Vickie writes:

I have used the Delta PermEnamel Products for several years with marvelous results. This was an isolated incident which I would not expect to recur. This isolated incident has been resolved to my complete satisfaction. Thank you, Delta Creative, Inc.

Vickie Silcox/Artist
A Painted Setting

(Photo: Getty Images)

The AP says:

An aide to U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders who held a hearing on the case announced the deal Friday. The aide, Michael Briggs, said the two sides planned to announce the deal later today.

Briggs says the Miami-based fast-food chain will pay 1.5 cents more per pound of tomatoes it buys from Florida growers, with the money passed to the workers.

He says the farmworker's group known as the Coalition of Immokalee Workers says that would roughly double what workers earn while picking.

McDonald's and Yum! brands have similar deals in place.

Burger King, Fla. tomato workers in wage deal [BusinessWeek]
(Photo: MortonFox )

After another battle with a branch manager today—who insisted that money couldn't be returned and that I needed to fill out a fraud report—I went over her head.  After a heated, uh, discussion, the main downtown Seattle branch put the $1,500 back in my business checking account.  The $7 fee was refunded a few hours later.
 
Some bad PR in Consumerist no doubt helped. Thank you!

We're not sure we posted the story in time to have an effect on the outcome, but we'll take it.

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I emailed you about 3 weeks ago regarding a problem with my Rewards Zone MasterCard. I have had it for about 5 months and hadn't been able to activate it online and see my points or get certificates for buying items from Best Buy. Well using my ninja skills I dug up all the executive emails and finally received a response after emailing the VP of customer relations. She had a Sr. Executive Resolution Specialist handle my issue. I even received a $75 gift certificate for my trouble. I'll copy the emails below for you to see.
 
Thanks Consumerist!!!
 

---

Email 1: From: Arrighi, Michael Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 12:37 PM Subject: FW: Rewards Zone   Dear [redacted]:   I am writing in regards to your attached email that you directed to Lisa Smith, Vice President of Enterprise Customer Care at Best Buy.   Ms. Smith has referred your correspondence to my attention to investigate and respond accordingly.   I am sorry for any disappointment that has surfaced regarding your Reward Zone experience. I will look into the issue and respond to you shortly.   Thank you, Michael Arrighi Sr. Executive Resolution Specialist Best Buy Corporate (612) 292-0155 Direct (952) 430-2556 Fax michael.arrighi@bestbuy.com

---

Email 2: Best Buy Corporate Offices 7601 Penn Avenue South Richfield, MN 55423 April 8, 2008   Dear [redacted]:   I'd like to apologize on behalf of Best Buy for any difficulties you may have experienced regarding this matter, but I appreciate the time you took to voice your concerns to allow the company an opportunity to properly address them. Indeed, Best Buy values this sort of contact as it provides the corporation with important feedback to make decisions regarding its future direction.   I am sorry for any frustration that has resulted from this unusual situation, for it is not reflective of the optimal experience Best Buy strives to provide to all of its customers. Due to a glitch within the company's computer system, your Reward Zone account has been rejected.   I am working with my contact within Reward Zone to rectify this issue and will touch base with you once the account has been activated. In the meantime, as an invitation back to Best Buy for a better experience, I will send you a $75 gift card. This card will be generated from a separate location and should arrive at your residence within the next two to three weeks.   Thank you again for allowing Best Buy to respond to this issue. Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns. You can reach me through email at Michael.Arrighi@BestBuy.com or via phone at 612-292-0155.   Sincerely, Michael Arrighi Senior Executive Resolution Specialist Best Buy Corporate

From: Zach
To: Smith, Lisa (VP ECC)
Sent: Mon Apr 07 10:43:24 2008
Subject: Rewards Zone
 
Dear Ms. Smith
 
I have been a loyal customer of Best Buy for over 15 yrs and go out of my way to shop there for my electronics. I hope yourself or someone in your organization can assist me with my problem. Below I have given a brief synopsis of what is going on. Thank you for your time.
 
I have come into a situation with Best Buy Rewards Zone that I could use your help. I applied for and received a Best Buy Rewards MasterCard so when I purchase everyday items I would earn points toward Best Buy certificates. You are usually able to login in myrewardszone.com and enroll your card to view your points and print out certificates. It has been 3+ months and I have yet to activate my rewards zone account to view or use my points. I have called 5+ times to complain and ask why. The call center is off shore most likely India and they refer all account activation requests to America to be looked into. They cannot do anything other than field my call and tell me to wait 7-10 days. I have waited 7-10 days on several occasions and nothing has been done.
 
I have asked to speak with managers and supervisors and they just give me comp points and tell me he can do nothing and that all requests are forwarded to the "backoffice". I have been unable to find a number or person to help me with contacting Best Buy customer service that can help me. It's just become such an ordeal over what I have been told is an invalid expiration date on my Rewards Account.
 
Thank you.

Score another one for The Consumerist!
 
This morning I contacted Sears' Executive Customer Service Department. They attempted to contact the store manager on my behalf. I stress "attempted" because they were hung up on too.

Nothing is more satisfying than witnessing Executive Customer Service being treated as crappy (crappily?) as the rest of the world. From what I could gather, they were forced to submit a company e-mail to the manager...you know, the manager that doesn't have voicemail.
 
