The fact that Eddie Lampert isn’t even a CEO didn’t stop Herb Greenberg at Marketwatch from slapping the coveted “Worst CEO of the Year” award on him. Eddie beat out such unemployed luminaries as Chuck “Whoops” Prince, formerly of Citigroup, and Ed “I Hate My Customers” Zander, formerly of Motorola.
ceo
Comcast CEO Hopes His Company's Horrific Reputation Isn't "Universal"
By 11.29.07
Fortune magazine has an Q&A with CEO Brian “Bad Install” Roberts in which he expresses his hope that Comcast’s reputation for horrific customer service isn’t “universal”:
By 10.30.07
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Merril Lynch CEO resigns, interim nonexecutive chairman chosen. Sub-prime meltdown spares none. [NYT]
Rumors: Merrill Lynch CEO Forced To Resign After Disasterous Third Quarter?
By 10.29.07
Rumors are flying that Stanley O’Neal is being forced to step down after a disastrous third quarter— making him the most prominent casualty of the subprime meltdown.
Delta CEO On The Prowl For Some Hot Merger Action
By 10.17.07
Delta’s CEO Richard “Anybody Wanna Buy An Airline?” Anderson, formerly the CEO of Northwest, has finally started shopping Delta around for a merger buddy like we all knew he would.
AT&T CEO: $10 DSL "Not A Product That Our Customers Have Clamored For"
By 8.4.07
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that his customer just aren’t interested in ultra-cheap internet service. AT&T is required to offer $10 DSL throughout 22 states, a concession made to the FTC as part of a deal to acquire BellSouth. AT&T has been accused of hiding the $10 DSL option, which, apparently, they did for the sake of their customers. From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
Northwest Promises To Fix Cancellation Problem
By 8.1.07
On Tuesday, Steenland outlined the steps being taken to address the cancellation problem, and said he hopes those steps will prevent a recurrence of the cancellation problem in late August.
Comcast: We're Sorry, Have Some Popcorn!
By 5.23.07
I have attached a photo of something that arrived in the mail for me from Comcast. I had a problem with a bill where they had charged me twice for something. After exhausting the normal channels, I e-mailed the CEO. The very next day a nice woman from his office called me and said someone from the local office would be in touch. Not half an hour later did I get a call from the local office. Of course, it wasn’t just that easy, but eventually the situation was sorted out. So I was surprised to see a box with a big tin of popcorn waiting for me when I got home along with a card that says “Thank you for being a Comcast customer. We’re sorry for any inconvenience you may have experienced. Our goal, as always, is to give you our best service. We appreciate your understanding.”
Motorola CEO: "I Love My Job. I Hate My Customers."
By 5.2.07
A piece in the Wall Street Journal the other day about Motorola’s desperate search for a successor to the Razr reveals a “favorite refrain” of Motorola CEO Ed Zander, “I love my job. I hate my customers.”
Get Your Defective Laptop Replaced By Sending Well-Written Emails To Steve Jobs
By 5.1.07
We have, on occasion, heard tales of people emailing Steve Jobs and magically, as if carried on the wings of angels, a new laptop appears at their door, along with 12 lbs of really good salami, a bubblegum machine, and one of those rare Star Wars posters that everyone wants. Apparently, there is a little bit of truth to the legend. Don’t worry vegans, there’s no salami.
Comcast's CEO Makes $27.8 Million, Does He Deserve It?
By 4.2.07
Members of the House Financial Services Committee, led by Rep. Barney Frank (D., Mass.), approved a bill last week that would give shareholders an advisory vote on pay.
Blockbuster CEO Will Resign
By 3.20.07
The video-rental chain, which has struggled to compete with changing movie-viewing habits and upstart services such as Netflix, said Tuesday that Mr. Antioco, who has led the company since 1997, would step down by the end of the year. The agreement drew praise from activist investor Carl Icahn, who sits on Blockbuster’s board. In previous years, Mr. Icahn has sparred with Mr. Antioco about how to run the company and how much Mr. Antioco gets paid.
“Late Fee” Antioco will be collecting $5 million when he resigns. —MEGHANN MARCO
Management Shake Up At Walmart
By 2.15.07
CNNMoney blames sales:
“The changes follow disappointing sales growth in the United States after store renovations disrupted business and customers balked at some attempts to sell trendier merchandise.”
Yeah, but how does Vazquez feel about hentai? —MEGHANN MARCO
Gap CEO Resigns
By 1.22.07
- Mr. Pressler, a former Disney executive, arrived at Gap four years ago with plans to cut costs and restore the chain’s place in the retail firmament after years of sluggish sales.
Home Depot’s “Embattled” CEO “Big Bob” Resigns
By 1.3.07
This goes a long way toward explaining the mountains of angry emails about Home Depot we receive each week . Under Mr. Nardelli the company spent spent $7 billion beefing up Home Depot Supply, the unit that caters to the building trade. This strategy did not improve the company’s stagnant stock price. The news of Nardelli’s departure had stocks up sharply during early trading. —MEGHANN MARCO
This CEO Sucks Less: John Pepper of Boloco
By 1.25.06
Lest we leave you unable to eat food at all, we present this letter from John Pepper, the CEO of Boston’s Boloco restaurants (formerly ‘The Wrap’), which is the very model of how to handle a customer complaint, even when a company isn’t going to be able to address the specific complaint. It was sent to us by the pleased recipient.
Shophacks: Track Down a CEO (‘And Torture Him’ Optional)
By 1.16.06
When you’re down and out and all alone, who can you turn to for satisfaction? When it’s cold and dark we look to the man that showed us that we weren’t too old to learn to love again: The CEO.
