Has a Company Ever Acted on Your Complaint or Suggestion?

A grocery store chain in our area gives 10 cents off for gas for every $50 of grocery purchases, and then you redeem your discount at their little gas stations.  They recently put one of the gas stations in the middle of the parking lot at the plaza where the grocery store is in my town. Anyone can buy gas there, whether redeeming discounts from the grocery store or not.

When I got gas there a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that the only place they had an electronic display sign showing the price of gas was on the back side of the roof of the gas station building - so you could only see the price of their gas if you were coming out of the grocery store.

I happened to need gas, so after I was done pumping I mentioned this to the attendant. I told him I knew it wasn't his decision, but why in the world would they not have a sign facing the road so people driving by would know how much their gas was?  (Their gas is often cheaper than the other two places in town.) He agreed with me and said he would pass it on to the powers that be.

Well, low and behold, the sign is now on the front of the building, facing the road! I don't know if it was just my suggestion or if other people said something, but it was changed! Has a company ever acted on a suggestion or complaint that you've made?

I've gotten companies or individuals to act many times.  I'm a letter-writer, a caller, and a complainer!  

Two neighbors & I worked relentlessly on getting a city ordinance changed....and we succeeded, much to the delight of the whole neighborhood.  Last week, I caught up with a city worker in the parking lot of the grocery store.  I told him about a pothole that was bugging me, and he whipped out his cell phone & called it right in to his supervisor.  The hole was filled the next day!  I've gotten stop lights fixed, signs replaced, and I even pointed out that they had the speed limit one number on one side of the road & something else on the other!  

I can't count the number of times I've called a company about a product, either with praise or with panning.  Sometimes I'll get coupons or something back, but often I just get to leave my comments.  I remember calling Crisco years & years ago, asking why shortening didn't come in a measurable stick like butter (I hated measuring shortening in a measuring cup!).  It now comes that way.  So maybe I "invented" stick Crisco??    LOL!

Summer74:

I've gotten companies or individuals to act many times.  I'm a letter-writer, a caller, and a complainer!  

Good for you!  I've done a lot of letter writing and calling, but the most result I've seen is getting free coupons - this was the first time (that I can remember) that I could actually see a change directly related to my comment.

Summer74:

  So maybe I "invented" stick Crisco??    LOL!

Hmmm, then you should ask where your royalty checks are, lol. 

 I am a letter writer too.. I don't so often call but I will write the letter.. I have many times gotten free coupons...just a few months ago I got home with a package of "expensive" hamburger buns(these were the $3.89 for 8 kind)  and I only had 7 buns in the package... I wrote.. and got coupons for 15 packages of their bread products good for up to $5.00 each...needless to say I have a freezer full of goodies! 

Summer.. We have a pothole Hotline here*LOL* if you call they have 24 hours to fix it.. I know the number by heart!!! 

I write letters and emails as well. I usually try to say something positive in there before launching into my tirade! lol ... The one that sticks out in my mind was the last time we went to Shoney's; the manager was rude to the point of embarrassing us over something, and I vowed never to set my foot in another Shoney's as long as I live. DH emailed them, and so did I. That manager was told what the policy was, from what I was told, and they apologized profusely. No sense in sending coupons, because I still haven't walked into a Shoney's since then, and I never will. I was surprised they wrote back to us.

We were in Pizza Hut the other week,and there was only 1 gal working the tables.  As you can imagine,the service was HORRIBLE.  We ended up eating off napkins,never did get a refill on our drinks,food served almost cold,then we we went to pay,using a debit card,no one knew how to use it!  Finally a cook out of the back figured it out.  Needless to say,that very day,Pizza Hut got an email from me.   A few days later,I got a call from the District Manager,saying how sorry he was,and he ended up giving me a 25.00 credit to Pizza Hut.  Still haven't used it,but it's nice to know if I want Horrible service again,I won't have to pay for it.  

I do sometimes provide suggestions, give feedback and even complain about a product or just something that I strongly felt was not right. It easier than ever to voice your opinion because most chain restaurants and stores have websites that allow you to send suggestions and comments. My comments are not always negative. I have been known to send a compliment either about a store or an employee that went above and beyone what I expected. I once had a long conversation with the manager of a local pizza chain. The service was horrible and was getting worse. One evening while waiting in line to pick up an order I had called in, I realized that what was going on was absolutely ridiculous. They would have people waiting on their pizzas and instead of giving the pizzas coming out of the oven to the people waiting on them that had already gone thru the line or called in an order they would give the food to the next person ordering it. Needless to say they had some irate people waiting around that lobby, myself included. I'm talking an hour and a half wait for pizza that I called in before I left work. He promised to get it straightened out and it seems that he did. He insisted on giving me 2 free pizzas next time I went in.After I had a chat with the manager things really improved, they recently added a drive up window. One of our local Walmart stores had neglected their fish tanks to the point that there were dead fish floating and the pet dept smelled awful. After witnessing some kids that were sad that the fish were all dead I contacted Walmart and complained about the fact that obviously the fish were not being taken care of and informed them that maybe they should not sell fish if they were not going to take care of them properly. The situation improved after I spoke with the manager and I still check on the fish every now and then. I don't think that enough people make the effort to complain.

Yes!  Some years ago Kroger opened a Signature Store in a very upscale neighborhood close to us.  Everything was fine for about a year and then they got a new  Store Manager who in turn hired a new Produce Manager.  The produce department went downhill fast and I constantly complained to the them about it.  Old and inedible produce, and they were terrible about putting prices out.  I would have to ask several times each trip the prices of things.

