

The second response I received was from Hertz. This was not a case of planned obsolescence, but rather just a case of completely horrendous service. I had to wait at the pick up desk for over an hour for an employee to return from a break, and when I finally received my car it had footprints on the inside passenger side windshield. The footprints didn't really bother me, but the waiting did. In Hertz's response, they apologize for the poor experience, and give me $100 worth of vouchers for a future rental.



Outcome: Successful

[shoegazer76]

This is a great idea & concept. Products sure aren't made like they used to be as (cliche as that is). I think the positive letters of praise & satisfaction should be sent to manufacturers that are exceeding the product's expectations of consumers. Too many manufacurers are concerned with turning a profit rather than the integrity & value of what they produce.

[Courtney]

Thanks shoegazer! I can't wait to see what kind of responses I will get.

[SoulDischarge]

I'll be interested to see if you do this with any electronics, as they seem particularly designed to fall apart quickly and there's a lot of reluctance to address the issue.

[Courtney]

I sent the NewellRubbermaid group a letter telling them how obsessed I am with Uniball Vision micro pens in blue, and they were nice enough to send me back one along with their letter.



Outcome: Successfull

[Courtney]

I'll be interested to see if you do this with any electronics, as they seem particularly designed to fall apart quickly and there's a lot of reluctance to address the issue.

I definitely have sent out a couple letters, but I haven't heard back yet. Will post them if/when I get a response.

[Courtney]

I sent US Air a letter about some shitty service including a flight attendant who forgot to provide drink service to my row on the plane and then denied it. They sent me an apology letter. To be fair, it was a pretty whiny letter, but I'm surprised they didn't send me some sort of freebie.



Outcome: Meh

[Courtney]

I sent Mrs. Meyers Clean Day a letter about how much I love their household cleaning products and the nice smells are pretty much the only thing that motivates me to actually clean my apartment. They sent me back a thank you letter and coupon.



Outcome: This company can do no wrong in my eyes

[marooko]

This is awesome!! I do the phone calls and emails currently, this makes me want to write. I have contacted for both reasons as well.

Clichéd or not, it seems to be absolute truth.

[Drinkey McDrinkerstein]

Softly worded letters.

[M Sparks]

I once sent a letter to Subway. They insist on calling their crappy white bread "Italian". So I ordered a sandwich on Italian.

(Condescendingly) "We don't have Italian, we have white or wheat."

I don't care what they want to call stuff. They can call their meatballs "Beef Mountains" if they want, just don't mock me if I order them that way. They sent me a ton of coupons, which I think got thrown out because I hate Subway anyway.

[JustSteve]

i have a swiffer wetjet that is my savior when it comes to mopping our place, which is all wood floors. the thing broke with just basic use and i wrote the company regarding my disappointment since i love the product. did it via email and they sent me a coupon good for a brand new starter set. they run around $17. score.

we had a project like this back in 5th grade. we all had to pick a product that we loved and write a letter to the company. was cool to see the responses everyone got, many included the product, too.

i think saved by the bell had an episode like that.

i'm gonna go now.

[PlayaDelWes]

Wrote to Duckhorn Winery about an unpleasant experience at their winery in Napa. They sent us 3 bottles of wine and a very sincere and apologetic letter.

Argued with Starving Students for months over the worst move you could ever imagine. They didn't reimburse us for the move, but they did pay full price for the shit they broke and / or lost.

Wrote to the organizers of FYF Fest after they clusterfucked 2010. They sent nothing in return, but fixed things appropriately in 2011.

Ordered two CoulVue Headrest Mounts and they came defective. Emailed them pictures and they sent us THREE new fully functional units and simply told us to throw the two old ones away.

For pleasant experiences, I rarely write the company itself, but I do post on their social media / yelp-type sites.

[Drinkey McDrinkerstein]

Wrote to Duckhorn Winery about an unpleasant experience at their winery in Napa. They sent us 3 bottles of wine and a very sincere and apologetic letter.

Weird, I've only had very pleasant experiences there...my friends are members. Excellent wine and such a beautiful place! That's some damn expensive wine to get 3 free bottles of too!

[PlayaDelWes]

We are fans of Duckhorn, it was just a bad day for them (overcrowded, understaffed, and although we had a tasting appointment, they had nobody to serve us).

[tessalasset]

Courtney, thank you for trying to keep the board classy and interesting. It's these kind of threads that keep me coming back.

[amyzzz]

Courtney, thank you for trying to keep the board classy and interesting. It's these kind of threads that keep me coming back.

agreed.

[Starraven]

^^completely agree!

Courtney, do you think the vouchers/coupons/free samples are worth the time and postage spent? I watch that "Extreme Couponing" show on TLC and it almost made me want to start clipping coupons and writing companies like you have done here. You're adding fuel to my fire! ;D

[casey]

This is a really cool idea, may just have to start trying this out. I'm not surprised by the airline response; it's sad that most people have come to expect that kind of service from all airlines in general.

[dorkfish]

Awhile back, I cut my hand (i.e. scratched) opening a 20 oz Dr Pepper bottle because the cap's plastic ring was mildly serrated. I was in a bad mood, it was a night shift, and I had a lot of time on my hands, so I crafted a letter to Dr Pepper explaining that their beverage shouldn't cut my precious hands. I received several emails, phone calls, and apology letters, coupons and a silly amount of Dr Pepper shwag (hats, shirts, towels, etc).

In other words, keep on keeping on Courtney.

[tessalasset]

That's awesome Brad.

[Courtney]

I once sent a letter to Subway. They insist on calling their crappy white bread "Italian". So I ordered a sandwich on Italian.

(Condescendingly) "We don't have Italian, we have white or wheat."

I don't care what they want to call stuff. They can call their meatballs "Beef Mountains" if they want, just don't mock me if I order them that way. They sent me a ton of coupons, which I think got thrown out because I hate Subway anyway.

Ha, that is horrible. I still feel stupid using the weird marketing names that fast food chains come up with. I mean, at Starbucks I can hardly bring myself to ask for a "grande" -- it makes no sense that it's the name for their medium size, and I protest that.

[fatbastard]

You don't get a bunch of junk mail?

[Courtney]

^^completely agree!

Courtney, do you think the vouchers/coupons/free samples are worth the time and postage spent? I watch that "Extreme Couponing" show on TLC and it almost made me want to start clipping coupons and writing companies like you have done here. You're adding fuel to my fire! ;D

In the case of a $1 coupon, no I don't think a coupon is worth the cost of sending in a letter when you consider that the true cost is $0.44 postage + $0.05 envelope + $0.01 paper + $0.05 printing -- that's $0.55 just in raw supplies. Not to mention that it might take me 10 minutes to type up, print and seal a letter, which at an opportunity cost of $25 per hour amounts to $4.17.

I do, however, think sending a letter is worth it if you're doing it on principle because you want to convey a message, which is the case here.