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badchad
Mad Scientist
Registered: 03/02/05
Posts: 13,377
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: razmablues]
#7840592 - 01/06/08 05:39 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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I wrote a formal letter to Philips electronics. Essentially I got a "we're really sorry" response.
-------------------- ...the whole experience is (and is as) a profound piece of knowledge. It is an indellible experience; it is forever known. I have known myself in a way I doubt I would have ever occurred except as it did. Smith, P. Bull. Menninger Clinic (1959) 23:20-27; p. 27. ...most subjects find the experience valuable, some find it frightening, and many say that is it uniquely lovely. Osmond, H. Annals, NY Acad Science (1957) 66:418-434; p.436
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LSDaytripper
Believer
Registered: 08/04/07
Posts: 649
Loc: Ohio
Last seen: 1 year, 1 month
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: OneMoreRobot3021]
#7840620 - 01/06/08 05:44 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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I had to do this for school. Instead of a letter of complaint, I wrote a letter praising Pepsi and going on and on about how it was so much better than coke. I actually like Coke better, but I just wanted free stuff and knew Pepsi would give me at least something. A few weeks later I got a free hat, and about 10 coupons for free 12 packs of Pepsi products.
-------------------- ***** (10:42:46 PM): This is so strange ***** (10:42:53 PM): Becuase I feel that I am very altered ***** (10:42:57 PM): But at the same exact time ***** (10:43:28 PM): I am closer to the real me, the real me who decides who I am, the entire me
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vitadura
Dream Seeker
Registered: 03/11/07
Posts: 451
Loc: Here, Now
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: OneMoreRobot3021]
#7840622 - 01/06/08 05:44 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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So they can afford to give out free stuff, but not to fix the tops on their jell-o containers? What absurdity!
-------------------- "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here." -Max Ehrmann, Desiderata
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OneMoreRobot3021
Registered: 06/06/03
Posts: 61,026
Loc: the sky
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: vitadura]
#7840625 - 01/06/08 05:45 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Here's what I wrote to Apple:
Dear Steve Jobs/Apple Inc.,
I'm writing to you today as a lifelong Mac user whose recent Mac experiences have left me rethinking my 24 years of brand loyalty. On Saturday, January 5th, I went to the Apple Store SoHo in New York City where I had a 1:40 appointment at the Genius Bar. My 12" G4 Titanium Powerbook had recently experienced a couple of kernel panic errors, with the gray "You must restart your computer" screen. The morning of Friday, January 4th, when I turned it on I got that error at startup. Upon restarting the same error would inevitably re-occur. The computer would not boot up in safe mode, resetting the PRAM did not work, and it wouldn't boot from the system restore disk either.
So I took it to the Genius Bar, where I have had some great tech support experiences when my iPod or laptop experienced issues I could not resolve on my own. Around 2 or 2:15 P.M. I was paired up with a Genius named Randy. He asked me to wait while he finished something up, disappearing for a few minutes before coming back. He then asked for my name and I waited some more while he read over my appointment reservation details, where I had written one brief sentence about my computer's problem.
When he looked up, I started to explain what was going on with my laptop and he cut me off, saying, "Yeah, I just read that," and reaching for my laptop as if he needed to hear no more at all. I contnued to provide details I thought might be relevant, such as the fact that I had already tried resetting the PRAM and that I was running quite low on HD space when the panics began to occur. Randy seemed vaguely interested and took my computer while barely saying a word to me.
He tried booting up my computer and meanwhile chatted with a fellow employee while I sat white-knuckled at the prospect of possibly losing all my writing, my pictures, and my music. Each of my prior experiences at the Genus Bar had been characterized by friendly staff who aren't just cold technicians but people you can relate with. That's important, because when you bring them your computer it's like bringing your sick pet to the veterinarian's office. You're really worried, and you want to see a doctor who will be straight and informative with you even when things look their worst. Usually, a Genius will talk you through all the possibilities going through their own heads as they look over your computer.
Well, another period of silence endured during which Randy made no effort to explain what might have been wrong or to explain what steps he was taking to diagnose the problem and fix it. He barely made eye contact with me at all. Then, overhearing the conversation between the Genius/customer pair next to us, he proceeded to spend five minutes discussing that customer's issue while I sat there wondering if my computer was dead.
Finally Randy came back to me and said, "Yeah, it looks like your logic board is fried," without even a touch of sympathy or care. He offered nothing more at all in the way of information or suggestion, and I asked what could have caused it to become "fried." The best explanation that Randy could come up with was, "Sometimes this just happens to them. They just burn out," accompanied by a shrug. he then informed me that he could order me a new one for 350-400 dollars but that it "might not even be worth it because it might not even work."
Randy then produced a card for TekServe on 23rd street and told me that I should go there of a second opinion and data recovery. Everything about his body language indicated that he was done dealing with my problem, so - next, please! I asked him to check if my computer was still under warranty and he snottily raised his eyebrows, looking from the computer to me incredulously and he asked when I bought it. I told him it had been about two and a half years ago and that I thought I may have extended the warranty at some point. He checked on the computer, lifting his head to issue a blunt "Nah." He impatiently handed me my computer and mumbled, "Sorry," and I packed my computer away in its carry case, walking out of the store extremely angry and upset.
