I just emailed ToysRUs yesterday. My sister and I got my dad a Wii for Christmas and for Father's day I went on line to ToysRUs and bought him a new game and it was suppose to be shipped to his house and it never showed up. So I called them and they said I was suppose to get an email that the stated the item was on backorder. Well I never received the backorder notice. This morning in my inbox is a notice along with a customer feedback form, I filled it out and let them know how I felt about the situation. My dad still has not received his game. I should of just sent him a gift certificate and let him go the store and get it.

I think everyone should say something if a product is not up to expectation. Maybe the company is unaware of the issue. I work in retail and while it may not be fun to get complaints, it certainly helps us decide if something is not working as we thought it should. Granted, we are a very small place, but we value the input our customers give us. As long as curse words are not directed at me! I say tell them- I know I do.

Trish

Nope *I* haven't but DH did a few years ago. I can't remember the brand name but he'd bought a bag of beef jerky that was tough as boot leather. He was so mad! They sent him coupons too and they went straight to the garbage!
I recently found a great granola, dang its spendy (to me anyway) I have thought about emailing them and telling them how fantastic I think it is....I haven't yet and I really should cause its wonderful!

I just received this email from Sara Lee:

Thank you for contacting Sara Lee Food and Beverage. Your message has been received and logged. A Consumer Affairs Representative is being assigned to research your message and will respond soon. We appreciate the chance to get your opinions and feedback. They are important to us.
Should you wish to speak with a Sara Lee Representative via telephone,
we can be contacted toll-free at (800) 323-7117 (9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Central Time).
Sincerely,
Sara Lee Bakery Group
Consumer Affairs

That's a good start I'd say. I'm feeling better already.

I hope you get some satisfaction firemanswife. Keep after them.

I think they should notify folks too Trish. How else will they know unless they just wait to see sales drop off.

I did. I had found a broken piece of plastic in Blue Bunny ice cream. They called me back on the phone, said they would send me an addressed, stamped, envelope to mail the broken piece to them. I did. They sent me about 5 coupons for free ice cream and about 10 $1.00 off coupons. I was happy with that.

I also recently emailed about my puzzle that had about 20 or so missing pieces all in one spot. They sent me a new puzzle.

It's worth the time. And I think they like to keep their customers happy.

patti

I just recently emailed the Dial soap people. For months, we've noticed that there are hard little pieces in the bar. It's like hard little slivers of soap imbedded in the bar. Plus I mentioned how much smaller the bars are now. Noticeably smaller and they curved them in to make them skinnier.

I got an email saying the received my email but it seemed rather generic. It didn't address my complaints, just that they appreciated it. Then about a week later, I got some coupons in the mail. Two 35 cent off coupons for Dial soap, one .75 cents off for Dial Complete and one .50 cents off any Purex detergent.

They still haven't mentioned anything about the hard little pieces that are still embedded in the soap. Oh well.

Also, I'm getting ready to call Walmart and complain. Ever since they remodeled their meat dept., their beef is terrible. I bought a roast yesterday and I wasn't happy with it at all. That's $12.00 that I don't feel like losing to them. Plus DH was disappointed since I finally cooked! lol

Back to Sam's for meat. Their's is so much better than any other store in town for some reason. I just hate to drive all the way over there sometimes.

You bet Connie. I think they should hear our raves as well as our complaints. Keeps them wanting to do good/better.

That was great of Blue Bunny to reimburse you like that Patti. As they should.

I just called Walmart and told them the roast I bought yesterday was tough and stringy. She told me to bag up what was left and bring it plus the packaging and my receipt. What? I was a little surprised at that but by golly, I'm gonna do it. I dug the package out of the trash and I have the receipt and their gonna love my ziploc baggie of roast that's coming their way. Sheesh.

What a shame about that roast Jen. I'd be letting them hear about that too. Our Sam's is a long way from us, so it's never convenient when we need to shop there. Now that gasoline is so much higher, it's really a decision we have to consider. Our Walmart is right up the road, but I hear ya on their meat sometimes. That's too much of an expense to not be satisfied with.

Glad Dial at least sent you some coupons, but an explanation would have been nice too.

I emailed Playtex last year about a bra I had just bought & washed once when the whole side of it developed tiny holes that eventually turned into long tears. I was so mad because it was not a cheap bra. I wrote to them & they sent me a new bra, no questions asked.

Good for you Judy! They should have sent you a new bra.

I'm very happy for you too Jen. I'm sure you will get your money back from Walmart.

