AT&T Customer Service

I called AT&T a couple weeks ago to find out how much it is going to cost to put a phone line in my new office. The girl quoted me something like $25.98 a month. I thought, that's not bad. So a few days ago I called to get it hooked up but first I wanted to verify the price so I asked and this girl told me $49.99 a month. I told her what I was originally quoted and she was unsure why but her price was the right one for a commercial line. Why is a commercial line twice the price? The phone does the same thing no matter what kind of building it is in! Do they just assume that because you have a business you have plenty of money so you can afford to pay double what it's worth? Because I don't. I am still starting out in my business and I don't have extra. Anyway, the girl told me that I get a free yellow page listing with that so I thought it was a little more worth the price. But I still had to think about it. She said the deadline for getting in the new phone book for my area was the end of January '08. Yesterday the new phone books were delivered to my house. :( So it seems that the service reps at AT&T don't really know much about the products and prices they have or any details, at least the 2 I talked to. After Christmas I'll call again to get my phone hooked up and see what kind of incorrect info I get this time.

Hospital Follow Up

I had filled out a survey about our ER visit from November when the hospital had made a mistake with my daughter's diagnosis and prescription dose. Every patient recieves this follow up survey and I filled it out with exactly what happened. The assistant ER administrator called me today to apologize and let me know what they are doing to improve their practices. He said he was concerned about what happened and woul d have a talk with the doctor. Hope this does some good and other families won't have to go through what we experienced.

Pet Select Pooper Scooper

Here is a follow up from my post on Oct. 25 about the Pet Select Pooper Scooper. I purchased yet another one today since it is the only product of its kind that Wal Mart carries and I refuse to buy a more expensive one at a pet store only to have it break also.

I wrote this letter to the company today:

December 18, 2007
Pet Select
PO Box 828
Yorktown, VA 23692
Re: Item Number 91821
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing you to express my disappointment with your Allen’s Spring Action Pooper Scooper. I have purchased three of these products in just one year and every one of them has broken in the same place. Unfortunately this is the only product of it’s kind at my local Wal Mart, and I refuse to buy another kind at a pet store because it would probably cost 2 to 3 times as much and it may break also.
I have included an illustration of your current product and the problem it presents, and also an illustration of what you can do to improve the quality of the product. I urge you to share my disappointment with others in your company and make this right.
Also, because of the lack of contact information for your company; no phone number or web site; only an address to write to, I was forced to voice my complaint in my own personal blog to get my point across.
You may read the post about your company and product at:
http://tracyscomplaintspot.blogspot.com
There is also a product review at:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3635644#reviews
I thank you in advance for your prompt attention of this matter.

Hopefully this will get some attention. I also included an illustration of where the product is breaking every time and what they can do to improve it.

False Advertising, Product Misplacement, etc.

I had several problems with this today, it seems like this was the common problem everywhere I shopped today.

Last night I saw a Kohl's commercial advertising cashmere sweaters for $29.99 Friday and Saturday only during their "early bird" and "night owl" hours. I know the "early bird" hours start at 7am. I got to the store at 9am and after looking around for them for at least 10 minutes I finally found them (not a very big selection) and they were priced at $34.99. I asked a store clerk about it and told her the commercial I had seen. She said she was sorry but the "early bird hours were for Saturday only and the "night owl" hours were for today and that started at 3pm. I would have to come back then if I wanted the sale price. The commercial did not specify which hours were for which days, and after seeing it again tonight it is still unclear. I did end up making another trip to Kohl's this afternoon to get the sweaters at the advertised price but am still aggravated that I wasted a trip this morning.

My next issue was when I was shopping at Stop and Shop for tonight's dinner. I had planned to make crab meat fettucine and was in need of a white sauce for it. I settled on Knorr garlic and herb sauce and grabbed two packets. When I got home and started to prepare the meal I noticed that I had gotten one garlic and herb and one alfredo. The alfredo was in the wrong place behind the garlic and herb packets. Luckily the two sauces turned out to be good together but I could have mistakenly grabbed one that didn't go so well. This could have been a mistake made by a customer who picked it up and decided against it and put it back in the wrong spot. But after my next episode I decided to blame it on the store.

