Smith's Food and Drug

Dear Smith's Food and Drug,

While I was at Smith's I was excited to find cookies in the discount bakery section. They were only 49 cents. It was internally jumping for joy at the thought of cookies for such a cheap amount and placed the package in my cart. As I was examining the receipt at home, I noticed that the cookies rang up as $1.99. Tears came to my eyes thinking about my great deal on cookies gone awry. I would have noticed the error as the item was scanned at the store, but the cashier was so quick that I was still putting items on the belt when the cookies were scanned and didn't notice the error. Upon examination of the cookies, the price tag on the bottom of the cookie package said $1.99 and rang up as donuts (as printed on the receipt). The top sticker was the one stating the proper price and item name. This is not the first time I have experienced the wrong price being rung up at the register at Smith's. I would encourage you to look into finding more ways to prevent inaccurate pricing from being scanned at the register.

Thanks for your time,

Angela

BikeProvo.org

Dear BikeProvo.org,

I saw a giant banner hung across the road in Provo that stated "Bike Friendly Community. BikeProvo.org"

I have to completely disagree with this sentiment. Provo, Utah is not a bike friendly city. There are very, very few bike lanes. The stores and shops are far too spread out to be bikeable and few stores have places to chain up bikes.Most bicyclists that I've seen do not know the proper way to be a vehicle on the road. Far too many cars do not know how to share the road with bikes. Simply saying that Provo is bike friendly or wishing it, does not make it true. Provo is not bike friendly. I am not against bikes as transportation, but many things need to change before a banner should be declaring Provo as bike friendly.

Headlines on Jay Leno

 Not too long ago I sent in a headline to Jay Leno. I LOVE that segment of Jay Leno; it's my favorite. I've always wanted to find something worthy of mailing to Jay Leno. Well, as luck would have it, not only did I find something I felt should be sent to Jay Leno, but the people in charge of picking the Headlines for the segment felt that my ad was worthy of being aired. It's very exciting to me! Here is a picture of the ad I sent in and also a link to where you can watch the segment of the show. My ad is about 52 seconds into the video clip.

See the clip of the show here:

Headlines, Part 2 (12/03/12)

Keebler E.L.Fudge Cookies

I opened my package of E.L.Fudge and discovered some Fudge missing. Some of the cookies had no fudge between them and we just E.L. with no Fudge. It wasn't the whole package, just a few of the cookies, but it still saddened my chocolate-loving heart.

Hershey's Company and Reply

Side Note: Sorry I have been a little lazy with keeping up with this blog. I want to assure my readers that I have not been lazy with writing letters, just with sharing them. So I have a bit of a stock pile of letters to share. I don't want to post them all now because 1) then you, the reader, would have to spend a lot of time playing catch up and 2) I'm lazy, remember? It may take me a while to get caught up with the Have They Responded Section of the blog too.

Anyway...here is a letter to (and from) Hershey's. More will be posted in the near future. Thank you for reading. (Become a follower of the blog and tell your friends about my blog. More readers = more motivation for me to post letters and be less lazy.)

***********************

Dear Hershey Company,

Halloween is a fun holiday full of lots of candy. This obviously includes all of your Hershey products. Because of Halloween, I have eaten a lot of candy the last few days. This includes many Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in fun size - both ones that we purchased and were left over from passing out to trick-or-treaters and from my daughter's pumpkin from her own trick-or-treating. One thing that my family noticed about the Reese's is that the chocolate on the bottom of the peanut butter cups has stuck to the liner in every package. Every. Single. One. The chocolate gets pulled away from the peanut butter and then we have to either lick the paper liner or throw away a significant amount of chocolate. Either way, it's saddening. This isn't something that has always happened either. When I was a child, this was not an issue. Just wanted to bring this to your attention. Thanks for listening (or rather - thanks for reading.)


**********************

Dear Angela,

Thank you for contacting us about REESE'S Peanut Butter Cup Candy. We are glad to learn you have enjoyed our product since you were a child; however, we are sorry to learn of your disappointment and we appreciate you bringing this to our attention.

