Consumers are fickle. We know that as fact. But often consumers are right in their conviction to stay away and leave a product. Of course it doesn't help that most customer service across the board has gone downhill faster than lava from a volcano. Companies have stopped caring about the little people and it shows.
Redditor u/silent_pm wanted to hear what decisions we've all made as consumers by asking...
What brand has lost your loyalty and will never reclaim it?
Half of Nothing.
Half Price Books.
We were going through a rough time during my freshman year- my mom was sick and out of work, we got behind on bills and lost the house, and ended up having to move into a tiny tiny apartment in the dead of winter. Since we wouldn't have enough room for everything, even with a storage unit, it was decided that I would have to get rid of some of my books. By some, I mean the majority of my collection.
In the end, I filled three storage bins with books I'd taken great care of growing up and we made our way to Half Price Books, foolishly thinking we'd get a fair price for what was essentially my childhood. At the selling desk, I made it very clear that I only wanted an estimate and would take my books elsewhere if I felt I was being lowballed. The girl at the desk assured me I'd get an estimate and told me to come back in an hour, considering how many books they would have to inspect. An hour later, I make my way to the desk only to be told that the most they'd give me was $15, take it or leave it.
I was heartbroken and outraged, and demanded that my books be returned, only to be told that some were already being processed into the system while others had already been thrown away, so there was no way I'd get them back. I ended up leaving in tears with only fifteen measly dollars and a broken heart to show for my troubles. I will never, and I mean NEVER shop or sell at Half Price Books again, and if ever anyone asks my opinion of them, I tell them about my terrible experience.
I simply cannot forgive a company that would see child making one of the most difficult decisions in their fourteen years of life and not only kick her while she's down, but rub salt in the wounds just because they can. Forget Half Price Books. jessicat707
I Hate You All!!
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Gillette because of how expensive their razors are.
Old Navy. Their clothes fall apart quickly. Not bad for toddlers since they go thru them so fast.
Time Warner/Spectrum. Cable company that does typical cable company bull.
Nestle. I hope they choke on acid rain. T4R6ET
Not the Way...
United Way (charity).
Coworker gets cancer and we set up a big jar in the cafeteria for donations to help her with treatments. United Way comes in and tells us that they have an "exclusive contract" with our company (large, international company) to be the sole recipient of any charitable donations on the property and demanded that we remove the solicitation jar and cease any fundraising for coworker's cancer treatment.
They had an annual "drive" where department heads competed to have the most donations and ongoing monthly contributions, but the next year the number of participants in the company dropped to almost nothing. Good. Javaman1960
Loyalty Over.
I freaking hate Adobe. I mean I was never really loyal to them but I've had the misfortune to require certain paid features of Adobe acrobat.
At Adobe everything is money. Money money money, must funny, in an Adobe's world.
I do my best to avoid having to use adobe products, except now I'm requiring substance painter (allegorithmic software... Owned by guess who). Hey at least the student license is free.
But forget adobe. Microsoft could also go screw themselves but I need windows, I hate apple just as much. I've tried Ubuntu but it's inadequate and painful for what I use a computer for. KasparTheFriendlyGuy
Not with moves like that.
Tim Hortons. Larger coffee chain in Canada. When Ontario raised minimum wage, they took away paid breaks, their dental plan, and started charging for uniforms. Completely bull from a company that makes millions and markets itself as so wholesome they're part of our culture. Not with moves like that. BeerDrinkinGreg
So Dumb...
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Benefit cosmetics after their 'you don't need to be clever, you're pretty!' campaign. https://twitter.com/i/moments/884441051708174337 CertainFurball
SA & AS are a No!
Salvation Army and Autism Speaks SA doesn't help any of the woman they take in, and are just horrible people. AS doesn't help autistics, they're more of a hate group towards them. Idk if those count. stardirection-
Don't be cheap...
Pyrex. They became trusted because their cookware was borosilicate glass which withstands temperature change super well, but now they switched to soda lime glass and rode their good reputation out with higher profit margins from cheap materials. SlabGizor120
The Best 'Actually, You're Speaking To The Boss' Experience | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Old News....
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Kat Von D
I used to love her makeup - sometimes I'd even want to keep the packing just because I love the look and feel of it all. But she's an anti-vaxxer so now I don't feel like giving her any of my money.
eHarmony
I used to work there and upper management were racist, sexist, homophobic bullies. It's a dating site geared towards marriage and long lasting love, it should be heartwarming to know you're contributing to something like that. Instead I got anxiety so bad the physical symptoms were making my life miserable. I've had nothing positive to say about them since I left. lolihull
If that weren't enough.....
Sony.
My PS3 account got hacked and someone bought $400 in credits. I contacted Sony and they acknowledged I was hacked, returned my account to me, but refused to give me back my money.
If that weren't enough, I recently got an update on my PS3 that somehow made it unable to work at all. Hraklea
Viewer Monopoly....
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Spectrum, will ditch as soon as there is another option. OccasionallyLearning
Yep, they have a monopoly in my city currently, but there is a fiber company slowly spreading. We are switching as soon as it reaches our neighborhood. likemong
Thieves.
Doordash. After it came out that the company routinely keeps the tips rather than giving them to the driver, I said forget them. PermanentNirvana
Also they force restaurants to be on their service even if they don't consent or have their own delivery service. Crap is really scummy. WillTheGrimreaper
So here's how it works. you pay 10$ and tip 3$. the driver is supposed to get 4$. so instead of it being 6$ for DD, 4$ + the 3$ tip, DD would take away from the money they were meant to give the driver. so it would be 9$ for DD, 1$ + the 3$ tip to the driver. So the driver still gets 4$ but it includes the tip. I hope that makes sense. Incredibly scummy, i always tip delivery drivers in cash cause of that. lexid951
Quality over Name....