Last but not least, my final stop for the day before picking up my daughter from school, I went to Benny's. I needed to purchase a plastic table and a telephone for my new office. I had been told by a friend that 4 foot white banquet tables were on sale for $19.99. I went to that area of the store and found several different types and sizes of tables, none of which had a price marked on them or a sign indicating the cost. I tried my luck and grabbed the 4 foot one. Also I found a cordless phone with caller ID and digital answering machine. The sign taped to the shelf below it boasted a $19.99 sale price. When I got to the register the clerk tried to scan the table with no success. Apparently it had not been programmed in their system. I told her the price I thought it was supposed to be but she called a manager over. It ended up $29.99 and the manager told me it was the square card table that was that price. I went back to the display and did my best to guess which was the right table. Next the clerk scanned the phone. It came up $39.99. Again the manager had to assist. I showed her where I picked up the phone and pointed out the sign that was clearly indicating that phone's price. She said it was the wrong phone or wrong sign. I told her I wanted it at that price because that's what was advertised. With an attitude she said that there is a sign at all registers stating "all prices are subject to register verification". Because of this they are exempt from honoring a price if false advertising comes into play, which I think it totally unfair. At this point in the day I was so upset with stores that I gave the manager back the attitude I was given. I told her I was not buying anything at their screwed up store and wouldn't be back because they can't get their s*!@ straight and I stormed out.

I guess tomorrow I will go to Wal Mart to get the two items which will probably be less expensive, but I will have to wait in line forever because the "checkout experience percentage" that they have posted is never higher than 40%

:(

Tax Dollars for Road Work

I think some more of that money should also go to the towns to fix roads. Especially in New London. Since I bought a house in New London about 3 years ago, and then moved just over the town line to Waterford, I have been forced to drive through the town, no way around it. I used to avoid it. The roads are HORRIBLE, bumps, potholes, etc. everywhere. And I don't understand when the roads get torn up for water or sewer work why they don't require the company who did the digging and patching to come back a few months later when the asphalt settles and re patch it! Longview Street is especially bad, sections about 2 feet wide or more, stretching halfway across the street, need to be repaired. Every morning and afternoon I drive that road to bring my daughter to and from school. The last week or so I have noticed a creaking noise in the back end of my car in the suspension and I am sure it has to do with going over those spots several times a day. When the day comes that my car needs to be fixed I will send the bill to the City of New London!

Our Tax Dollars for Foxwoods

Today a story on the morning news upset me.. It is a story about how much money the State of CT gives to Foxwoods in grant money each year. Here is the link...

http://http://wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?s=7435518

While I do think maybe they are entitled to something because of the whole taking of the land thing, I'm not sure about $17 million per year. Especially for things like landscaping. I think they make plenty of money to pay for that themselves.

I've paid my taxes every year and I think tax dollars could be put to better use. For example, I am self employed, don't make a whole lot, and I can't afford health insurance for my daughter and I. Currently we have Husky coverage through the state but it is up for review. I know I am going to be told that I make too much and I will have to purchase my own (for a few hundred dollars a month). And winter is here, but I already know that I am not eligible for heating assistance. So there's another few hundred dollars a month for electricity to heat our home. These are things we really need but I can't afford.

Imagine what $17 million dollars a year could do... How many Connecticut residents would be able to have health coverage who would otherwise be uninsured? And how many median income families would be able to keep their homes a comfortable temperature without maxing out their credit cards or empyting their savings?

My New Swiffer

I used the coupons for free replacement products today from Swiffer. We will see how long this one lasts!

MORE Medical Mistakes

Unbelievable wrong side surgeries are occuring too close to home. Here is a link to a recent story on Good Morning America about the Rhode Island Hospital...

http://http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=3925810&page=1

This is just a mere 60 miles from home. It could have happened here at L&M, a mere 2 miles from home, or anywhere for that matter.

As Chris Cuomo said, "this isn't (0r is) brain surgery" it's just a matter of knowing left from right! A client and I were discussing this story a couple days ago and she said the last time she went in for surgery she was surprised at how many people in the operating room had asked her 'which side?' Now it all makes sense to her. If you are having surgery don't be afraid to speak your mind and let the doctor, nurse, surgeon, etc. know where to operate.

When we made our last ER visit I did notice signs posted for the staff to 'pause' or wait 10 seconds before doing a procedure, just to clear their mind and think about what they are doing. I guess this small precaution should be implemented at every health care facility. Had those surgeons at Rhode Island Hospital taken the 10 seconds to clarify left or right, the 3 mistakes may not have been made!

