Post by InvisibleWolfMan on Oct 15, 2008 16:54:48 GMT 2
I don't know about the rest of you dwellers out there, but I'm sick of the lack of responsibility and pride companies show these days. Case in point? Our son recently received a toy that turned out to be defective. Going to the company website, I found only ONE of several offices around the world had the ability to contact via the internet, which was in the UK. Perhaps my e-mails between the company will shed a humorous light on the my ridiculous problem:
1) INITIAL COMPLAINT:
To: UK, Helpline
Subject: Product Complaint - The World Of Cars - # 46 - Sheriff L5254-0981
Source: Web
Nature of Enquiry: To Whom It May Concern,
My name is J.H. and I am an American living in Finland. My son recently received for his birthday The World Of Cars - # 46 - Sheriff from a relative in the USA. Upon removal from the package and in less than 5 minutes, the plastic window which are the "eyes" for the CARS related character dropped ON ITS OWN down from the internal metal stem located on the inside center of the roof which holds it in place. This of course would be a relatively easy fix for me to do myself....however the product was not made with tiny screws to hold the top and bottom halves of the toy together. So, what can be done to fix this problem? