Amazon.com (2)

CEO: Jeffrey P. Bezos

Amazon.com, Inc.

1200 12th Ave. South, Ste. 1200

Seattle, WA 98144-2734

Dear Mr. Bezos,

My name is ###### and I am a long time user of Amazon.com.  Recently I have encountered the phenomenon where, when switching between credit cards, this box (below) comes up.

I have used Amazon.com for years with relative ease, but now I find that I frequently have to get up and re-input the security code from my credit card.  I object to the fact that I have to enter the security code to begin with, but that is beside the point.  I shouldn’t have to put it in there every day.  I believe that it also comes up when I change the RECIPIENT.  The reason people like Amazon.com is because it is convenient.  This security feature is not.  Maybe next time I get up to get my wallet I’ll just hop in the car and drive straight to Best Buy.  Please express my distaste to your colleagues.

Sincerely, 

Farr Scale Co

Thomas Farr, Owner

Farr Scale Co

417 W Main St

Hummelstown, PA 17036

Dear Mr. Farr,

I recently tried to use your penny-smashing machine at the visitor’s center for the Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour.  The penny was supposed to say “I Love You.”  Instead, all I got was a flat penny and a disappointed girlfriend.  I believe this machine is malfunctioning.  Please send a refund of 51 cents or a penny stamped “I Love You” to the address below.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Astellas Pharma US, Inc.

Masao Yoshida, CEO

Astellas Pharma US, Inc.

1 Astellas Way

Northbrook, IL 60062

Dear Mr. Yoshida,

In regard to your Protopic ointment, I have just been informed that, if I did not have insurance, I would have to pay $800 for one prescription.  Once my insurance was verified, the amount was reduced to $10.  Please do not misunderstand:  I have no love for insurance companies.  In fact, I actively despise the entire industry.  However, I think you and I both know that the amount you are charging them is obscene.  Is the secret ingredient mined on one of the moons of Jupiter?  $800 could feed a family of four for a year in a third world country, which is ironic because if I couldn’t afford this cream I’d look like I have leprosy.  “Look like” is the operative phrase here, though, because you produce an ointment that removes minor blemishes from the skin.  God help us if you found the cure to a serious condition.  A person might have to sell an organ in order to get it.

Best regards,

Comcast (2)

10/21/2013

Customer Support
Comcast Cable
1500 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102

Dear Comcast,

The modem I have is getting progressively sketchier and is always on the fritz.  Please send me a new one and a pre-paid envelope to mail the other one back in.  I will have no problem doing the self install and do not need a technician to come out.  I also request that you please do not call me via telephone.  My account # is  ######################################################################.

Sincerely,

Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium

Dr. Barbara Baker, President and CEO
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
1 Wild Place
Pittsburgh, PA 15206

7/27/13

I am writing to you in regard to my recent attempt to visit your
facilities. In my childhood, I have had many fond memories of the
Pittsburgh Zoo, and have always genuinely enjoyed its many fine
attributes. Among these, in particular, are the monkey exhibits and
the aquarium. I consider myself a fan and a life-long patron. However,
yesterday afternoon when my girlfriend and I tried to visit, we had
quite a different experience than we were expecting.

My girlfriend and I lead very busy lives and rarely have time off
together, so organizing outings of this sort are sometimes an ordeal.
We have, in the past, driven some distance to visit attractions
(Laurel Caverns), only to find them closed. As a result, we now
typically check the websites ahead of time to make sure we arrive
during operating hours. Yesterday, we checked the website and
determined that the Pittsburgh Zoo would admit patrons up until 4:30
p.m. and would then remain open until 6:00 p.m. Satisfied we had
enough time, she got changed and we hopped in the car to drive the 12
miles down to 1 Wild Place, anticipating a very, very good time.