Hospital Mistake

The day after my last post about my daughter having a week long cold, we had to bring her to the hospital. She had a fever for a couple days and she was miserable so I knew something more was wrong with her. After 4 hours in the emergency room, a breathing treatment, and chest x rays, the doctor finally came in and said she had an upper respiratory infection (a cold) and he could not give her any medicine. He said just go home and continue to do what I've been doing for her. When I left, I was pissed because I could tell she was sick. I got home and put her to bed and 10 minutes later the phone rang. It was the hospital. The nurse said the doctor failed to look at the xrays (that he had ordered) and another doctor saw them and diagnosed my baby with pneumonia. I needed to go back to the hospital and get a prescription for antibiotics. Well, that made me feel better because I just knew it! But then I wonder, what if that other doctor had not stumbled upon those x rays? My daughter would still be suffering and perhaps worse. Anyway, the next day I went to the pharmacy first thing in the morning to get the medicine. Turns out they had given the wrong dose. The pharmacist called the hospital and pointed out their mistake and got my baby the right dose. Thank goodness someone was paying attention to what was going on! She is better now but next time I will know to speak up and ask the doctor or nurse to double check their diagnosis and perhaps ask for a second opinion.

Little Colds

My little one has a cold and has had it for a week. I used to give her Little Colds for her cough and congestion but to my dismay they took all such medicines off the shelf. They say it's not proven to be effective or safe. I can tell you that it's effective, my doctor says so too. When my daughter doesn't take it she coughs all night and wakes up often, when she does take it, she doesn't. There you go, effective. The problem is giving too much but if you can read a dropper there's no excuse. There have been i think 20 something deaths in the last 40 years which is a very small portion. I am afraid that if parents don't have these medicines to help their children when sick they may give them medicine meant for older people, cutting the dose, which could be much more deadly. I am also worried about my own child of course. I worry about her feeling miserable, I know how I feel when sick, and not getting much needed rest because she is uncomfortable all night long. I really hope they re examine this decision and put it back on the shelves.

Tips

"I don't tip" is a famous quote from the movie Resorvior Dogs. Mr. Pink says "I don't tip because society says I have to. All right, if someone deserves a tip, if they really put forth an effort, I'll give them something a little something extra. But this tipping automatically, it's for the birds. As far as I'm concerned, they're just doing their job. " See the entire conversation here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105236/quotes . I, on the other hand, do tip at certain places. If I sit down and eat a meal and have a waitress, I will tip. I do not tip at fast food or coffee joints any more. I used to work at Dunkin Donuts and I relied on my tips every day. But when you actually think about it, why should they get tips and McDonalds or Subway employees don't? They are making the same hourly rate so why? I had stopped tipping a few months ago because they could never get my order right and then this thought occured to me so I never went back to tipping. Sometimes I feel like I get an attitude from them as they are handing back my change but why should I help support their kids when I have one of my own? All of my, and my fiancee's, coin change goes into my daughter's piggy bank and we cash it in once a month and transfer to her college fund. I think I am doing the right thing. Thanks for listening.

Daylight Savings Time

It is now 7:30 pm and I feel like it's bed time. It is for this reason that I despise Daylight Savings Time. Sure it's nice to know it's time for me to wake up when the sun rises, but I don't have to leave the house for another hour so I feel like that hour of sun light is wasted. Then at 4:30 when I pick up my daughter from daycare it's almost dark. Now we are eating dinner an hour earlier, at 5:30 instead of 6:30 just because it's dark and it seems like the right thing to do. Therefore, when I wake up with the sunrise in the morning I am hungrier than I was at this time last week. The worst part is I have to start my Christmas shopping soon and who wants to do that after work in the dark? I would much rather have that hour of sunlight in the afternoon as opposed to the morning. I think they should put the time back the way it was and leave it alone!