We believe the product you have purchased was exposed to excessive heat and/or humidity somewhere in distribution. These conditions can affect the texture and flavor of the product and can cause the chocolate to adhere to the paper cup. To help our products reach you in good condition, we have printed instructions on our shipping cases to inform all distributors of the proper handling and storage of our products.

Please call us at our toll free number, 1-800-468-1714, weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 4 p.m. ET to provide us with the complete purchase location. We are also requesting that you provide us with the UPC and manufacturing code from your packaging. Refer to Reference Number 008578188A and any one of our representatives will be able to assist you.

We apologize for the problem you experienced with our product. You will receive reimbursement by postal mail in two weeks.

We appreciate your loyalty as a consumer.

Jean

Consumer Representative

Cornbelly's

The family went to Cornbelly's Corn maze in Lehi today. It was a lot of fun. To save a couple dollars, we ordered our tickets online. When ordering the tickets, there is a place to put where you heard about Cornbelly's. Ryan wrote this response:

I had a vision of two paths one lead to tree with a plaque that said Cornbelly’s. The other path lead to a tree that had a plaque reading "Eternal doom". I took the path to the Cornbelly's tree. I partook of the fruit and it was exceedingly good like unto sweet nectar. I watched others go down the path to eternal doom. I heard their agonizing screams of torment, and my soul was harrowed up for their pain. But the pain was fleeting as an overwhelming sense of love and peace filled every fibre of my being as I partook of the Cornbelly fruit. I awoke renewed, full of vigor, with a song in my heart. A song that started soft and low like a whispering child, and then rose with crescendo, overtook my whole being. That song pierces my soul to this day, “C-O-R-N, B-E-L-L-Y-S. I know deep in my personage that I must bring me and my whole family to the light that is Cornbelly’s.

Suave

To Whom It May Concern:
I am a big fan of your Suave hair care products. It is the shampoo and conditioner brand that I use exclusively. I would like to suggest that you increase the size of your bottles of shampoo and conditioner - especially the "family size" bottles. The "regular" size is 15 oz and the "family size" is 22.5 oz. An extra 5.5oz doesn't seem like enough more product to consider it "family size." Furthermore, shampoo and conditioner are products that are going to get used frequently to the point that a family (even a small family or even a single person) would benefit from having larger shampoo and conditioner bottles. Please consider selling larger bottles of your hair care products like a lot of other brands do. It would just be simpler I think for everyone and then "family size" might actually have a real meaning on the label instead of being an artificial buzzword that doesn't really help the consumer.
Sincerely,
Angela Baarz

McDonald's - yet another letter

I was all excited to go to McDonald's today to get a happy meal with a Paul Frank toy. I was soooo sad when I got home and my toy was a lame Victorious toy from months ago. I know I am an adult and happy meals are mostly meant for kids, but I wanted the Paul Frank toys and that was my entire reasoning for ordering a happy meal. But instead of getting the toys that are currently being promoted, I got one from May. Had I known that I would be getting an old toy, there is no way I would have ordered my happy meal to begin with or had even gone to McDonald's for lunch at all.

***Author's Note: No judging me for ordering a Happy Meal... and then being disappointed for not receiving the current toy... and then writing a letter about it. I'm a little embarrassed about it, but to keep the blog genuine, I had to post it even if it makes me look a little juvenile....okay, a lot juvenile.***

McDonald's Reply

Hello Angela:

Thank you for contacting McDonald's. We always enjoy hearing from our valued customers, and we're delighted to know you like our french fries.

Be assured that at McDonald's, we continually review our menu to ensure that we serve the products that our customers will enjoy most. As appropriate, our Menu Management team makes changes or enhancements to our menu. We strive to satisfy the tastes of the nearly 50 million people we serve each day.

Since it's ultimately our customers who decide what products are offered at McDonald's, your comments are especially important to us. I've shared them with our Menu Management team for their ongoing evaluation of our menu.