Just a few minutes ago I was contacted by gentleman from CitiBank (which runs Sears Card). His name was Mark Ennis. He informed me that he called the store and was blown off just like everyone else. It wasn't until he told them that he was with the Presidential Offices for CitiBank that people started jumping through hoops.
 
Mark saw the story on Consumerist (he mentioned it by name). Since he saw the article on your site, he didn't know my last name or address. So he had the store pull every TV purchase on Black Friday that was made by anyone named Tom. (This is like "Law & Order" for retail.) From there he was able to find my contact info and, more importantly, figure out what happened.
 
Apparently after they refunded my first TV, they immediately re-rang it. The prevailing theory is that when I called the store to complain they looked up the transaction, saw the initial refund and stopped looking thereby missing the fact that it was re-rang moments later. Once they saw the refund, they assumed everything was ok and stopped looking.
 
Mark also noticed that in CitiBank's notes it showed that they had asked me to prove that I didn't receive the TV. He seemed genuinely shocked by that because, as those of us that are NOT Tier 1 support can tell you, it's pretty much impossible to prove a negative.
 
I also informed him about the fact that their Dispute Department doesn't have a hold queue. He seemed pretty embarrassed about that fact. So, either Mark was an awesome actor or he was actually "taking this matter seriously".
 
The store has contacted me and it seems that they're actually refunding me the money this time. They were asking me questions that they hadn't before (like my address). So I think I'm finally getting this matter rectified.
 
Oh, and it sounds like Juan and Tanaka might have an awkward conversation with the Presidential Offices of CitiBank in their not to distant futures.
 
Thanks to Mark, Sears customer service and especially The Consumerist. You guys are better than the BBB when it comes to getting stuff like this fixed.
 
Oh, and thanks to the Sears in Chesterfield. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you treated the big wigs at Sears and CitiBank in the same shitty manner that you've been treating me for the last 4 1/2 months. I was afraid that these people would think I was crackpot. But thanks to your consistent substandard job performance you quickly established my legitimacy.
 
Thanks again,
Tom

This is great news for the customers who were surprised to find charges from $600 to $1200 on their credit cards after they'd already paid to attend the conference back in October, but the customer who first brought it to the media's attention thinks Westin should do more:

Dible, however, is not totally satisfied with the hotel's solution and said the company should provide some extra compensation for attendees who had to deal with the hassle of The Westin's decision.

Dible, who first alerted the media to the dispute and has been in contact with many of the other attendees, said some people thought they were victims of identity theft and canceled credit cards or disputed charges.

"When you look at how many people were involved, hundreds of hours have been expended needlessly as a result of the unilateral actions of The Westin," Dible said.

"Hotel plans to issue refunds" [ReviewJournal] (Thanks to Kelly!)
(Photo: Starwood Hotels)

Hi guys finally i got my notebook.. this time its an upgraded one... got a built in cam, 2Gb ram etc.. thanks for posting my situation online without it a guy name JP Szambelan who emailed me ask me about my notebook and contact HP Service... thanks to that guy and Consumerist.com

A little tip for guys having notebook service problem:

1. Post your concern on consumerist.com if its taking a company to return your stuff for sooooooo long. im sure somebody will take notice of your concerns and help you along the way. when i posted my situation online within 3 weeks i got my notebook back.

2. contact that company follow it up twice a week... chat with them.. even a little swearing at them would do.. hehehehehehe thats what i did.. (even cursed HP to burn in hell)

3. and sometimes call them and talk politely....

Reason why i didn't do my tips on number 1 & 2 and 3

1. i got another notebook im using so i don't mind at all.. just got pissed only when they kept on delaying when i will receive my notebook thats when it took 3 months and do my tips number 1,2 &3

and it works might be the worst advice but thats my whole experience.

PREVIOUSLY: Dear HP: It Has Been Three Months Since I Last Saw My Laptop
(Photo: Carla216)

After writing a number of emails to Circuit City and after a making few more (fruitless) calls, I tried something new and posted my story to their public online customer service forums. The forum manager responded very quickly and promised that someone would call me back to resolve things. I received two calls last Thursday from Circuit City staff who wanted to help fix the situation;

...unfortunately I was on a plane at the time, and had meetings all weekend that prevented me from calling back. But this morning, I got a third call, this time from a supervisor in the Sales department (the same department which had originally called me). Unlike the customer service people I spoke to last week, the supervisor I spoke to today was incredibly friendly and helpful - after I explained the situation in detail, he apologized, then explained that what happened was NOT how Circuit City usually does business, that I was not the only person who'd experienced trouble last week, and that the issue has now been dealt with. The supervisor then offered to give me an additional discount on the item, which I was happy to accept - and I picked up my new iPod this evening. It's charging and syncing as we speak! It may be time-consuming and rather annoying to have to fight for your rights as a customer, but it's important to do it... and although it took a few days, Circuit City really did step up in the end, acknowledge the problem and make it right. And I'm happy to report that they've kept a customer today.

PREVIOUSLY: Very Strange Circuit City iPod Touch Bait And Switch

(Photo: Dan_H)

Well, this past Tuesday, I had a one-on-one conversation with Gibson CEO, Henry Juszkiewicz. Now, it's rare that a CEO of a company that size will sit down on the phone with you and talk man to man, so for that, I was very impressed with the level of commitment and cooperation they showed in order to demonstrate the level of seriousness with which they took this whole situation. Henry assured me that this was something that Gibson was truly apologetic for and made his best effort to make sure that I came away from the entire experience feeling as though I was treated fairly and received what I deserved.