Seahorse Restaurant

My fiancee and I went to the Seahorse Restaurant last night for dinner. It was my first time there. Overall it was a good experience but I do have some complaints. Bread was given as an appetizer but it was burnt on the outside so we ate the insides and left the crust. Next came the salad which was just lettuce, bleu cheese crumbles, and a few croutons dressed with some funky mustardish sauce. I am not a fan of bleu cheese but my fiancee is so he ate mine. He did not like the dressing, his was drenched in it. Also, not knowing what exactly it was or what was in it, he was afraid to eat too much because he is allergic to eggs. I thought it was just ok, so I ate a few pieces of his lettuce. I think they should give you a plain garden salad with a choice of dressing, or something along those lines. When the entrees came though, we were impressed. He got stuffed sole with mashed potatoes and some strange broccoli type vegetable. Mine was baked shrimp scampi over angel hair pasta with cheese. Excellent! It was served in the dish it was baked in on a plate but the dish kept spinning around every time I took a bite, so I had to hold onto the hot dish the whole time. And last but not least, our waitress, who I guess has been there forever and is quite comfortable, only checked on us once to refill our wine. When we left she was outside by the front door smoking a cigarette. Now, I'm a smoker also, but I certainly wouldn't stand at the main entrance to advertise it to everyone. So only because of my spectacular scampi, we will be going back on our next date night. Mon, Tues, and Wed they have a special of 2 entrees and a bottle of wine for only $21.99.

Complaints, Suggestions, Ideas, Reviews, and More!

I have decided to do more than just complain about things on my blog... It makes more sense to try to help change things or make them better than to just b*@!# about them. Like BASF does, they don't make things, they make them better! So I have decided to add things like suggestions and ideas. Even reviews on restaurants and such. This should be much more interesting!

FEMA assistance

A few months ago there was some serious flooding in parts of CT. FEMA came to survey the damage but decided that the costs were not enough for them to get involved. You would think that since it was a small amount to them they would just say ok and give funds to the victims, who I'm sure think that it is no small amount. I don't understand why the Government can't help out Americans with a few bucks but they can approve ANOTHER 40 something BILLION dollars to spend in Iraq. Here are some articles about the damage and the lack of assistance.


http://wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?s=7228478

http://wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?s=7272113

Ruby Tuesday Restaurant

In the mail today I received a $5 off coupon on my next visit to Ruby Tuesday. I guess they must be starving for business and trying to get people in the door. This might not be the case if they had better service to begin with. Last month while visiting family in Maine, we went to dinner at the Ruby Tuesday in Waterville. It was right down the road from the hotel so in a way it was convenient. There were 10 of us in the party, including 2 hungry children. We arrived at the restaurant around 7:30 pm and had to wait in the lobby for about half an hour. I understand that a short wait may be necessary to accomodate a large group of people for dinner. 5 or 10 minutes is acceptable, 15 minutes AT THE MOST. We could see the table where we would later be seated from the waiting area. It was covered with dirty dishes and the hostess told us over and over it would just be a few more minutes because they were cleaning it off. For the first 20 minutes not a single employee went to that table to clean it. Finally, when my sister in law spoke up and said she would go clean it, she had been a waitress before, they started. At that time the manager came up to the hostess booth and asked if we had been helped yet. I told him that we had been acknowledged, but I wouldn't say 'helped'. He then took us over to the table to be seated and failed to apologize for the wait or even tell us to enjoy our meal. The waitress came over and took our drink order but we still had to wait. Now it has been 45 minutes, it's way past my daughter's bed time, and she's starving! Normally if you are getting an entree with the salad bar you can just go up to the bar and start. Every time I go, I get the salad bar for an extra $1.99. Do you think the waitress said "go ahead and help yourselves to the bar"? Of course not... 10 minutes later when she came back with the drinks and took our entire order, then she said it. Finally we were able to eat! After that I decided no more Ruby Tuesday for our family.... but I'll give them one more shot since I do have a coupon.

Response from Swiffer

Here is the generic response letter I recieved from Swiffer. Same exact letter as I received several months ago. Lets see what I receive in the mail in 2-3 weeks!

Thank you for sharing your disappointment with our product. Our goal is to produce high quality products that consistently delight our consumers and I'm sorry this wasn't your experience. Please be assured I'm sharing your comments with the rest of our team. Since your satisfaction means a great deal to us, I'm following up with you by postal mail. You should receive my letter within the next 2-3 weeks. Thanks again for writing.P&G Team[---001:000367:38649---]

Swiffer breaks again!

Yesterday I was cleaning the floors at a client's house and the Swiffer that I bought to replace the first one I bought broke. As I said, the first one broke at the base, this one's handle broke off. Now I have to go back through my stuff and find the letter from them promising to replace the first one, and ask for reimbursement for both. I am done using the Swiffer products. They don't seem to pick up dirt and particles as well as they say in the commercials anyway. Back to the mop and bucket!

