Cumberland, Maryland

Surfin' [O'Hara Township] USA

Signs

If it didn't happen, there wouldn't be a sign.

Profit Margin

Journalism.

Australia

Mr. Andrew Keith Miller
############
############
AUSTRALIA

1/9/15

Dear Mr. Miller,

I am writing to inform you that Telstra is emailing me information about your account, including your account number and address. My email address is ############. Perhaps yours is something similar. I have emailed them previously requesting that they stop, but I just got another one today - a bill for $163.12. I wrote them back again telling them they have the wrong person, but I wanted to inform you that they are persisting in sending your confidential information to strangers.

Sincerely,

Runningpress.com

Runningpress.com

2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200

Philadelphia, PA19103

Re:  THE MINI BONSAI KIT

Dear Runningpress.com,

A few months ago my girlfriend purchased THE MINI BONSAI KIT for me at either Hallmark or American Greetings.  I cannot remember which.  Regardless, the item cost around $7, and I was highly looking forward to watching it grow.  Sadly, it did not.  Though the box said to write in for new seeds, the entire pete pellet became a watery mess as I continued to water it hoping I would see some growth.  

Suffice it to say, we are out $7 and have no MINI BONSAI tree to show for it.  I trust that you will rectify this in some way, as we are big fans of Runningpress.com and the many products that you offer.  Just today we were admiring some of them in the Hallmark store.  As you might expect, we are now somewhat wary of trying them.   

A working version of this BONSAI KIT or a refund would be much appreciated. 

Sincerely,

Washington DC

Vincent C. Gray, Mayor
1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC

10/4/14

Dear Mr. Mayor,

My girlfriend and I were visitors of your fair district last month, and we were pleased by many things, some of which being the efficient light rail transit, the wonderful Capitol tour, and the magnificent landmarks and scenery. We were only there for two days, but we crammed in a lot and really enjoyed ourselves. I am, however, writing to you regarding a less than favorable experience we had there. 

On Sunday, September 7th, 2014, our plan was to visit the Holocaust Museum early, catch another site or two and then head on home. This plan was made exceedingly difficult by some sort of bicycle race that was taking place in the city at the time. Now, please bear in mind I am a huge proponent of exercise and physical fitness and whatnot, so I am not displeased with the city holding such an event. It was the manner in which it was held which was problematic.

You see, the Holocaust Museum was effectively cordoned off by streets dedicated to the bicycle race making it virtually inaccessible. We spoke with several of the police and crossing guards who were on the scene, and many of them had no idea how we could actually cross over to this section of town. We finally reached a spot where police were allowing people to cross, but were literally yelling at them to run across at full speed while there were brief spaces between cyclists. I found this to be not only dangerous, but absurd that pedestrians would actually be directed to do so by police. Apparently the officials in charge of this event were not so much concerned about elderly or disabled people needing to transverse the city at this time.

I understand that it is popular for cities to hold events of this nature so that their residents can participate, but at the same time, Washington DC is very much a weekend tourist destination, and to block off some of the attractions for an event like this makes little sense when tourists may have precious little time to see the city. This is especially egregious because there is so much unused green space on the mall which could be used to host races and physical activities. At the very least, some sort of pedestrian access bridge or an actual sensible system of crossing pedestrians would have been highly desirable.

Again, I do not begrudge the city hosting such an event. I just perceive it to have been done with less than sufficient forethought. I trust that if this is not something under your purview, you will forward it to the correct party on my behalf. I am not familiar with the jurisdictional minutia of the area. And I would bookend this by emphasizing that we had a great time otherwise. I just found this particular matter to be displeasing and deserving of some attention.

Thank you so much for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Hokkaido Seafood Buffet

Hokkaido Seafood Buffet

4612 Browns Hill Rd

Pittsburgh, PA 15217

Dear Hokkaido,

Your crab rangoon is wonderful.