The Gibson rep who strung Tonedeff along last year left the company in November:

Henry mentioned that Don was "getting toasted" in the press and hoped that I could encourage folks to "take it easy on the guy" because apparently dude's been getting hate mail & phone calls up the yang from random folks around the world. I've never been the type of person to wish malice or pain on anyone (unless they rap), and I stand by that approach still. Personally, I think the public spanking that's already occurred is sufficient, considering this is something that will probably come up anytime someone Googles his name for a long time. That would definitely suck if I were him, so it is what it is. So, if anyone was planning on doing any wild shit, this would be a good time to put the bazooka away. Everything is settled.

In closing, I want to take this opportunity to thank EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU who took time out to lend your support, write letters, post blogs, make phone calls - once again, you helped settle this thing at lightning speed.

"The Power of the Internet"

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"Gibson Screws Musician Out Of $10,000 Worth Of Equipment"
"Alleged Gibson CEO Possibly Responds To $10k Contest Story"

Some of the key things to keep in mind: with the explosion in personal trainers at gyms all over the country, it's possible to end up with an "expert" who might not have as much formal training as you'd like. And some trainers can be more concerned with their own profits than with helping you. For instance, one former trainer with Ballys tells the magazine that he witnessed trainers intentionally over-exercising unfit clients to the point of collapse, in order to convince them that they were so out of shape that they needed to buy more training sessions. Some trainers will stick with only functional training—using balls, resistance tubes and bands, and balance equipmpent, for example—and not teach you how to use weight machines for fear of losing clients who become too confident in the gym. If your goal is to get motivated, learn how to exercise, and move on, make that clear during your first interview and talk about setting a goal for when and how you want to learn to use the equipment.

One good way to save money on personal training is to negotiate a group rate:

Though health clubs don't typically dangle the group option in front of you, most personal trainers will work something out if you ask. After all, it's a win-win situation. For a group of three, for example, the average fee of $60 per hour is reduced by half for each client, while the trainer brings in about 50% more than he typically makes in an hour. And it could mean a better workout: "There's a lot to benefit from group camaraderie, as long as you don't need a trainer counting every rep you do," says Richard Cotton, national director of certification for the American College of Sports Medicine.

"This customer initially called AT&T to discuss other communications services. After she was transferred to Dish, the disaster policy Dish has in place was not followed. This customer will not be charged for service cancellation or equipment fees—--that is our policy, and the policy of Dish, in times of natural disasters. We have spoken with this customer to clarify our policy, and we are committed to taking care of all customers affected by the fires."

PREVIOUSLY: AT&T Asks CA Wildfire Victims If They Remembered To Pick Up Satellite Receiver As They Fled Their Burning House

Dear US Airways,

I confess - I messed up. I made the number one "do not make it" mistake that a traveller can make. I forgot to cancel my flight reservation after my travel plans changed. I'm writing to ask - nay, to plead - for mercy. I hope you'll bear with me for just a few minutes while I tell my story.

The first thing you need to know is that I'm not nearly as much of a neophyte with flying as my situation would suggest. I've been flying all over the country and world since I was an infant - in fact, I'm a private pilot myself. Making such frequent use of aviation as a means of travel and being a member of the aviation community myself I understand as well as any novice could the pressures and demands that running an airline brings with it.

The second thing you need to know is that I'm a college sophomore, and that this spring was to be my great tour of Europe - you know, the one that all college students are supposed to go on at least once, where you backpack through all the great cities and stay in hostels and sometimes starve and shower infrequently and do not care a bit about it because you're having the time of your life. That was supposed to be my trip. I gleefully bought an open-jaw ticket with your company - flying from my home in Maine to Philadelphia, and then on to London, travelling through Europe on my own, and then flying back with you from Rome.

Unfortunately, the US Department of State had other plans for me. The person who was to be my travelling companion on this trip had his passport application waylaid in the bowels of the State Department and by the time it was extracted and processed our date of departure had come...and gone.

Not comfortable with travelling alone through Europe, I had no choice but to stay at home and resolve to plan an even better trip for the future.

I guess I just wasn't thinking - or else I was thinking about planning this other trip - but either way, I simply forgot to cancel my reservation with you. According to your policies, the $664 ticket I purchased now has absolutely no value.

And I understand this - believe me, I do. You had my place reserved, and you could have sold it and made money. So I cost you some money. But here's the thing - I actually didn't cost you as much money as it would seem. There are two reasons for this:

1. Airlines plan on no-shows. Airlines routinely overbook their flights by a few percent or so because they know that there will a few people like me. So, in a sense, even though I didn't tell you I wasn't coming, you planned for it. And in any case, this is only an issue if the flight is full to begin with - which it may not have been.

2. You didn't have to carry me or my baggage to Europe. Fuel is expensive these days - it's probably the single biggest operating expense of airlines. And as I pilot I know that to carry more weight it takes more fuel. The absence of myself and my baggage saved US Airways money in fuel.

What I would like is for some value to be accorded to my ticket. I feel this is warranted because I cost US Airways very little, if anything, in lost revenue by failing to cancel, and I still paid $664.10, and have nothing to show for it.