I should do it more. One time I found a foreign object in a jar of instant coffee, I think Taster's Choice. This was a long time ago, but they replied in a way that satisfied my complaint; I can't remember exactly what they did.
Our local grocery store, Publix, is excellent about refunding money when there is a problem with a product.

Thanks Summer. It just seems a little strange to be toting in a cooked roast to Walmart. The greeter is gonna wonder how weird I am.

You know, cooked & refrigerated roast just ain't too purty! Especially with some gravy on it. I left a couple of mushroom slices on top for garnish. lol

Yes I had bought a bag of sunflower seeds a few years ago and almost the whole bag was rotten seeds. They sent me a big bag of seeds for free

I emailed a complaint to WalMart about a cashier's attitude and the fact that when I called the store, the phone rang and rang, with no answer.

I got a phone call from the district manager 2 days later, first apologizing for the delay because I hadn't put my phone number in the email, and they had to look it up!

Thanks for the nudge Summer! I just emailed Nature's Hand and told them how much I love that granola.

Now after reading DD Yankeegirls post, maybe I should email Giant brand sunflower seeds and tell them how much I enjoy their seeds. LOL I quit smoking and they make long trips enjoyable again! LOL

That's the way McCloud and I quit smoking Connie, with sunflower seeds. Well, them and the patch. LOL Glad you decided to let the folks know how much you enjoy their product. I'll have to look for that granola.

Jen, I hear ya on hauling in a cooked w/gravy roast. Too funny. I'd love to see the look on the greeter's face. It's gonna be good!

Oh, there's been a few clerks I'd like to have turned in a time or two Monica. I should have done it too. Some people just shouldn't work with the public.

Glad Tasters Choice paid off Lynne. Our United grocery chain is really good about refunds and exchanges too.

A free bag of sunflower seeds! That's what I'm talking about yankeegirl.

I have on several occasions.....the last being a South Beach Breakfast burrito. I had gotten a coupon for a free trial and it was so nasty tasting I had to throw them away.
I e-mailed them, telling them it was free so I didn't want any money or another coupon but just to let them know their product was lacking.
The reply I got was it must have been after the product left the company and was stored incorrectly at the market. They sent two coupons for free South Beach products and I got some other ones which were OK.
I e-mail my Senators and Representatives quite a bit, too.
Two out of three always respond.

I emailed a complaint to Governer Corazine, from his web page, about my frustration with the Department of Taxation and a refund for witheld taxes when I sold a house in NJ.

I received a return email within 24 hours, with a promise to have someone look into it. About a week later, a paper letter in the mail from him, saying that the problem was solved, and I would get my refund check shortly.
A day or two later, I received the check, and in a separate mailing, a letter of apology from the Director of the Dept of Taxation.

And I don't even live in the state.

Yes I do. I too have had problems with Walmart in their photo dept and got a call from the manager. Prices were mismarked on size, but the next time I went in, new signs were up.
Yep, I let our politiatans know, but then one of our state reps is also a local farmer and we see him alot and I try to be positive because he does try.
Interesting remark he made--he gets a ton of emails but very few letters.
I have stopped buying Sarah Lee products as they seemed to have changed the quality of their products. Like the Hot Dog buns, their bread falls apart too easy.
Our local food stores are really great for helping out, but will not buy any meat at WalMart.

Summer, I don't normally complain but your post prompted me to write to Belk's to complain about the towels I just bought. I was so disappointed in them. Washed them on a gentle cycle as instructed. They generated a TON on lint! I had to empty the lint filter on the dryer every 10 minutes. Sure glad I washed them separately. Then when they were dry I noticed that the sides had already come unraveled so I had to cut that off. These have not even been used yet. I should have just taken them back but I didn't. This is the third set of towels I have bought in the past 6 months and I don't like any of them. :(
~Betsy

Before the WWW and Email, I was pretty reluctant to write...if it was major and lots of money involved I did...now it's very easy to fire off a note and I find the nicer I am about complaining the more receptive they are to listening..."The squeaky wheel gets the oil"...On the other side of the fence...my company used to roll over at every little complaint...we shelled out 600.00 for a pair of shoes a man said I had rolled the beverage cart over his foot...there is no way that could have happened cause the wheels are up under the cart...AND that cart weighs 250 pounds...it would have BROKE his foot...but we sent him a check for 600.00 to replace his shoes...(which he obviously tore up somewhere else)...it really griped me cause I KNOW I didn't run over his foot...if I had even come close to his foot I would have known it, admitted it and taken my lumps...

Nowdays there are to many scammers out there trying to get something for nothing...companies are finally wising up and not just opening their checkbook...so sometimes legitimate complaints may get ignored...if you got a true gripe, stay on them!!