When we arrived shortly before 4:00, we encountered a line of cars and
a teenager in Zoo attire who appeared to be having long, complicated
discussions with each person driving through. When it was our turn to
find out what instruction he was passing along, he told us the Zoo was
closed. My girlfriend, Adrian, unsurprisingly remarked, “But the
website says it is open until 6:00.” The gentleman replied, “It is,
every day but today.” We looked at each other, stupefied, waited in
line for about 20 minutes to exit the Zoo and drove the 12 miles back
home, unsatisfied.

Now, I am sure it is never a business's intention to turn away
patrons, but to unsuspectingly close in the middle of operating hours
is shocking and disappointing. I don't know what was going on in the
Zoo that day, but I certainly hope everyone who was allowed in had a
good time. I hope someday we, too, will have the opportunity to take
part in the fun at 1 Wild.

Sincerely,

Comcast

Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and CEO
One Comcast Center
Philadelphia, PA 19103

8/11/13

Dear Mr. Roberts,


I am writing to you regarding my recent experience with Comcast's online webchat. First of all, I greatly enjoyed being able to do it this way rather than via the phone. The service representative I spoke with, Nirbhay Narayan, did an excellent job, and I am very grateful for this positive experience with Comcast.

However, the purpose of my web chat was to move service to a new address, since I am moving. At first, Nirbhay wanted to send out a technician. I have had bad experiences with technicians in the past and, since I only have Internet service, Nirbhay was able to waive this and allow me to just plug the modem into the wall, which is all that needs to be done. Again, I am grateful for this.

What I don't understand is that there is a $10.00 fee for me to a modem into the wall myself. I feel I am being charged for work I am doing myself, which is ridiculous. Nirbhay said he was unable to waive this fee, and I told him I would follow up with a letter. I don't blame the representative for this, because he is unable to waive the fee. However, I think Comcast can waive this one time fee for me, and I would find it most appropriate considering I am the one doing the installation. “Installation” being connecting the modem into the wall, a two second process.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter,

Target

Gregg W. Steinhafel, CEO
Target Corporation
1000 Nicollet Mall #2950
Minneapolis, MN 55403

6/9/13

Dear Mr. Steinhafel,

It is with dismay that I write to you about my recent visit to your store at 360 Waterfront Dr E in Homestead, PA. I am typically a big proponent of Target stores and have shopped at them for most of my life with my family. However, upon my recent visit, I can't help but feel that the chain has a sense of inherent disdain and disrespect for its customers.

My girlfriend and I were shopping at Francesca's earlier that day, and she bought a new dress. Francesca's didn't have a nice sweater/top that matched it, so we went over to Target to try to find one. Upon selecting a few things to try on, we took them back towards the dressing rooms. The woman manning the dressing area documented every item before allowing us in as if we were a couple of vagrants or teenagers.

This alone I found disrespectful, but if it is the company's policy, I don't resent her for doing her job. However, when we walked back towards one of the dressing rooms, the woman barked out toward me in an aggressive tone, “You aren't allowed back here, sir!” Now, give me a break. I can't stand outside a dressing room and look at my girlfriend's outfits after she tries each one on? What kind of con job does Target think we are running here? Somehow my presence outside the room to help her select an outfit is going to interfere with the item count the store already documented?

I don't know what Target thinks I am – a thief, an ogler, a teenager? – but it sure has hell doesn't think of me as a paying customer. If it were me alone in the store being treated like this, I would have thrown down all of the items and left. Luckily for you, my girlfriend wanted the outfits, and I'll admit they are nice, but I can't stomach shopping at a place that doesn't respect its own clientèle. I thought you were running a department store, not a bail bond agency. We are your livelihood. We deserve to be treated with respect. I hope for your sake that this is an isolated case of a store having to resort to these tactics because it's located in a relatively bad area. If this is an undercurrent running through the whole chain, I can't believe people continue to shop there.