I'm very aware of the policy you have, however in this case I believe it is unfair and should be waived.

If this reasoning isn't sufficient to persuade you to give me some compensation, then consider this: I fly a lot every year. I live in Maine and go to college in Washington, DC. I fly back and forth from school to home at least 5 times every year, right along a route you fly - PWM to DCA. My business, in short, is very valuable to you. But that's not the biggest reason you should be on my side here. You have an opportunity to make a lifetime customer - even an evangelist - of me. I'm a part of a demographic that travels a lot, and the state of the market is that we have a lot of choice in our travel. It's also the state of the market that airlines have precious little goodwill among the traveling public. If you met me in the middle here and gave my ticket some value, I would not only become a lifetime customer myself, but I would also bring you significant business from my friends and acquaintances. You stand to make ten - or a hundred - times the money you would be giving up if you offer me some compensation for my ticket. I plan to live for a long time, and I would be a lifelong crusader for your company if you helped me out here.

I'm not threatening to write nasty things about you. I'm not threatening to try to make life difficult for your company. I'm instead offering you a form of positive compensation: a promise to be loyal to your company and to convince as many of the people I interact with to do the same - if you'll just help me out of this one tight spot.

I'm hoping to study abroad in Scotland next spring, and I'm going to need a way to get over there. Money is tight. Any help you can offer would be put to immediate use.

Thanks very much for taking the time to read this.

My ticket number for this spring was REDACTED. My confirmation number was REDACTED.

Sincerely yours, Matt

Dear Matt,

Thank you for contacting Customer Relations at US Airways. We appreciate hearing from our customers and having an opportunity to address their concerns.

We have reinstated your ticket REDACTED (REDACTED) as a gesture of goodwill. This ticket was issued on April 10,2007 and is good for one year from date of issue. Please note that all travel must be completed by April 10, 2008. In addition, I have waived our customary $100 re-issue fee as a one time courtesy. Please call our reservation department at 800 428-4322 when you are ready to book your ticket.

We appreciate and value your business. We're working hard to earn your continued patronage. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to do so.

Sincerely,

Customer Relations US Airways

Follow our handy guide to learn how to craft your own Executive Email Carpet Bomb.

(Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

[ed. Via email, the manager says he didn't push Stephanie.]

"Anyways, after my story was posted on The Consumerist, I took your advice of emailing Steve Jobs. I essentially forwarded what I wrote to your website, at about 10pm est. At 11am est, I received a phone call from someone at Apple who reads and responds to the emails sent there, Michael. After explaining what happened to him again, he told me he would be calling the new store in Natick, MA, and that I could go there that night to drop off my MacBook."

So I did, and I was told it would be approximately a week for them to replace the screen. They also said they would be replacing the topcase, which I thought was the part that houses the LCD, but when I went to pick up my MacBook a week later, I learned that it is the part with the keyboard. They replaced it because it was DIRTY. It's a white keyboard, of course it is dirty. But it was totally awesome of them to do that. Except the person who put it on did a bad job and there was a huge gap between the topcase and bottom case, and I was afraid it would start peeling off, so the manager said the best thing to do would be to send it back in for another week of repair. I reluctantly agreed, since it would mean being without a computer for another week, but I didn't want the problem to get worse, especially when it was another thing that I didn't do to my computer.

Anyways after giving my computer back to them, I left the mall. About 10 minutes after leaving, I received a call from Michael, the man who gave me the OK to just bring in my MacBook to be repaired by Apple. He told me that I could just go to the store the following morning and they were giving me a brand new MacBook, onto which my data was being transferred. I felt kind of bad because I could just use the library for a week, and he had already gone out of his way for me SO MUCH, but he told me that he wanted me to have a good Apple experience, and that is definitely what this turned out to be. I am on my new MacBook now and so far, so good. I'm really pleased that, even though it took almost 3 weeks and a lot of stress, Apple helped me out in the end.

I would really appreciate it if you could post this on The Consumerist either as a follow up article, or edit the old article with this new information. I think it is only fair for it to be shown that yeah, I was treated like crap at the Apple Store, but that they totally redeemed themselves. I don't think they would have really listened to me had it not been for the other article you posted with 40,000+ views. Thank you :)

Separately, via email, the manager says he didn't push Stephanie.

PREVIOUSLY: Apple Store Says You "Must" Have Dropped Your Laptop - No I Didn't - Yes You Did - No I Didn't - Please Leave The Store

Here's part of Chuck's email:

After dealing with Progressive executive customer service for most of this week I have finally gotten a resolution. Rachel at Progressive is issuing a formal apology from Cross Country (the outsourced roadside assistance people) and an AMEX gift card.

They of course say that this is an unusual circumstance and call volumes were extremely high at 11:30am on a Sunday...

...I asked for a credit in the amount of my October premium and was turned down by Brian Passell, Divisional President.

But the issue has been resolved to Chuck's satisfaction, so we're happy for him and hope his step-daughter has a better weekend coming up.

(Photo: Getty)

Dealerships closing after Huling Bros. scandal [Seattle Times]
(Photo: Thomas James Hurst)

Arnie writes:

He refunded me the cost of the new tire and the alignment I had never authorized. He admitted that they did not handle the road hazard warranty correctly and said that he had already sent someone over to the store to do further training with the employees on how to handle road hazard warranties. He also called me again the next day to make sure that everything went ok when I went to the store to obtain the refund money. Wonderful handling of the complaint, I was very impressed!