Again, thank you for contacting McDonald's. We look forward to serving you for many years to come.

Megan

McDonald's Customer Response Center

Lansinoh Reply Part II

Dear Ms. Angela Baarz,

Please accept this letter as a formal apology from Lansinoh Labs, Inc. for any inconvenience you may have experienced due to your dissatifaction with the performance of our Milk Storage Bags. It has always been our goal to facilitate and nurture the wonderful relationship that develops between mothers and babies during breastfeeding. Please accept this refund along with our sincerest regrets. Thank you for your continued support of Lansinoh.

Best Regards,
Consumer Relations

***Author's Note: This letter was received via USPS. I received it over a month ago, but just haven't posted it to the blog until now. The letter also included a refund check for $15.***

University Mall

To Whom It May Concern:
I was at University Mall today with my 9 month old daughter and was disappointed at the lack of accommodations for mothers with young children. First, the south side doors that we entered through were labeled with the handicapped symbol that indicates there is a button you can push to open the doors automatically. However, I was unable to find a button to push. I had a stroller to push through the doors and opening doors and pushing a stroller at the same time is tricky. I suggest double checking that the buttons to open mall entrances and exits are present and functioning - maybe I'm just blind? Second, the restrooms near the playground area had no changing table. The counters were big enough to change my daughter's diaper on, but if someone else had been in the bathroom at the same time as we were, there would not have been room for everyone at the counter. It would be nice if changing tables were installed at least in the restrooms by the play area. Thank you for considering my suggestions.
Sincerely,
Angela Baarz

Burger King/Wendy's/McDonald's

Dear Burger King,
I just wanted to say that I am saddened by the change of your new fry recipe. I miss the crispyoutsidesoftinside fries that made your fries the best of the fast food chains. Sadly your new recipe is not up to par. You have lost my loyalty to McDonald's.
Sincerely,
Angela Baarz

************************

Dear Wendy's,
I just wanted to say that I am saddened by your change to natural cut fries. I miss the old fries immensely. Potato peelers were invented for a reason and I feel like "natural cut" is a fancy way of say "we are too lazy to take the skins off." You have lost my loyalty to McDonald's.
Sincerely,
Angela Baarz

************************

Dear McDonald's,
I just wanted to say thank you for not changing your fry recipe. Your competitors Burger King and Wendy's have recently changed their fry recipes and I no longer enjoy the fries of your competitors. You have the tastiest of the fast food fries and I hope you do not follow behind the others and change your fries into a lesser version. Burger King and Wendy's have lost my loyalty and McDonald's is now the sole owner of my fast-food-french-fry-loyalty.
Sincerely,
Angela Baarz

Fort Zumwalt School District

***To preface this letter: This letter was written by my mother to the school district that my siblings and I attended and that my mothers now works for. Names and salaries have been marked out as by request of my mom. Both the original letter and the response my mom recieved are included.***

 

Dear **********:

I am a substitute teacher for the Fort Zumwalt School District.  I also enjoy being  the accompanist for South Middle School’s and Dubray Middle School’s music departments, working closely with Mr. ********** at South Middle School and Mrs. ********** at Dubray Middle School.

My problem is that I often have to give up or not accept a substitute teaching job because I have a commitment to rehearse with the choirs.  Sometimes, I give up an entire day of substitute teaching pay to play for 1-4 hours on the piano for a lower rate.  The schedules are often haphazard or random because of when the choirs meet. 

I understand that the pay for accompanists has been $**/hour for around 17 years now.  I am also limited to 100 hours per year per school.  Not only that, I do not get compensated for the time I spend practicing outside of school.  If I include practice hours in my 100 hours, there is less time that I can actually play with the students.   I give private piano lessons for more than twice the rate of accompanist’s pay.   Substitute teacher pay has risen during the same time period.   I feel that I have received as much training during my lifetime to play the piano as I have to be a substitute teacher.  My recommendation is that accompanist pay be equivalent to substitute teacher pay and follow the same increases as substitute pay.