I was raised on a IICX and I've remained an ardent Mac supporter for all my 24 years on this earth. In large part this has been because Apple has always been a personable company with helpful technical support. The Mac experience has always been user-friendly and as Apple grew in stature and expanded into retail outlets, I was thrilled to see that sort of philosophy extend to that sphere of their business as well.
But where you did you come up with Randy? If he was a veterinarian for my sick pet, he did the equivalent of tossing my dying pup into my lap, suggesting I go elsewhere for a second opinion on his terminal disease, and then calling for the next patient. This guy does not belong behind a Genius Bar, and this interaction has really left me with a sour taste in my mouth and no interest in visiting the Genius Bar again anytime soon.
I wish I had gone to the manager on duty and told him/her about my experience with Randy but I was quite overcome by anger and walked out of the store quite distraught at the fact that I might not be able to recover all the date from my computer.
What really stings, too, is that this computer is little more than two and a half years old. This is a death far too premature as when I left college and got this computer, I expected to be able to use it for four or five years, since my needs are basic - download media, listen to music, surf the internet, and a whole lot of word processing. I treated this computer well, I didn't toss it around or damage it at all. All my previous Apple computers have been durable, long-lasting, and dependable. But my laptop's inexplicable and apparently terminal logic board failure has me seriously reconsidering whether I want to go the Apple route for my next notebook computer. For someone who lives paycheck to paycheck and whose creative livelihood is tied into his computer, this is a big blow, and my curiosity for exploring open-source Linux systems is piqued. If this experience is any sort of evidence for the direction that Apple is going, both in customer relations and quality assurance, then I have serious doubts about continuing to recommend the Apple brand to my friends and family and relying on it myself.
Sincerely disappointed in a brand I've always loved, Onelessforeskin's real name
-------------------- Acid doesn't give you truths; it builds machines that push the envelope of perception. Whatever revelations came to me then have dissolved like skywriting. All I really know is that those few years saddled me with a faith in the redemptive potential of the imagination which, however flat, stale and unprofitable the world seems to me now, I cannot for the life of me shake. -Erik Davis
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Yarry
Old Timer
Registered: 01/04/04
Posts: 23,762
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: OneMoreRobot3021]
#7841546 - 01/06/08 09:40 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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another letter is in order then!
Ive written to a cigarette company (free carton of smokes, dont smoke anymore tho so my brother was happy), Beer company, free case of beer, and my cell phone provider, twice, both legitimately, both times $50 credits on my months bill
Writing letters works, if you have a legitimate claim.
-------------------- Grumpy Old Man.
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Robo
R Series 66Y
Registered: 05/08/07
Posts: 14,861
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: OneMoreRobot3021]
#7841558 - 01/06/08 09:43 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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I wrote bogus complaint letters to coke and some of my favorite candy companies, got free stuff each time. Loads of candy and soda, t-shirt, hat, etc.
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appleorange
Rainbow Technician
Registered: 12/30/07
Posts: 4,868
Loc: Reykjavík
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: Robo]
#7841592 - 01/06/08 09:48 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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omg, onelessforeskin, that letter was beautiful. if we were friends, I would be buying you a beer right now.
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Yarry
Old Timer
Registered: 01/04/04
Posts: 23,762
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: OneMoreRobot3021]
#7841596 - 01/06/08 09:50 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Good letter dude, check for a few grammar errors tho.
But yea, apple is a good company, im sure you will see something come your way out of it.
-------------------- Grumpy Old Man.
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0xYg3n
topdawg
Registered: 04/29/04
Posts: 18,881
Last seen: 15 years, 8 days
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: OneMoreRobot3021]
#7841614 - 01/06/08 09:55 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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I was watching that looney Jack Hanna guy on CNN's Larry King Live the other night. They were doing a show with him on various animals and Jack Hanna started to comment after premiering the hissing cockroach that he used to stick a hissing cockroach on a table at a diner when he used to do a lot of traveling so he could get free dinners all the time.
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Urinalasis
Newbie
Registered: 12/31/07
Posts: 22
Loc: Texas
Last seen: 16 years, 2 months
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: 0xYg3n]
#7841897 - 01/06/08 11:18 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Hm... So are most of you guys talking written letters or e-mails? I'd like to get some free candy myself.
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Robo
R Series 66Y
Registered: 05/08/07
Posts: 14,861
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: Urinalasis]
#7841908 - 01/06/08 11:21 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Hand written or typed-up (hand-signed) letters via snail mail.
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Oracle Of Delphi
I, Phantom
Registered: 06/23/02
Posts: 1,135
Loc: State of Disrepair
Last seen: 15 years, 4 months
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: Robo]
#7842638 - 01/07/08 08:33 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Dear Swedish Fish Guys, please send me tons of Swedish fish because....
i have to get on the trolly with this!!! they got me hooked, now they need to keep me supplied!