Learn how to launch an Executive Email Carpet Bomb of your own.

Ben! All I can say is you guys are magic!

I just received this 5 minutes ago and now my iPhone actually works! I called Mr. Miller and he told me that there was an delay with several ported numbers and they went into a backlog and they are working on resolving those numbers. Now I can explore my iPhone. Thanks again!

Hello Anthony,

My name is Rick Miller. I am a senior analyst for one of our top data call centers for AT&T. I received information today regarding your circumstances and have reviewed your account for resolution. I am terribly sorry for the experience you had with activation of your new iPhone but I do have good news. After looking into the activation request that was sent and why there was such a long delay I was able to get the activation pushed through our system and your new iPhone should be ready to use shortly. The only effort needed to be made at this point would be to re-sync it to your desktop PC just as you did initially and the activation should complete properly.

I apologize for having to send an email but the all of the contact numbers we have on your account in the billing system reference the mobile number you are trying to activate. What we would like for you to do is re-sync your new iPhone one more time to complete the activation process. Once that is done could you reply to this email at your earliest convenience so that we can be assured that you are now working properly. If you like you can reply with your direct contact information and either myself or someone from our data group will respond to you as soon as possible.

Senior analyst working to solve a problem, now that's what we like to hear. Anthony's email directly to Steve Jobs (sjobs@apple.com) was probably the key to getting the problem solved. Disappointing that that's what it takes.

PREVIOUSLY: I Still Cannot Use My iPhone

A Microsoft tech on the phone even said to Richard, ""Is there anything else I can help you with... and by the way I am laughing at you."

While it's indisputable that he shouldn't have cracked open the case, it looks like Richard has the last laugh:

Thanks to the people who posted comments to my story I have been able to get a refund from my AMEX card. They did extend Microsofts 1 year warranty by another year. I was able to get a full refund of the original purchase price, thanks to American Express.

I guess Jose did me a favor by ticking me off enough to seek you and your readers help.

Thank you to You and your readers... oh and Jose... I am thanking at you right now.

PREVIOUSLY:
Xbox360 Tells Customer "I Am Laughing At You" And Hangs Up
RELATED:
American Express Extended Warranty Protection Buys You A New Laptop
(Photo: avlxyz)

We just got interviewed by someone doing a story on the matter and this is what they were told by Jamba Juice PR.

See, when we, and a reader, contacted Jamba Juice customer service to ask what was in their "non-dairy dairy blend" the customer service reps saw a page very similar to what you see in the picture at left. Note how "Non Dairy Dairy" is at the top of the page. Note the giant space.

The customer service reps thought that "Non-dairy dairy" was the page heading.

So, like we previously reported, when we asked what was in the "non dairy dairy mix," they went down the ingredients list, they read off the ingredients for the Jamba Juice Lower Calorie Dairy Base.

See now, that wasn't so hard was it? But Jamba Juice PR never mentioned the space/heading issue, even when we asked, "Two different reps, both talking about non-dairy mix, both saying there's milk in it. Why?"

Full-size comparison, inside...

Proofreading is good for you. — BEN POPKEN

PREVIOUSLY:
Jamba Juice Says It Doesn't Sell Milk-Filled "Non-Dairy Blend"
Jamba Juice's "Non-Dairy Blend" Secret Ingredient? Milk.

That's Charlie in the picture, holding her new iPod. She writes:

The General Manager of services sent me an e-mail with a direct phone number to contact him and he took down my information and sent me an upgraded 60 gig iPod video which arrived this past Tuesday. It is still a refurbished model, but it is in great condition. He apologized for my inconvenience and explained that all units are checked before they are shipped out. He also requested that next time I come to him first if anything like this should happen.

But on another note, I really want to thank you and Meghann for your website. You've helped me out a lot, and tons of other people from what I read every day. Thanks a bunch and keep up the good work!

Hooray for Charlie, and to Best Buy, for having an RSS reader. — BEN POPKEN

PREVIOUSLY: Geek Squad Fixed My iPod By Sending Me A Broken One

Eventually after some higher-up Best Buy managers were informed of your story (and I believe as a result of that,) a regional manager called my wife (I was at work at the time.) He told her that I was welcome to return the XBox after all.

I never really pressed into trying to get them to track whether they had already taken that particular box as a return, etc. When I finally returned it, I was just so tired of the whole thing that I walked right out the door without trying to follow up on what really happened.

Yay, money back. The power of public shaming. It sometimes gets companies to do the right thing they should have been doing when no one was watching.
Beware, corporations, cashiers, managers, salespeople, your next customer could be a Consumerist reader. — BEN POPKEN

PREVIOUSLY: Best Buy Either Voided Your XBOX Warranty Or Sold You A Used Unit
(Photo: Crawfishpie)

This is his address:

Mr. Kenneth D. Lewis
100 N. Tryon Street.
Mail Code NC-1-007-18-01
Charlotte, NC 28255

Annet got 7 overdraft fees refunded, even though it was completely his fault. Mr. Lewis just really didn't want to lose Annet's account, it seems.

Read the complaint letter and success story, inside...