With regret,

Walmart

Mike Duke, CEO
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
702 SW 8th St
Bentonville, AR 72716

6/9/13

Dear Mr. Duke,


It is with incredulity that I write to you about my recent visit to your store at 2351 Century Dr in West Mifflin, PA. I am typically a big fan of shopping at Walmart stores, but every now and then I am completely baffled by the bizarre way they are managed. I went to this Walmart store on a Thursday night at 11:00 p.m. to pick up a few things. At this time there were two cash registered being manned. One cashier was completely occupied by a woman running some kind of extreme couponing scam who had enough stuff in her cart to stock a bunker for the end times. The other line was populated by Everyone Else. After standing in the Armageddon line for about ten minutes, I figured out that I wasn't going anywhere. Either the cashier was taking her good old time, or was just flat out baffled by how to process all of these coupons.

I took a glance at the other line, where the last (and probably 15th) person in line had a full cart of groceries. As much as I wanted hand soap and dish washing liquid for a very affordable price, I decided I wasn't willing to spend 45 minutes in line to get it, and I left my items on an end cap display. I went over to CVS where I purchased the same thing in about two or three minutes, though for several more dollars.

Now, the ridiculousness of this scenario is accentuated by the fact that there were about a hundred employees in the store stocking shelves, some making jokes and dawdling around, while 15 people stand idling in line waiting to give you money. In general, though I like the convenience of Walmart stores, when I picture them I imagine boxes and abandoned items strewn all over the place. Maybe this is part of the reason why.

Incidentally, this is not the first time I have had to abandon my items and go elsewhere, as I have done so several times at the North Versailles Walmart. This West Mifflin store is usually better, but I hope you agree that one shopper with a large quantity of items shouldn't be enough to blow out the capacity of a store to function, even if it is at an odd hour of the night.

Sincerely,

wfwrrwbwrbw

The Young and the Restless

Michael Muhney
c/o The Young and the Restless
7800 Beverly Blvd Suite 3305
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Dear Mr. Muhney,

I have been watching Y&R with my grandmother since I was a little kid, and in the past few years that she's needed me around more to take care of her, I've gotten back to watching. My favorite characters are the tough business guys, and your portrayal of Adam Newman is one of my all-time favorites. I was writing to you in hopes that you might send an autographed photo. I received one from Eric Braeden last year and my grandmother really got a kick out of it. If you get the chance, this would mean a lot to me. Hope to see you on Y&R for years to come!

Sincerely,

Houlihans

Mr. Robert Hartnett, CEO, Houlihan's Restaurants, Inc
Corporate Office & Headquarters
8700 State Line Rd
Ste. 100 Leawood KS 66206

Dear Mr. Hartnett,

It has recently come to my attention that Houlihans Restaurants values customer feedback, so I thought I would write regarding my recent visit to your Washington Road, Pittsburgh, PA location. First of all, the food was absolutely delicious, so you needn't worry. Secondly, I was using my free birthday meal card, which I am greatly appreciative of, so overall I found this a satisfying experience.

My one concern is that, upon arriving to the restaurant my date and I were told we would have quite an extensive wait. Thankfully, it didn't turn out to be more than five or ten minutes, so again, you needn't worry about that aspect of the experience. We spent these few minutes killing time at the bar. I ordered a Miller Light bottle. I wanted an IC Light, which the bar did not stock, but nobody is perfect. Once we were alerted to the fact that our table was ready, I settled up the tab for this beer so we could get on with our dinner. I paid with a $20 bill, and the bartender gave me a ten and a five in change and proceeded to dart across the bar to, undoubteduly, attend to the needs of another customer. Good service, no doubt.

My concern is that I was left with no choice but to drop a $5 bill to tip for this solitary bottle, or otherwise putz around for another five or ten minutes trying to get the bartender back to make change and look like a cheapskate in front of my date. I am not suggesting that this was done intentionally so the bartender could make extra money in tips, but it was just an awkward scenario and I ended up spending $9 for a bottle of beer I bought solely to kill time while waiting for my table.

I am not suggesting that there is any manner of recourse required for this, but just thought it was something the restaurant ought to consider. Or perhaps there should be a way to transfer the bill to the table or something like that, so the bartender can be tipped after the meal.

Thank you for your time. Again, the food was great as always.

Sincerely,