Black and Decker....
When they started, they made good tools, and continued for many years. They they went broke and sold the name to a mega-corp that slapped the name on their low-end, junk tool line
Brands don't mean anything. Product quality is all that matters. MpVpRb
"deactivate"
Planet Fitness. These fools towed my car while I was working out, and refused to reimburse the fee from the tow company. Then when I tried to cancel my membership, I'm told I cannot call I have to come in person or write a hard copy letter. I do the latter, they continue charging. I go in person, an associate "deactivates" the account but I still get charged the next month. Took a third attempt and speaking to a manager for them to surrender my crappy $10 a month. Kanedi4s
Fools.
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Expedia
They regularly mess up bookings, refuse to take responsibility, refuse to refund money, lie to you and try to frustrate you into giving up on getting your money back.
No, Expedia, I will not accept credit to your service when you charge close to $1000 to my credit card without authorization. AreWeCowabunga
"we're closed"
Hertz.
They gave me a car with a missing oil cap and almost left me stranded in rural Germany.
We drove from Berlin to Neuschwanstein and noticed the car acting funny the closer we got. Afterwards we checked the engine to find oil everywhere. No worries, there was a Hertz in this small town. Unfortunately, the owner refused to help us as they "were closed" and said we have to call the company. This was also late, so every shop in town was closed.
We called Hertz and they recommended we "try putting a bag over it and driving back to Berlin." Luckily we found the cap (it was misplaced) and a number to Germany's equivalent to AAA. Forget Herz. W8sB4D8s
Forget you DC.
DevaCurl.
I have curly hair that's also very fine, and I'm really picky about the products I use—I can't use anything that will dry it out or weigh it down. A stylist friend of mine recommended DC to me back in 2012, and I loved it immediately. I went all-in, and for a while DC products were all I was using on my hair.
Apparently a couple years ago they were bought my another company, and the formula for a lot of their products changed. I didn't realize this. Meanwhile, my hair was starting to get really thin. It's normal for me to lose a little bit of hair in the shower, but it was getting really excessive. I figured it was just because I was getting older and my body/hormones were changing. I didn't event think that it could have anything to do with my beloved hair products.
Then I joined a group for curly-haired folk and learned that a lot of DevaCurl users were having the same issues with hair loss. Countless before/after photos convinced me that I wasn't just losing my hair due to bad genetic luck. I got rid of all my DC products and, after some research, started a new product regimen. Slowly but surely, my hair is starting to recover. I feel so betrayed, though. And despite hundreds of customers complaining to the company, they have yet to acknowledge or address the problem. Salsa__Stark
Oh Nestle...
Nestle. They're making a huge profit off of Canadian fresh water and paying next to nothing in taxes. DiarrheaKing021
Yes indeed. Not the only place they stole from.
Nestle pumped water for 28 years after its permit expired in the San Bernardino National Forest and continued pumping large quantities during severe droughts when surrounding residents and businesses were on water rationing.
They didn't stop until a local newspaper ran a series of investigative reports and national newspapers picked up the story. Then Nestle filed a lawsuit, hired the forest service employee who had supposed to be keeping the permits up to date, and quietly moved its operation to a nearby native American reservation where it continues to deplete the same aquifer. Meanwhile Nestle moved its US headquarters to another state to evade potential state regulation. doublestitch
"THAT'S BECAUSE SHE'S DEAD!"
Comcast. Many many years of foolery. Once I moved from a top floor apartment to a ground floor apartment in the same complex. I notified them ahead of time and they told me they had it all set so that it would switch that day, no problems at all. I called them about four times, a guy came out and looked at it, and then I spent a solid four hours on hold, only for the woman to come on the line and tell me I hadn't moved from Apt. 200 to Apt. 100, I had moved from 100 to 200. I explained she was incorrect, and she called me a liar.
In addition, my mother passed unexpectedly ten years ago. My sister immediately brought her Comcast equipment back and the company said they were so sorry to hear what happened, and there would be no additional charges from them and the account was squared away. As Mom's executor, I began receiving bills from them every month. Every month I would call and explain and they would say, "Oh, yes, I see the notes, we're sorry; it won't happen again."
Every month another bill would come, and every month it would be larger, with more late fees added. Finally after about the tenth time it happened I was really testy about it, and they were like, "Let me put you on hold; you'll have to speak to my supervisor." The supervisor gets on and immediately says, "The REASON your mother's BILL is so high is that she is NOT MAKING PAYMENTS!" and I lost it and screamed, "THAT'S BECAUSE SHE'S DEAD!" They put me on hold a looooooong time after that and when we were done, I never heard from them again. annaflixion
Treacherous.
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Goodwill.
They are disguises as a charity when in fact they are nothing if the sort: https://www.nbcnews.com/video/some-workers-at-goodwill-paid-as-little-as-22-cents-an-hour-34172995713
When your regional CEOs get hundreds of millions as a BONUS, but they can legally pay WELL under minimum wage because the employee wouldn't otherwise be enjoyable... they are crap.
Their merchandise costs them NOTHING because it's all donated. They get huge tax breaks because of their charitable status.
They have many programs to help the disabled, but again, they themselves treat the disabled horribly. MyBroPoohBear
When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
Money Burn GIF by nog
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
south park wedding GIF
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.