Thank you, thank you, thank you. After reading the post about the BoA customer who got $280 in NSF fees refunded, I wrote BoA myself. They had charged me 7 NSF fees in succession (which sucked ass) and was my fault. I'd asked the bank to cap the fees at 3 (another bank has done that for me in the past). Both the bank manager nor the CSR I spoke to on the phone said no.

I was pissed. So I wrote a formal letter of complaint to Kenneth Lewis. This past Saturday, they refunded all of the fees - even though it was my fault. I can't believe it. That rocks. People do have the power.

April 19, 2007

Mr. Lewis:

No worries. I'm not asking for anything. I'm lodging a complaint. April 16 - 17 My checking account was charged 5 NSF fees. Having spoken to the branch manager at the Takoma Park DC branch and to a CSR on the phone, I'm informed I'll be charged another 3 NSF fees if I don't deposit money before the transactions are processed.

The NSF fees are legit. I don't deny that. They are excessive however. Some banks would agree. I requested to have the fees capped at 3 considering:

1) I have two direct deposits coming in this Friday/Saturday as can be attested by my banking history

2) It usurious to pay ultimately $280 in fees for less than $200 in charges (something Congress has verbally blasted the credit card industry for) and

3) I'm not a deadbeat. Summer of 2006 I filed a claim for a lost deposit check (which was found *gasp*). I tried lodging a complaint about the experience - it was clear from the CSRs I spoke with they considered me a liar. Their service bordered on disdain.

My requests for relief were denied repeatedly. Even if I hadn't had NSF fees before - 2 or 3 in the past year - BoA would only credit one fee. I'm not a good customer. Right.

I'm a damn good customer.

I'm 25 years old. I'm near maxed out on my credit card which BoA is making money on thanks to the finance fees. Lots of money too. A quick look at my banking history will reveal that most of my expenses are for entertainment, fun, etc. I'm not broke, just young. BoA profits on me from the credit card, from the NSF fees in the past, and from the fact I've pretty much stopped going into a branch. I raved (and still do) about how easy it is to use the new ATM/deposit machines.

I'm not closing my account immediately. I am moving most of my funds to ING online checking. My money will earn much better interest and ING won't beat me down with excessive NSF fees. I have to keep a banking account open to participate at ING; I will stay at BoA until I've found a new home at a credit union. I'll pay down the credit card within the next 2 months and keep the balance below $100 so I can keep building credit. BoA will be making a lot less money off me.

The customer rep I spoke with said he was distressed (of course) that I'll ultimately be closing my account because of legitimate NSF fees. I'll ultimately close my account because it's not fun being treated so badly. I'm one of millions but I did improve your bottom line. If BoA had refunded/credited the NSF fees as requested, I'd be improving your bottom line for a while to come. I'm sorry I won't be. I liked BoA for the most part.

Thank you.

Annet

[address redacted]

CC: Senator Carl Levin, Chairman
the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Investigative Subcommittee

You have the power and it's in your pen. Use it! — BEN POPKEN

PREVIOUSLY:
Man Gets $280 Back From Bank Of America After Writing CEO
BoA Gives Wrong Information, Charges Customer $280, Doesn't Care

Executive Customer Service = Magic.

We should permanently affix a sign to the top of the site that says, "fix your customer service problems by taking them to top." — BEN POPKEN

PREVIOUSLY:
Why Equifax Doesn't Seem To Understand Your Letters
Equifax Refuses To Fix Credit Report, Despite Overwhelming Evidence

I received a call from "Lynette" in Executive Customer Service who refunded my $280 in about 5 mins. Not sure why it took a letter to their CEO to handle this but they took care of it within 24 hours of receiving my letter.

So, take your issue to the top and you get it solved? We're beginning to sense a pattern here. — BEN POPKEN

Almost 3 weeks ago, I sent Gary Forsee an email regarding my extreme dissatisfaction with the Sprint Customer Care team.

Along with other technical issues such as repeated dropped calls, and wrongly charging my account. Unfortunately there was no response until I started to threaten to make noise about my issues.

I finally had a lengthy chat with an Executive Analyst, who was very polite (maybe its because I used 321-Call-Log during this conversation)

Anyways, after dropping the erroneous charges and declaring that he will send an executive order to the engineering department to "investigate" dropped call spots in my local area.

While I still wasn't satisfied, he concluded that I must want out. (boy did I ever) I was frankly honest, and I told him that I indeed did want 'out'.

He said that he 'was very sad to see me go (probably because I affect the "revenue stream") but it is in both of our interests to not have an extremely dissatisfied customer such as yourself'

Anyways, I want to say thank you again, because without your posts, I wouldn't have any idea to get this level of grand customer service.

This isn't the first time a reader has gotten a good reaction by emailing Gary Forsee (see Cancel Sprint Account By Writing Intelligent Well-Crafted Emails to the CEO). You too can reach this Nirvana of customer service. This post has all you need to know. — BEN POPKEN

"In short, they said that while Certegy does help them with the battle against consumer fraud, sometimes their practices hurt their good Walgreen's customers," wrote DudeAsInCool. "Thanks for posting my letter so other consumers won't be insulted and inconvenienced in the future... We should be able to use whatever form of payment we want to, when we want to and however we want to."

— BEN POPKEN

PREVIOUSLY: Statistically Speaking, His Check Was Fraudulent
(Photo: Zepfanman.com)

And within 24 hours....