One day I bought some Swiss Chard and when I unwrapped it at home it was dreadful on the inside of the bunch - almost rotting.  I got on their website and wrote a scathing letter to them.  I made it clear I did NOT want anything free, I just want to buy good, fresh produce and have the damn prices for it up.

Three days later I got a call from the Produce Manager at the store who asked me to come in and talk to him and walk around and point out what I felt was wrong.  I did, and spent an hour pointing out things to him.   The situation only improved after he was replaced.  Now it's lovely again.

Good job, making a positive change!

Some years back, a new, fancy supermarket opened near me.  Guess they thought it was 'cute' to have a fake thunderstorm (flashing lights, thunder sounds) everytime the produce sprinkler came on--and as usual, the produce section was right near the front door, so it was impossible to shop without encountering this light show.  I wrote them about the migraines strobe lights cause me, and others, and got a nice answer, and they STOPPED using the flashing lights in the store.  Good thing--I'd decided it wasn't worth shopping there if everytime I did I came home with a migraine.

Hi jellyjams,

Glad to hear your suggestion was taken. It does make sense to have a sign face the road, where most people can see it -- your idea was a good one.

I can't always tell if my suggestions/complaints lead directly to a company's change in policy. I do send letters and email when I feel strongly about something.

I once bought a box of Hallmark stationery which had a little icon showing two sheets of paper and one envelope. There was no other information about how many sheets of paper were in the box. When I opened it, there were 21 envelopes and 20 sheets of paper. I wrote to Hallmark and told them I thought the icon was misleading. They wrote back and sent me some coupons for Hallmark merchandise. A few years later when I checked, the icon had been changed -- although I'm not sure what it looks like now. 

In general I find that small local companies will listen to complaints. My grocery store, for example. But complaining to large companies like Apple computer and Adobe is like yelling into a hurricane. They don't seem to hear me.

Nice to see you post, jellyjams.  

marasmom:

My comments are not always negative. I have been known to send a compliment either about a store or an employee that went above and beyone what I expected.

Marasmom, I do this too. Years ago I was trying to find running shoes that addressed my overpronation, and every sports store I went in to (where you would think they would know a thing or two about running shoes) the sales people would say, "Uhhh, overpronation, what's that?"  I happened to be at the mall where a new store had opened so I thought I would try there. A young woman approached me with short, spiky, purple and green hair.

I thought, "yeah, right." But I was there, so asked my question.  As she walked me over to the display wall where she plucked a shoe off the shelf, she said, "Nike has a shoe for you - see how this is built on a straight last instead of a curved last.  And notice . . ."  She proceded to sell me the perfect shoe and made some other recommendations which I followed. I wrote a long and glowing letter to that company and when I went in 6 months later to buy another pair of those shoes from her, I was told she was now a manager of her own store!  I wasn't at all surprised. (And I also learned a lesson in not stereotyping or judging a book by its cover, lol.)

saw-whet:

In general I find that small local companies will listen to complaints. My grocery store, for example. But complaining to large companies like Apple computer and Adobe is like yelling into a hurricane. They don't seem to hear me.

Saw-whet, you're right about local companies hearing you better, which reminded me that I did have another experience where a company took my suggestions.  The local office supply store where I purchase all the office supplies for my company recently started offering on-line ordering.  It was AWFUL.  The first couple of times I used it I wrote copious notes about all of things that were wrong and made at least a dozen suggestions.  Most of them were implemented within a week. It's a breeze to use now. And I did call them back and thank them.

You've mentioned supermarkets.....one of my favorite places to gripe about!  I can't stand seeing shoddy practices where food is sold.  

I'm responsible for a Stop Sale Order on several hundred dozen eggs one Easter, when I found awful chicken droppings in carton after carton.  Who knew that our county had a special egg inspector?  

I also blew the whistle to the dept. manager, the store manager, AND the health dept. when, two weeks in a row, I could place my hand directly on the surface of the hot table where rotisserie chickens were sold.  That meant the temp. had to be 100 degrees or less, nowhere near the safe range.  Twice I made them pull an entire cart full of chickens off that table.  First they claimed that someone had turned the heat off, then they said maybe it wasn't working right.  They really didn't seem concerned, though, taking their good old time to have a look.  I actually had to stand there myself & warn people not to buy a chicken while they poked around trying to find a thermometer.  That prompted me to call the health inspector, and the table's been piping hot ever since.  I'm sure he had a dandy visit due to my call. 

I found outdated OTC medicine @ my drug store recently, and called the local office of the FDA.  They have inspectors who do nothing all day but go to stores to check dates and pull merchandise if needed.  They oversee all OTC meds & infant formula.  

Sorry, but I just can't keep quiet  when I see something wrong in a store....especially not when someone's health is at stake. 

Part of my job is to sell electrical safety certifications, so I would have to say "yes" on many counts.

I do write to companies if there is a problem with their product.  For example, I bought a box of Velveeta Shells and Cheese from Sam's Club.  The box was supposed to include 5 packs of shells and 5 packs of cheese.  There was only 4 packs of cheese.  I wrote to Kraft on their website and they sent me a check in the mail for $5.99.  I didn't expect to get a check from them but it was a nice surprise. 

Sometimes it is the squeeky wheel that gets the oil. 

Take care,

Pam