Hi Michael,

Thank you for the fast response. If you’d like to call me, you can
reach me at (XXX) XXX-XXXX, however, I won’t be able to answer until
after 5:30 pm, when I am finished with work.

I am also happy to correspond via email, to which I have access all day.

As you can probably tell by the tone of my previous email (which I
started at 8 am, but due to meetings and other work concerns, couldn’t
send until nearly noon), I was pretty put off by my Wal-Mart shopping
experience.

Like I said, I understand that, according to your employee, the state
law here in Wisconsin prohibits Wal-Mart from selling items below
cost. I also understand that you are bound by that; I can’t reasonably
expect a Wal-Mart employee to break the law just because I am not
happy with the policy. However, I hope you can see that it was the
whole experience, from start to finish, that caused me to write to
you.

My wife and I have been long-time Wal-Mart shoppers and Sam’s Club
members, and to be fair, this incident was probably the breaking point
in a long line of issues and overall poor experiences while visiting
Wal-Mart stores (Sam’s Club, on the other hand, is usually a great
shopping experience).

For some time now, it seems that the customer service experience at
Wal-Mart stores has been on the decline, and after this latest
incident, I felt compelled to write, mostly to let you know that these
issues are occurring. I’m sure I’m not the only person to ever write a
complaint letter to Wal-Mart - you can’t please all of the people all
of the time - but imagine how many people have a bad experience and
don’t share it with you, but pass it on to friends and family,
tarnishing Wal-Mart’s image and reputation?

Again, I’m a reasonable person. I understand that people have bad
days, and the person who waited on me could have had other things on
her mind. We’re all human, after all. It’s just unfortunate that that
level of service is becomming the norm rather than the exception.

Thank you for your time, I know you are very busy and I appreciate
your taking the time to respond to me.

Thank you,

Jesse Lee

Always Low Prices? No, not always.

OK, before I launch into this and really get heated up, let’s get a few things out of the way.

First, I realize that I am but one little customer with almost no impact on the grand ledger sheet of Wal-Mart’s quarterly earnings.

I probably won’t even get a response to this email, because, let’s face it - customer service is dead. In my father’s (or maybe grandfather’s?) day, I would be having this conversation face-to-face with a human being who would actually listen to what I had to say. Instead, I had to search for an email address other than the generic “contact us” form on walmart.com to be able to send this. But I digress.

Second, I know that in the grand scheme of things, my complaint may not seem that important. However, it’s the principle of of the matter. I know, business principles went out the window around the same time as customer service, but if you didn’t have consumers (perhaps “former customers” is a better term) like me to act as a guidepost to indicate just where your brand image is heading … Oh, who are we kidding, you probably still don’t care.

If you’re even still reading this, here’s my complaint:

A friend called me yesterday (11/1) about an “Early Black Friday” special that Wal-Mart was advertising (a PR coup - genuine word-of-mouth buzz!). He told me that the Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD player was going on sale at 8 am on November 2, for $98. Then, I saw a TV commercial with the same info last night.

Since I figured a $98 HD-DVD player was worth the trip, I went to Wal-Mart on my way to work in West Bend, WI.

I arrived at about 7:40 and walked to the electronics section, where there were three Wal-Mart employees, milling around and not waiting on me (I don’t need to be coddled as a shopper, but a simple “how can I help you?” is usually nice). Finally, one of the women, who seemed thrilled to be working at Wal-Mart (that’s a bit of sarcasm) finally asked if I needed help.

I told her that I was there to pick up an HD-DVD player. She said, “You do realize that the sale doesn’t start until 8, don’t you?” as if I was a huge inconvenience and was there outlandishly early.

I told her I did realize that, but I’d be happy to wait. She then said, “You do realize prices are different in Wisconsin, right?” again, in a rude, brusque tone. This was news to me, and I told her so.

Again, never changing her tone, which was really beginning to get on my nerves, she said, “We’re not allowed to sell below cost in Wisconsin - it’s a state law.”

When I asked her what the price of the HD-DVD player would be, she told me it was $198. This is a far cry from the $98 price that had been advertised and written about everywhere.

Now, I understand that a law is a law, and there’s probably not much that can be done about it. My issue, however, is that I wasted my time to go to Wal-Mart for this advertised special, was treated with a complete lack of customer service (a trend that continues to grow in Wal-Mart stores), was talked to rudely for absolutely no reason, and was unapologetically given the bum’s rush.

I have since checked Wal-Mart’s website, where I saw a disclaimer that “prices may vary in WI, OK, UT, HI and Puerto Rico” - a disclaimer that I must have missed previously. However, it doesn’t say that prices will vary that widely, and it doesn’t spell out that the item is $100 more than the advertised price.

At the end of the day, I am just another frustrated consumer forced to put up with corporate shenanigans due to the decline of customer service and the distancing of company ownership from the customers who buy their goods. I’m tired of the Wal-Mart mentality, and I’m tired of wasting my time, jumping through hoops and suffering belittlement and condescension just for the “privilege” to spend my own money.

In case you accidentally delete this email, it will be available to read in its entirety on my blog at www.Complained.org.

Thank you,

Jesse Lee

At many websites, for example, it is nearly impossible to find a simple phone number to contact a a live customer service rep.

Well, here at Complained,org, we have a list of some of the most difficult phone numbers to find for some of the largest companies.

If you come across an incorrect number on this list, please let us know, and we’ll remove it and try to find the right one. And if you have a number or other pertinent contact info to add, let us know that, too.

Here you go:

Please note that not all numbers are toll-free, so you may be responsible for charges when calling some of these numbers.

Well, at Complained.org, we want to hear your story. We want to take these companies to task for having little to no customer service, yet still expecting us to shell out our hard-earned cash for our troubles.

We want them to know that so many people “complained” that it’s time for them to do something. So, if you have a story to tell, sign up and share it. This is your no-holds-barred chance to speak your mind! Email us your story at jesse@complained.org.