...an assistant the the CEO, a district manager, and the new store manager called Heather's mother. Lowe's made several offers, including refunds, and discounts on their next home installation service, but the only thing Heather's mother wanted was assurance that what happened to her her wouldn't happen to any other customers. The hardware store said they would look into the workers from the day and make sure they're not sent to any other customer's homes.

Heather said, The Lowes people who called, "were very nice and seemed genuinely concerned about making my parents happy...They still do not want to do business with that particular Lowes location however, and will now attend the one in the next town over."

Posting her mother's story, "really made a difference to my parents as I don't believe Lowes would have contacted them otherwise...My parents have new faith in the internet!" said Heather. — BEN POPKEN

PREVIOUSLY: Lowes Steals Money From Old Lady's House, Threatens To Sue Her For Slander
(Photo: cmorran123)

Jason writes:

Hi guys,
I just wanted to update you on my Comcast issue - and give a huge THANK YOU to you guys & the Consumerist site. I truly believe that without your attention to the story, that it would not have rated so high on the minds of the people that ended up handling the matter.

I posted the end results on the website, along with some great before/after shots of the work, and a copy of the check they hand delivered as well. Again - thank you for everything.

Jason

As you recall, Jason's Comcast tech bullied him for cash, unplugged his Media Center PC without powering it down (breaking it) and drilled a bunch of nasty holes in his walls and baseboards.

Since appearing on the Consumerist everything has been fixed. Comcast and Helm Cable hand delivered a check for the damaged hard drive and proper outlets were installed in Jason's home.

We attribute this to Jason's excellent documentation of the problem. He did everything right. Be sure to visit Jason's site to see what a well written complaint looks like. Congratulations, Jason! —MEGHANN MARCO

Comcast Fix My Problem

Because of the circumstances surrounding Mr. M's situation and subsequent actions taken toward employees involved, Delta unfortunately lost contact with him.

However, we look forward to not only offering our apology, but also reimbursement for his lost property.

It is true that, according to our policy, Delta does not offer reimbursement for lost or stolen camera equipment.

However, a key component of good customer service is recognizing exceptions to a rule and handling those cases accordingly. The employee who originally handled this issue is no longer a member of Delta's customer care team.

Mr. M, we regret this inconvenience and look forward to working with you toward a resolution — which we hope will win you over as a Delta customer for life."

Betsy (Delta Representative)

It's great that Charles got his money back, but this is bullshit. The problem wasn't that Charles misplaced his camera, it was that Delta employed someone who stole it. A "we don't replace lost or stolen equipment" doesn't apply when it's your own employees stealing from your own customers. Secondly, how can Delta say they "lost contact" with Charles? He sent them letter after letter, several of which we posted. Lastly, and this is the biggest reason why this is bullshit, is that Delta only did this because the radio show got involved, not because they realized the error of their ways. Their tactic here was to placate and shut up before it became a bigger PR problem.

So that's how you want to do it, corporate multinationals? It's only when something looks like it's going to damage you that you'll do the right thing? No problem, we can play that game, with relish. — BEN POPKEN

PREVIOUSLY: Man Tracks Down And Gets Prosecuted Baggage Handler Who Stole His Camera, Delta Still Won't Refund

Every big company has an Executive Response team. Their job is to make negative PR issues disappear. Catch their attention and they may grease your squeaky wheel.

By the way, we just chatted with Vincent Ferrari about this situ. It'll be up on ISPN Media on Saturday morning at 8am. Take a listen during the cartoon commercials or something. — BEN POPKEN

PREVIOUSLY:
Two Years Later, WaMu Unable To 'Integrate' Acquired Card Division's Support System
WaMu Screws Customer Stranded Overseas After Credit Cards Stolen

"The charge is now reversed and all fees reversed. (only took 8 days, and with calls from my APT complex on Monday like "you account number is invalid" Well since they took OUT the money just fine I said that can't be, today the money is back in!) Thanks again!"

Excelsior. Lesson: If you don't have a lot of money and aren't razor-sharp about managing it, don't let people auto-deduct from your bank account. For that matter, you should avoid giving out your bank account information to anyone. — BEN POPKEN

PREVIOUSLY: Landlord Auto-Deducting My Life Away

"Friday I received a voice mail on my cell from someone from the Executive Office. ...She had been forwarded the email that I had sent to the VP of Customer Service. She is letting me cancel with no early termination fees. She did say that people are allowed to cancel for the text messaging increase but not the administrative fee increase because with that they are just crediting people's accounts with the difference."

Excelsior!

Lesson: booting your issue up to the VP of Customer Service really works.

Interesting that the exec office person said they're not letting customers cancel over admin fees, because we've gotten reports of people using that with success. Guess that's just another case of corporate not accurately communicating policy to customer service, albeit, one that you can take advantage of. — BEN POPKEN

PREVIOUSLY: Verizon Redefines "Materially Adverse" To Prevent Customer Cancellations
(Photo: Maulleigh)

He's gotten calls from the manager of his local office, had visits from two Olshan VPs, and the firm's majority owner also called to offer his direct line if the followup job wasn't completed to Charles' satisfaction. Nice.

However, Olshan wants Charles YouTube and our post taken down. Charles wants our post taken down too.

We're glad Olshan has a Google Alert for their name. but we don't remove posts except in extreme circumstances. We'll point to this post in an update to the old, but we won't remove it. Just because you fix a customer service bungle after getting publicly outed doesn't mean you get a free pass on its record.