I think the district will find it increasingly more difficult to find accompanists who are willing and skilled enough to accompany given the irregular schedule and pay that are currently in place.  It needs to be someone who is very flexible with their time, as well as someone who is not in it for the money.

Two years ago, I wrote and asked for an increase in pay and was told that it was not possible at that time.  I was also told that I could write again later and request a raise.   As a substitute teacher, I learned that staff pay has received an increase this year.   I would think it only fair that accompanist pay also receive an increase.   I would appreciate knowing your thoughts on this subject and if this is something that could be implemented for the 2012-2013 school year.   Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

**********

 

 

 

**********,

Thank you for your service to the district.  I talked with the superintendent and at this time, accompanist pay won’t change.  I do appreciate your email and  have passed that along to the Superintendent.  Thank you.

**********

Why Sheldon Cooper Would Like My Blog

Breyer's Reply Part II

Dear Angela Baarz,

Thank you for contacting us regarding Breyers Rocky Road Frozen Dairy Dessert. We are very sorry to learn you had this experience.

Our company is dedicated to marketing products of only the highest quality and safety. Providing superior products at competitive prices is our commitment to you. We are concerned when we hear of a problem involving one of our products and will share your comments with the appropriate staff.

We regret any inconvenience this situation may have caused you. Please accept the enclosed with our sincere appreciation for using our products. If you have any additional questions or comments, please call us at our toll-free number or visit our website.

Sincerely,

Chris Green
Consumer Response Representative

***Author's Note: This letter was received via USPS. Inside the envelope with the letter was a voucher for a free container of Breyer's Ice Cream. Also note that this letter is identical to the one about the Dove Body Wash.***

Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash (Plus Reply)

This ad has always bugged me because (as I have written on the ad) the product just looks like it is watered down. More to be silly than anything else I took the ad, wrote what I think on it, and mailed it to the company (Unilever). I wasn't really expecting anything to come from it, but today I opened my mailbox and....a response from Unilever. It went as follows:

Dear Ms. Angela Baarz,

Thank you for contacting us regarding Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash. We are very sorry to learn you had this experience.

Our company is dedicated to marketing products of only the highest quality and safety. Providing superior products at competitive prices is our commitment to you. We are concerned when we hear of a problem involving one of our products and will share your comments with the appropriate staff.

We regret any inconvenience this situation may have caused you. Please accept the enclosed with our sincere appreciation for using our products. If you have any additional questions or comments, please call us at our toll-free number or visit our website.

Sincerely,

Chris Green
Consumer Response Representative

***Author's Note: This letter was received via USPS. Inside the envelope with the letter were several coupons including a voucher for a free Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash.***

Provo School District

                                                                                                August 17, 2012

Dear Provo City Schools,

In the mail yesterday (August 16, 2012) I received the Registration and School Information Newsletter. One of the sections in the newsletter contained information regarding Provo eSchool. It sounds like an innovative program. There was information about a Back to School Night on August 15. I was disappointed that I was invited to this event the day after it was held. Luckily my daughter is too young for this to be vital information to me, but it was disappointing to receive an invitation to the interactive overview of the Provo eSchool a day late. Please consider inviting members of the community to these events before the event is held.

Sincerely,

Angela Baarz

P.S. I am having a birthday party. You are invited. It was yesterday. Hope you can come!

***Author's Note: This letter was sent via USPS.***

Breyer's Reply

Hello ANGELA BAARZ,

Thank you for contacting us.

We do apologize for the experience you reported concerning our Breyers Rocky Road Frozen Dairy Dessert.

Please understand that the condition you've reported does not represent our usual quality. All of our manufacturing and packaging operations are strictly supervised. Products are inspected throughout manufacturing and filling processes to ensure they reach consumers in perfect condition.

We will forward your comments to our Brand Manager and Quality Assurance staff and we'll be happy to send a complimentary coupon via US Postal Service.