My complaint from the weekend

18 months ago i purchased a Simplicity Nursery in a Box in anticipation of my daughter's arrival. It was a set that included a 3 in 1 bed, a dresser, and changing table. On the box it showed the bed in it's 3 stages; a crib, a transitional bed, and a regular bed. This weekend I was going to change the crib into the transitional bed and after looking at the directions I was a little confused. There didn't seem to be a partial safety rail to use in the transitional phase. I called Simplicity's hotline to find out why and the rep said that the model I purchased didn't come with one. He said the 3 stages were: a crib, a daybed with 3 sides with the mattress in the lowest position, and a daybed with the mattress in the highest position.

I am upset about this product and wish to return it now and purchase a product that I can actually use. For one, the box showed different stages than what was explained to me on the phone. I went right to WalMart where I purchased it to look at the box again and take pictures with my cell phone so that I could prove that it was false advertising. Unfortunately they are not selling it any more because there was a recall on that model, claiming there may be a problem with the drop side.

I don't understand how they could consider what they explained to me on the phone as stages. First of all, if they are using the mattress height as a stage, they might as well call it an 8 in 1 bed because there are 4 height adjustments for the mattress. That gives you 4 options as a crib and 4 options as a daybed. Also, who would let their child sleep in a daybed with the mattress at its highest position... it's about 3 feet off the ground! That seems dangerous to me.

Game's over.

I have seen plenty of sites where consumers put the actual names of companies that piss them off, some even say very bad things, so the game is over. No more guessing, I'll just put the names. If anyone wants to we can play again, just let me know. Bye. Goodnight. Wonder what bad experience tomorrow will bring. :(

Grocery store clerks

I was grocery shopping for a client of mine today at Big Y. Usually I go the self checkout but there were no lines at the other registers, the clerks were all just standing around. They were engrossed in a conversation about what they were going to be for Halloween and where they got their costumes, and my presence didn't seem to interrupt them a bit. That was pretty annoying but the most annoying part was when I was unloading the groceries and found the onion rolls all smashed up next to the box of black garbage bags in the same sack. I swear, they were no thicker than pancakes when I pulled them out. The girl was too busy chatting to be bothered with doing her job properly. That's got to be one of the first things you learn in bagging training, right?

Let's play a game!

Ok, I know I said one complaint a day... but I can't forget about this one that's been bugging me for a while. Here's the game, I don't put the actual product or store name, just a description, and you try to guess the name. If you get it right you win a fabulous prize! Not really, but it will be fun to see what people come up with!

I bought 2 products recently at Wal Mart. It's not really their fault because they don't manufacture them, but they still carry them. About 8 months ago I bought my first Swiffer. My second time using it the handle broke off from the base. I was very disappointed but figured I'd try it again because I hate to mop. I emailed the company to tell them of my dilemma and loss of money. They did respond in a reasonable time period, they were very apologetic, and claimed they would send me a certificate for a replacement. Needless to say, I am standing here with my useless floor cleaner and no certificate.

The second item you will never guess so I will just tell you. I don't know the brand name but it is a 2 1/2 foot black plastic pooper scooper. I have a large dog (Shepherd) so it does get a lot of use, but I am in need of my 3rd one this year. The handle that you pull up on to catch and release is so flimsy and my last 2 have cracked right in the middle. On my agenda this weekend is to purchase yet another one for $9.97 and note the maker of the product this time. I will be contacting them soon to resolve the problem. I highly doubt they will hand over a twenty for my 2 broken ones, but maybe they will take my suggestion to improve the handle on the product. I will follow up and let you know my progress!

Good/Bad Service

Have you ever heard the idea that when a customer receives good service they only tell 1 other person but when they receive bad service they will tell 5? This is my chance to tell millions. And yours!

My First Complaint

Customer service is so important. For this reason, I have decided to retire the blog on starting my own business and begin a new one. Not many people read it anyway! It seems like every day there is something for me to complain about. It seems ridiculous to me how companies can get away with providing less than desirable customer service or products! Sometimes I start my day in the drive through of a restaurant for a long period of time, only to receive the wrong order. Other days may seem to go well until I stand in the checkout line of a large chain store and purchase a product I have been waiting to get my hands on, only to have it break the same day! I'm not sure if it's ok for me to put actual names or company names so for now I will just describe or use a pseudonym until I get the ok. Please come back tomorrow for the complaint of the day. Feel free to post a comment about your bad experience or email me at tlane0923@yahoo.com and I could use yours in my next post!