I had one of those circle-of-hell phone calls with AT&T last week. I worked with 3 separate individuals, 2 of whom were great and one who put me on hold for 30 full minutes.

A few days later, I received an automated satisfaction survey via telephone. The survey assumed that I had only worked with one AT&T employee. There was therefore no way to qualify whose service I was reviewing. As a customer, this was extremely frustrating. I wanted to let them know about the horrible service I had received, but I in no way wanted either of the great people I’d interacted with to get dinged. Read More -›

My mom recently experienced a problem with an OXO can opener. She sent OXO an email about her experience, and, to their credit, OXO immediately responded with an apology and a full refund. My mom was very satisfied.

The story doesn’t end here, though. About a week later, a large package arrived at my parents’ home. Inside was a beautiful, very large OXO trashcan. And no note. Nothing in the box except for the trashcan. Needless to say, my mother was mystified. Was this a mistake? Some sort of additional restitution for her previous complaint? Read More -›