Sincerely,

Your friends at Breyers

Breyer's Ice Cream

(Sent to Unilever)

I purchased a container of Breyer's Rocky Road Ice Cream the other day. The container was labeled "Now with 20% more marshmallow swirl." I just wanted to comment that if there is now 20% more marshmallow swirl in the ice cream, there must have been a extremely sad amount of marshmallow swirl before the 20% more was added; there was barely any marshmallow swirl in my ice cream. I didn't mind because frankly the marshmallow is my least favorite part of Rocky Road ice cream; I only bought that flavor because none of the other flavors were calling out my name. But if the marshmallow was my favorite part, I would have been exceptionally disappointed with the amount of marshmallow - especially since it had been advertised as having more than it used to. Maybe consider increasing the amount of marshmallow cream again? Or maybe my batch somehow didn't get as much as it should have?

McDonald's Reply

Hello Angela:

Thank you for contacting McDonald's to let us know about your recent dissatisfaction during the McDonald's 2012 USA Wins Game. We are truly sorry that we disappointed you.

It is always our hope that the games and promotions we offer will be fun for our customers. However, we know that enjoying our promotions is directly influenced by your satisfaction with your entire McDonald's restaurant experience.

Again, we are sorry that we have let you down. We appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention because we know that it is our most loyal customer who takes the time to let us know when we've disappointed them. You should know that we carefully record all customer feedback on our promotions and share this information with our Marketing and Operations departments. Our goal is to continually improve how we execute these games so that all of your visits to McDonald's are enjoyable.

We value your business and hope we have the pleasure of serving you soon at McDonald's.

Sara
McDonald's Customer Response Center

ref#:9128436

Jimmy John's Reply

Angela,

 

Thank you for the great feedback, we will share this with the team.

Thanks for writing!

Issa

Jimmy John's

Today was my first time ever going to Jimmy John's. I ordered the #4 Turkey sandwich and I just have to say: YUM!!!! I was extremely please with my sandwich. It was delicious!!! The turkey was wonderful and the bread was divine. I apologize for not being a loyal customer sooner. But have no fear; now that I know what I have been missing, I shall return again and again.

McDonald's

Twice now - at two different locations - I have gone to McDonald's and ordered a medium strawberry banana smoothie but my cup has not had a "Win When USA Wins Gold" game piece on it. The only reason I ordered the smoothies (as opposed to a cheaper soft drink) was because your website and the menus at the drive through say that game pieces come on the medium strawberry banana smoothies. There were game pieces on the fries that I ordered at the same time, but not on the smoothies. Now I am sad because I have fewer chances to win a prize.

Lansinoh Reply

First I would like to apologize to you for the unpleasant experience you are having with our Milk Storage Bags.  Unfortunately this sounds like a manufacturers defect and I would like to thank you very much for notifying us of this problem.  I can only imagine how frustrating and disappointing this must have been for you.  This company was founded over 20 years ago by a breastfeeding mother for the sole purpose of supporting breastfeeding and I am so sorry that one of our products has not only failed to make things easier for you but has created quite the opposite.  It takes an enormous commitment to breastfeed, even more of a commitment to provide breastmilk in your absence.  To know that a product of ours has challenged you even further is a terrible thing for you and for all of us here at Lansinoh.

Do you by chance still have the inspection code that would have been printed on the outside of the white pouch?  

I would like to compensate you somehow for your loss, we can get a new supply of bags sent to you or if you prefer, a refund.  Again, I am sorry for the trouble this has caused and if you have any questions or if I could be of any further assistance please feel free to contact me.  I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Kesha H., CLC

Consumer Relations

800-292-4794

 ******************************

Thank you for replying. Its nice to know there are people out there that are understanding about enormous commitment that breast feeding is. Unfortunately I do not still have the white pouch with the inspection code; I'm sure it would be helpful to you to have that information but sadly I cannot be of assistance. Thank you so much for the offer of compensation. A refund would be wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to help me with this issue.