Sincerely,

Pittsburgh City Paper

The Chief
Pittsburgh City Paper
650 Smithfield St
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222

Dear Pittsburgh City Paper,

I see that you have already chosen an editor, so I am sorry that you missed out on the opportunity to hire me. I have decided to send you some stuff anyway, if that is okay with you. Please find included: A) A story I broke on my blog about UPMC Braddock, B) A review I wrote of a Robyn album, and C) Some other stuff. I have decided not to include a resume since it is not up to date and I have no journalism-related credentials.
Since you have already hired someone, I would encourage you to just pay me to write brief articles where I give my opinions on things, but if you want to list me as “Editor #2,” I guess that would be cool as well.

Again, thanks for your time. And if you know anyone looking for a teaching job, please refer them to my website, PghEduJobs.com.

Thanks a lot.

Sincerely,

BP

BP
Americas Business Service Center - Customer Service
Re: Driver Rewards
28301 Ferry Road
Warrenville, Illinois 60555

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Dear BP,

I filled out something online in order to get a BP Driver Rewards card. The website informed me that once I received the card in the mail, I would be able to go to a BP gas station and get gas for a certain number of cents off of the regular price. I can’t remember what the specific denomination was. This was to be a one-time bonus for having signed up for the card, whereafter I could continue to use the card normally and accumulate points by buying things and whatnot.

Well, I am writing to inform you that when I stopped by a BP last Saturday in Wexford, Pennsylvania and attempted to use my Driver Rewards card, I was informed by the machine at the pump that there were no Rewards on my card whatsoever, or no cents off per gallon. I was disappointed by this, since this was the reason I decided to try a BP station to begin with. I typically fuel up at GetGo or Sunoco.

In any event, I wanted to know if there was any way you could look into this. The number on the back of my card is ########################################################################################################################################################. Perhaps this particular card is defective. Again, I am very interested in trying out BP as my new go-to gas station. They recently remodeled a BP station very close to me, and I look forward to checking it out. I was very disappointed that the Rewards card did not work and would greatly appreciate any assistance in this matter.

Thanks a million.

Sincerely,

Cafe Press

Dear Cafe Press,

I am writing because you have a big labor day weekend sale banner at the top of your website. One might suspect that this means you can use the coupon code over labor day weekend - not the case. Apparently labor day weekend is only Saturday in Cafe Press's opinion. I spent a half hour creating a shirt and then at the end I had to buy it for what I thought was not a good price because I didn't want all my hard work to go to waste. It should have been six dollars cheaper (shipping). You deceived me with the banner. If the sale is over, take it down. I feel this is an unscrupulous business practice and that I am entitled to the shipping discount since I was lured into creating a shirt under false pretenses and didn't read the legalese fine print which says that labor day weekend isn't actually labor day weekend on Cafe Press. Come on, Cafe Press. Your prices are too high to begin with. These scams are not needed. I have bought shirts here in the past and there used to be a $9.99 white t-shirt option. Now the cheapest order with shipping is $27. Outrageous!

Sincerely,

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.

Mr. Steve Ells, CEO
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
1401 Wynkoop St Suite 500
Denver, CO 80202

Dear Mr. Ells,

I am writing you in regard to your restaurant, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. I have visited your restaurant several times over the last year or so and, generally speaking, I enjoy the concept of buying and eating large burritos. However, my experiences with Chipotle have left me dissatisfied.

When my girlfriend and I began dating, we visited Chipotle quite frequently as it was one of her favorites. I soon began to notice swelling around my lips. It got so bad that I switched lip balms several times and eventually went to see a dermatologist and was put on medication for eczema. I started to notice that my lips felt like they were burning mostly after eating at Chipotle. Thankfully the lip issue has passed, since I no longer eat there frequently, but the source of the problem is still troublesome. The salsa which purports to be “mild” is still extremely spicy - so much so that everyone in my party last night remarked that their meal was just too spicy to enjoy. I don’t know if the chicken is already marinated in something spicy, but next time I will try it with no salsa to see if that makes a difference. Suffice it to say, I believe Chipotle needs a milder mild option, as I like the taste of salsa but do not want the excessive spiciness.

