Dear Companies of the World:

You want our money. We want your products and services. In most cases, there are numerous firms competing for the same consumers. How do we, the consumers, decide which to do business with? Price is only part of the equation. Quality is only part of it as well. Service (especially these days) is yet another KEY part of it. That's right, service. In these days of near-perfect flow of information, prices and quality are fairly uniform. If you want to get us as a customer, and more importantly keep us (costs way less to keep one than find a new one) offer decent service. Most of us do not complain and are not out to cheat you, but that's the way you treat us. When we call or ask questions, answer them. Give us the benefit of the doubt. We are all not liars. In fact, most of us are honest to a fault. If you treat us better, we have a tendency to do the same to you. If you would just watch out for our best interests a bit more, we might not write letters like this one, and might just be inclined to spend more of our money with you. It's a win-win. Think about it, will ya?

Signed,

Disappointed Consumers

I hate my phone, a Pantech Duo. It sucks. It has a buzzing noise in the handset which an RMA return didn't fix, the slide thing is stupid, and it is SLOW. I thought that it was cool when I bought it over a year ago. Doesn't everyone think that there phone is cool when they first buy it? Anyway, I now have a Blackberry Bold. Also, the AT&T Store in Jonesboro, AR SUCKS. THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER. Welcome to the boycott list.....On the other hand, Rebecca with AT&T Wireless Customer Care was one of the best I've ever dealt with. She was willing to send me the phone at the Wal-Mart price if I couldn't get them to sell it to me (I'm a month away from the upgrade and had cleared it BEFORE I went into the AT&T store). Kudos to her!

RANT RANT RANT!!!

I normally don't speak out quite so angrily, but today was my first and last trip to our local (or any other one for that matter) Walgreens. Period. Batesville just got one, and it's been the buzz of the town for the last couple of days. Why am I boycotting them? First and foremost, they lured their new pharmacist away from his established practice of 30+ years and promptly fired him after they got his customer base. Yeah, I know he had a reputation, but still. That's harsh. Their prices are too high, they treat customers like crap (been my experience at every one I've ever been in), and they lack the ability to print photos without making them blurry or dark. So there. I shall no longer spend any money at their locations. The ONLY way to retain your rights as a consumer is to vote with your dollars. Spend them at a local business ran by local people. Not only will it help someone directly, it will keep your cash in your local community.

Welcome to my boycott list Walgreens (other notables include Pier One, Wal-Mart Tire/Lube, Red Lobster, and many more....)