Sincerely,

Angela Baarz

*************************************

Angela,

Thank you for your reply.  Please allow 1-2 weeks to receive the refund.

Sincerely,

Kesha H., CLC

Consumer Relations

800-292-4794

Lansinoh

I have been exclusively pumping and then bottle feeding my daughter for months now. I have used your breastmilk storage bags and have loved the bags very much up to this point. They are the cheapest bags I can find and work just as well as all the other more expensive brands. Lately though, when I have been defrosting milk that I have frozen, I have found holes in multiple bags resulting in leaking as the milk defrosts and the worry of unsanitary milk. Since I use the frozen milk in the order I freeze it, and these holes are being found in bags that I defrost close to one another, it is likely that there was a problem with a box of bags that I purchased several months ago. Your website states that will replace defective products. I would appreciate it if I could get a replacement box of storage bags to compensate for the bags that had holes in them. Thank you for helping to remedy this situation. Again, thank you for making storage bags of high quality but lower cost available.

Dish Network Reply

Dear Ms. Baarz,
 

Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We apologize for the inconvenience regarding the new software update. We’d be glad to note this on your account. The software and hardware engineers are constantly looking for ways to improve and/or upgrade our current systems. We appreciate your input and will pass on your suggestions to the appropriate parties. Please continue to monitor our website for any further developments on upcoming changes and new features.

If you would prefer to chat online instead of email, please visit mydish.com/chat to start a live chat with a customer service representative.

Please be advised that you can also manage your account by visiting www.MyDISH.com.

Thank you for your email.

Sincerely,

Anna S. FXS

TID:OR-Cadillac

DISH eCare

Original Letter can be found here.

Dish Network

To Whom It May Concern:
I noticed that the software on my Dish receiver has recently been updated. It is great to know that you are constantly working on your product to be the best quality you can make it. However, since the update, every time I push my DVR button on my remote, when the screen goes to the Dish On Demand screen, the option that is automatically highlighted in now "Cancel" when it used to be "My Recordings." It may sound like a small thing, but it has really thrown me off. I am used to pushing my DVR button and then "select" on the remote to go to my DVR schedule. But now I push the DVR button and then "select" results in me canceling my selection. It would be great if this could be put back to the way it was before. It doesn't make sense to me that "Cancel" would be the automatic choice since the user pushed the DVR button most likely not on accident. I just wanted to bring this to your attention so you can continue to improve the software. I think it would benefit all users if this feature was returned to its original setting and make DVR and remote usability easier and better.

Reply can be found here.

Pizza Hut

Dear Pizza Hut,

I was very disappointed with the stuffed crust pizza that I ordered tonight. The first thing I noticed while eating my pizza was that it smelled odd. My best guess as to the cause of the smell was raw dough. The pizza was also undercooked (which is why I suspect the dough as the source of the smell). I quickly regretted my decision to order Pizza Hut instead of Papa Johns where the crust and taste is consistent.

I was also disappointed with the P'zolo. It was A LOT smaller than I expected it to be and it took several bites to get to the meat in the center. It was actually refreshing to eat the crust on the P'zolo because it tasted the way I expected the crust on my pizza to taste. But I don't plan to order another P'zolo anytime soon.

My last complaint is about the "Hut Lovers Camp". I signed up for that promotion for the first time but never received an e-mail with the code for my free stuffed pizza rollers. It made me sad. I hope this input helps you improve your pizza.

Sincerely,
Angela

Welcome to my blog

Have you ever had a bad experience with a company? Have you ever said to yourself "I should write a strongly worded letter to them." I actually do write letters. I love the "Contact Us" section of company websites and actually send in my feedback. I've sent letters to McDonald's, Arby's, Annette Lyon (an author), Walmart and others.

And not all of my letters are complaints. Sometimes I write about the good experiences I have.

And I've actually received responses from companies as well. McDonalds even sent a gift card to compensate me for the hassle and messed up order I encountered.

 I've decided to make a blog posting the letters that I write. Enjoy!