Charles letter, inside...

Charles writes:

I wanted to thank you for posting my complaint with Olshan Foundation Repair Company and give you an update on my situation.

Shortly after you posted my story I got a call from the office manager of the local Olshan office. She had gotten my third letter and noticed in the body of the letter that it was my third letter. She also told me that Olshan subscribes to an internet service and had become aware of the Consumerist.com blog. She then set up a visit from two of Olshan's vice-presidents to help resolve my issues. The next night I got a call from the majority owner of the firm who gave me his direct phone number and asked me call him if his corporate VP's and the local office did not satisfy my needs. The third night I got a call from the President of Olshan as a follow up from the Owner's call.

I since have met with the two VP's and they set up a plan of action to fix my home and pay for the repairs to my walls and brick. As I write this letter the local manager Steve Meier, a very warm gentlemen who apologized profusely for not responding in a timely manner, and his Olshan crew have just finished the foundation work, with which I am very pleased. I will be getting local contractors to make the needed cosmetic repairs to the walls, etc.

One final thought, as a part of Olshan's action plan to repair my home, they did ask one thing of me. Would I Pleassssseeeee remove the video and blog. Obviously Olshan did need a shove to do the right thing, and obviously Consumerist.com has been a big part of that process. Again I want to thank you and Consumerist.com. I will be removing my YouTube video clip in the few days and I ask that you remove my Olshan blog.

— BEN POPKEN

PREVIOUSLY: Olshan Foundation Repair's Warranty Not So Lifetime

After David tipped us off, we got in touch with our gal in Comcast PR who evidently sounded the klaxons to make this issue a priority for the right people. The day after we got in touch with Comcast, four different people from Comcast called David. None of them had any idea why they were calling, just that they hold been told to fix this issue pronto... but all's well that ends well.

We commend Comcast for stepping up. Hopefully Comcast will someday apply the same mentality to solving its systemic and chronic problems with rude customer service, error-ridden billing, and botched cable installations. — BEN POPKEN

Previously: Senior Citizen Gets Comcasticed! i.e. Ripped Off
(Photo: AntiochOG)

The rebate has suddenly been sent out today, at least this is what the website shows. By the way, the CSR, Patrick, lied to me, the rebate processor is a not Radio Shack, it's a vendor, www.web-rebates.com. They process rebates for many companies. Still, the responsibility is on Radio Shack to select a reputable company to represent them, as their vendor.

In this era of keeping every iota "on brand" and "on message," do companies just run out of paint when it comes to customer care? — BEN POPKEN

After the daughter Brandi wrote a formal complaint letter, Southwest Airlines promised to send Richard an apology, a refund for the extra ticket, and four ticket vouchers. However, It's uncertain whether Richard will ever be able to use them. Writes Brandi...

My father is at home literally on his death bed. He has nearly lost all bowel control, is in excruciating pain due to the water pressure on his nerves, most of the time is immobile because it is too painful to stand, and his cognitive abilities come and go. Due to his liver condition, painkillers are not an option.

He has an appointment with the University of San Francisco during the first week of February, so hopefully they will take him as a transplant recipient. Fingers are crossed, as we are really down to our last straw."

Good thing for Southwest that Richard didn't go while getting denied boarding at the gate. Then they might have to give out five ticket vouchers. — BEN POPKEN

The PR rep \booted the issue up to JoAnn Stanford, a high-ranking Sprint Executive Customer Service rep. She wrote Matt:

Thank you for your response to my email. I'm sorry I was on the line when you called. When you are able to, if you would send me the account info (I don't even have his name at this time) I will take care of resolving this for you.

I am truly sorry for the level of customer service you experienced from our representatives.

Sounds like a happy ending is just around the corner.

Thanks Sprint! All it took was 5150 Diggs and you did the right thing! — BEN POPKEN

Sooooo RJH buys the CD and goes to his car to play it. He gets "Disk read error" three times. RJH walks back in with his three minute old album and receipt and asks for a refund.

The clerk tells him there's state and federal laws against refunding money. Our guy calls him a fool.

Manager comes and says the guy can have a substitute disk or leave, or else the manager will have him arrested for trespassing.

Guy laughs.

Manager calls 911...

UPDATE: RJH wrote in again to clarify some issues. Posted inside. Highlights:

• The Best Buy was in Altanta, GA, in the North Metro area.
• He paid cash, not with gift card.
• RJH says he got so incensed at Best Buy because of, "...[T]he countless times they steamroll other customers who do not have the wherewithal I do to fight ludicrous charges like this. The bottom line is that I could care less about the fifteen bucks, it was the idea that a major retailer can just sit there and make it up as they go."

RJH writes:

Pathetic. Kudos to RJH for standing up to these Best Buy mendicants. They didn't count on a customer calling their bluff. Doubt RJH will be purchasing many Tony Bennet CDs from them again.

What this means for your weekend: If you believe a store is wrong, stand up for yourself.

Meet their threats with complete confidence.

Be like Violent Acres, who, on the advice of her Marine father, kicked a bully in the nuts with her Cabbage Patch rollerskates and yelled while standing over his body, "I'LL EAT YOUR EYES! I'LL EAT ALL OF YOUR EYES!"

See you in 2007.

— BEN POPKEN

UPDATE: RJH writes in again to clarify some issues.