The restaurant seems to offer a very limited number of actual food options, which is a minus, even though you can choose toppings. Additionally, though this is less significant for me, the restaurants in this area are generally messy and the decor is bizarrely sparse and cold, resembling a warehouse or a morgue. The lines are frequently long which can be obnoxious, but the employees are always friendly and efficient.

Thank you for spending the time to review my concerns. I would love to be a more frequent patron but would like to see some more options and accommodations for those of us who don’t like four alarm spiciness. Honestly, I can eat banana peppers and things like that without issue. It is not as if I am unacclimated to spicy foods. This is just exceptionally, exceptionally spicy to the point of being unenjoyable.

Gracias,

Stouffer’s

Stouffer’s / Nestlé USA Consumer Services Center
P.O. Box 2178
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18703

Dear Nestle,

I am writing to you in regard to Stouffer’s stuffed peppers.

Generally, I think the product is very good. The sauce is very tasty, and the beef and rice mixture is adequate if not good. However, there is one major issue with this product. When cooked (at least in the microwave), the skin of the pepper becomes an inedibe almost plastic-like substance. It is impossible to separate the rest of the pepper from the outer skin without causing an absolute mess, and I am frequently left to discard the entire pepper portion of the dinner without eating it. One time I even pureed the entire dish in a food processor and still found the pieces of this layer of skin unpalatable, gag-inducing and difficult to swallow.

This is a shame for several reasons. First of all, I want to eat the pepper since I paid for it. Secondly, it is a shameful waste of food. Now, recently my girlfriend made a homemade stuffed pepper dinner from scratch and the result was quite different from this. Perhaps if cooked in a conventional oven, the product does not have this issue. I haven’t tried it, so I couldn’t say. But the product is advertised as being able to be cooked in the microwave. I must say, if the pepper is considered to be a portion of the meal rather than a decorative platter for the beef rice mixture, this is not the case.

I do not wish to be a naysayer about this product. I would love to have the experience Stouffer’s wants me to have. I would urge you to please look into this and find a way to improve this product. This was not an isolated incident. This is a persistent issue with the product. I hope you can find a way to resolve this issue (perhaps finding a way to remove the outer layer of skin entirely, cooking it less, or cooking it separately from the beef and rice mixture). Should you require any additional information, please contact me. Otherwise, best of luck in resolving this issue.

Sincerely,

Sundance Vacations, Inc.

Mr. John Dowd
Sundance Vacations, Inc.
Corporate Office
264 Highland Park Blvd.
Wilkes Barre, PA 18702

Dear Mr. Dowd and Sundance Vacations, Inc,

In the past week I have received several phone calls from your company alleging that I have won something. They have come from phone number 800-501-0100.

Please desist in calling immediately. My phone number is #####################. I am providing this number only so you can remove it from your system. Phone calls will not be answered or returned.

Sincerely,

Froggy Radio

Dear Froggy,

I am a big fan. I was wondering if you could send me a sticker for my
car. My address is below.

Thanks a million.

Sincerely,

FedEx (2)

Mr. John Baratti, Executive Management Assistant

FedEx
3875 Airways Blvd
Memphis, TN 38116

3/1/14

Dear Mr. Baratti,

Thank you for your explanation of the hub-and-spoke system, the effects of fog on air travel and delays in shipments due to terrorism. This is all very informative, despite its inapplicability to my situation. My package was already received at a FedEx location 30 minutes from my house and was simply not delivered due to some modest winter weather that we in the area deal with on a routine basis. I do not wish to rehash that point, however. What I wanted to tell you was that I found it in very poor taste that the letter did not even include a simple apology for the poor service. It merely seemed to laud the magnificence of FedEx’s process, which I’m sure works very well at times. However, you have missed the point. The letter did not seem conciliatory as much as apologistic (i.e. “You said we were bad, but we really aren’t!” rather than “Sorry, we messed up. We hope you’ll give us another chance.”) It seemed a rather ill-advised way to reply to someone who was already angry with the company.