I don't email the companies but I do call the 800 numbers. My Scrubbing Bubbles Shower machine stopped working after about 6 months. They sent me a coupon good for up to $25 on the purchase of a new machine and coupons for refills.
I also take things back to my grocery store when they don't meet my expectations. The other day I purchased a watermelon and the bottom of the plastic bag torn in the parking lot and the watermelon fell out. I went back in the store and they gave me another watermelon which was really bad, I had to throw it out Today I am going in with my receipt to get my money back.

I haven't e-mailed Outback Steakhouse, but I've been intending to send them a snail mail unless I can find an e-mail address for the one particular steakhouse. The times I think to do it have been inconvenient and for some reason I don't think to even put it on my to-do list.
Anna's Monday TaeKwonDo classes were 4:45 to 5:30. ( They've changed now ) She got home from school at about 4:30. As soon as she got home she changed clothes and off we went. She was also on a special team at her Martial Arts class and their practice class was evey Monday night from 7 til about 8:30. I often bought take out food on that day. Bob usually wanted something from Outback. For 12 weeks straight the order was either wrong or yucky. They cooked the steak medium rare instead of medium well, wrong salad dressing or no salad dressing, wrong fixins for the baked potatoes, etc. I was aggravated, but didn't think of it again until the next Monday when Bob asked me to order something for him again. I didn't check the orders as I got them because for some reason I kept thinking surely it would be right this time and I was usually in a rush. We've eaten in the restaurant many times and have had no complaints. I wonder if it is just something freaky and we are the only ones getting the bad food or if they are mesing up everyone's orders. If they are, maybe no one is complaining and that's why they are still in business. I can't believe I've let this go this long. I'm glad you started this thread. I'm going to take care of this little matter right now.
Here's a picture of the yummy baked potato I brought home one evening. The black part was almost 1/2 of the potato. How could they not notice?
Linda

{{!gwi}}

I took a picture of one of the potatoes we got

I guess I would if I really had something to complain about, but so far, we've either been really happy with everything we've bought or we've taken care of it in person. I do write complimentary letters, though, commending good employees or service.

I think the last letter of complaint I sent was about 20 years ago.

That is one nasty looking tater, Linda! Blech. I'd find a new restaurant, if I were you. How many chances are you going to give 'em?

EWWWWW Linda.That is gross! That would have ruined my whole dinner.LOL
I don't usually write companies with complaints but I do complain at Wal-mart and places where I buy take out and at restaurants if they don't get my order right.Just last Friday we went through the drive through at the local Chicken express.We get food there at least once a week.I ordered a family order of the corn fritters and when we got home it wasn't in the bag.It was late,I was hungry and didn't call them and tell them it was missing.Last night we went again and I told the girl what happened.She asked if I called and spoke to a manager and I told her no.Didn't even think they would do anything about it at that point.When we got home with our food there was a family order of corn fritters in the bag.So I guess it is good to complain even a week later.I have gotten a free meal at restaurants many times for little things that I really would not have expected any compensation for but that I thought should be called to their attention.Most places appreciate that kind of thing especially if you are nice about it.

I really liked a pair of Ked shoes that I bought a few years ago, but could never find them again. So I emailed the company, expressing my wish to purchase them aain. I got a return message, telling me they had scoured their warehouses, but could not find any either. I got a good chuckle out of it anyway....imagining them searching and searching for the shoes.

I also complained to Duracell, I think it was, about the little "handle" they put on their hearing aid batteries. They responded that they had, before the new design, done a survey of users to see if that would be a good idea. Yeah, right!!

I got my $12.02 back. And interestingly, when I was talking to the greeter who was putting the return sticker on it, she said she doesn't buy the meat at Walmart either. Now, how bad is that?!

Summer, those don't even look like hot dog buns...they look more like baguettes. Or little baseball bats! lolol

One time i wrote K-Mart to complain about a commercial on TV that had spiders crawling on people when they were camping. It gave me the creeps since I hate spiders. They took the commercial off really fast so I'm sure lots of people complained.
Pat

I email comments, both good & bad all the time. Recently, my DS & I received terrible service at a Red Robin. Email them and someone called me back 2 days later. Got a great gift card from them. We will give them another try.

Oh my, that potato is nasty Linda! I can't believe they couldn't tell how rotten it was before even baking it. ugh!

I'm glad so many of you take the initiative to let the companies know when you've gotten bad service or products. Or, good for that matter! After reading this thread, I'm going to try and be better about also letting them know when I really like a product or service. I think that's very important too.

Thanks for all of the responses and telling us of your experiences. I think it helps to share these things.