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CandyFlip
I'm No Stranger
Registered: 01/07/08
Posts: 46
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: Oracle Of Delphi]
#7842658 - 01/07/08 08:43 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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when i was younger i had some issues with my chick but never really wanted to sit down and talk about them so i wrote out a 2 page letter and put it in her shit then went to work. that night when i got home she was in some nice lingerie and was ready to fuck my brains out. not only did i get some great ass, but she also quit like 80% of the shit i had problems with. this was like 3 years ago and I'm still with her and she still doesn't do the shit that bothered me.
-------------------- I'm on the Karma payment plan
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Oracle Of Delphi
I, Phantom
Registered: 06/23/02
Posts: 1,135
Loc: State of Disrepair
Last seen: 15 years, 4 months
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: OneMoreRobot3021]
#7842670 - 01/07/08 08:50 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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yeah - every few months i email my man about things that are bothering me - usually he stops doing them - and there is no unpleasantness. 4 years now - going strong!
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OneMoreRobot3021
Registered: 06/06/03
Posts: 61,026
Loc: the sky
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: Oracle Of Delphi]
#7842717 - 01/07/08 09:07 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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I got an e-mail this morning from the manager of the Apple Store where I had my bad tech support experience. he asked for my phone number and a time that would be good today for us to have a talk about what happened! Updates to follow!
-------------------- Acid doesn't give you truths; it builds machines that push the envelope of perception. Whatever revelations came to me then have dissolved like skywriting. All I really know is that those few years saddled me with a faith in the redemptive potential of the imagination which, however flat, stale and unprofitable the world seems to me now, I cannot for the life of me shake. -Erik Davis
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disturbed
Poutine andSodomy
Registered: 10/15/02
Posts: 1,877
Loc: O-H-I-O
Last seen: 14 years, 5 months
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: OneMoreRobot3021]
#7842727 - 01/07/08 09:11 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
OneLessForeskin said: When I was like 12 or 13 I ate Jell-o all the time and all of a sudden the caps got unbelievably impossible to peel off, you had to attack them with some sort of blade. It pissed me and my mom off so we wrote a letter and got probably $50 in coupons for free Jell-o. Mike and Ike I complained about not getting a single green piece in a box of em and they sent us a sampler pack of all that company's candies.
Dude that is fucking hilarious I just had a similar experience with the snack pack pudding cups. I was really fucked up and wanted some pudding and every single one of the lids on the 12 pack I had fucked up. I called up snack pack and bitched (whilst still fucked up) and they sent me a coupon for a free 12 pack of pudding. I might have to write a follow up letter sounds like I got screwed haha.
-------------------- 11/25/07 first time entrant ban lottery champion
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OneMoreRobot3021
Registered: 06/06/03
Posts: 61,026
Loc: the sky
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: Urinalasis]
#7842732 - 01/07/08 09:11 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Urinalasis said: Hm... So are most of you guys talking written letters or e-mails? I'd like to get some free candy myself.
This time I sent an email. and they forwarded it to the manager at the store, so...
-------------------- Acid doesn't give you truths; it builds machines that push the envelope of perception. Whatever revelations came to me then have dissolved like skywriting. All I really know is that those few years saddled me with a faith in the redemptive potential of the imagination which, however flat, stale and unprofitable the world seems to me now, I cannot for the life of me shake. -Erik Davis
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RuNE
bomberman
Registered: 09/23/00
Posts: 2,331
Loc: tartarus
Last seen: 8 years, 1 month
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: OneMoreRobot3021]
#7842930 - 01/07/08 10:16 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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The likely scenario is, the caps of the Jello were designed because the previous version was too weak. There's a high probability that the company was getting many returns from packages damaged during shippin and handling, got tired of the lost revenue, and designed a cap that was stronger. The few complaints they receive are better brushed off with some free shit than the lost revenue of the 'easy to remove' cap.
-------------------- ~Happy sailing~
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RandalFlagg
Stranger
Registered: 06/15/02
Posts: 15,608
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: OneMoreRobot3021]
#7843066 - 01/07/08 11:03 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Randy is going to track you down now. Sleep well.
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OneMoreRobot3021
Registered: 06/06/03
Posts: 61,026
Loc: the sky
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Re: Have you written letters of complaint and gotten anything sweet in return? [Re: RandalFlagg]
#7843115 - 01/07/08 11:16 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Well, I talked to the manager of the Apple Store.
I'm bringing them my computer tonight and within 2 days I'm going to have it back - fixed, free of charge, with my data backed up on DVD's. Plus he said he was going to throw in a couple of other things "as a surprise, free of charge." Maybe upgrading my OS to the newest version? Maybe an iPod nano? Who knows? All I know is, if you feel really passionately about a situation, and you complain sincerely, you just might get what you wanted in the first place.
-------------------- Acid doesn't give you truths; it builds machines that push the envelope of perception. Whatever revelations came to me then have dissolved like skywriting. All I really know is that those few years saddled me with a faith in the redemptive potential of the imagination which, however flat, stale and unprofitable the world seems to me now, I cannot for the life of me shake. -Erik Davis
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