Anecdotally, Shari’s Berries sent me a third package, this time by UPS, which was delivered on time under similar conditions. I don’t know if you’ve ordered from Shari’s yourself, but when they mess and you tell them, they really go out of their way to correct the problem. Perhaps FedEx could take a lesson from them.

Sincerely,

FedEx

Frederick W. Smith, CEO
FedEx
3875 Airways, Module H3 Department 4634
Memphis, TN 38116

2/18/14

Dear Mr. Smith,

It is with regret that I write to you of my recent negative experiences with the company.

Last week I ordered a dozen chocolate covered strawberries to be delivered to my girlfriend on February 13th. This package was supposed to be delivered by 8pm. When I checked the tracking at 9pm that night, it had allegedly been on a truck for 12 hours.

Neither my girlfriend nor myself received a courtesy call. When the package was finally delivered, almost 24 hours late, she had been waiting at the apartment for two to make sure she could sign for it. The shipping on this item was very expensive. I think that courtesy call is the least that could have been done. This was a perishable item, and it became soggy soon after it was received.

I e-mailed FedEx and they told me I was in a region affected by inclement weather. I checked the list provided and my region was not listed as being affected by inclement weather on the FedEx website, which is humorous because it listed almost every single municipality in the state. It was to leave from a local site and be delivered here, not passing through any region listed as having been affected by these conditions.

Shari’s Berries thankfully sent a replacement package, which was to be delivered today. As one would expect with the tone of this story, FedEx did not deliver it. According to the website, delivered was NOT ATTEMPTED. Not even attempted? This service is not reliable, and for a second time I will be stuck with strawberries that have been sitting on a truck for days. I have e-mailed Shari's Berries and recommended that they seriously consider discontinuing use of FedEx as their delivery service. A little flurry of snow and FedEx does not leave the shop. Everyone else gets to work. The mail gets delivered. FedEx does not attempt. This is pitiful.

Sincerely,

Photobucket

Dear Photobucket,

I have seen the attached photo multiple times upon visiting your website. I think it is disturbing, disgusting, and I would consider it a personal favor if it was removed. Please see image (attached).

I am relatively certain I cannot be the only one who feels this way.

Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated. I consider this a major detraction from the quality of Photobucket's web site. It looks like a joke an immature friend would post on Facebook.

Sincerely,

ChaCha Search Inc

Mr. Scott A. Jones, CEO
ChaCha Search, Inc.
14550 Clay Terrace Boulevard
Suite 130
Carmel, IN 46032

1/14/14

Dear Mr. Jones,

I am a long-time ChaCha user and fan. I have frequently used the service to answer questions while out and about and have been relatively pleased with the results. It is with regret that I must inform you I will be able to use the service no longer.

A few weeks ago, I attempted to text the ChaCha 242-242 number. I was presented with a reply indicating that ChaCha would be discontinuing its text-based service, and that I could continue using the service via the website only. Now, I do not have the Internet on my phone. If I did, I would not need ChaCha because I would have access to Google and a number of other resources.

It struck me as bizarre that ChaCha would choose to discontinue service to those who have no alternative but to use it, and to instead to cater to those who have a host of other options that are just as quick and easy to use, and are far more thorough. I find this circumstance very unfortunate. I am sure ChaCha’s leadership chose to go in this direction for a reason. I am sure it was a good one. However, for me, it has rendered ChaCha virtually useless.

At this point, I have no intention of upgrading to a smart phone, but should ChaCha choose to branch out into other areas, I will certainly remain open, as I have always been pleased with my past experiences with the company.

Regretfully,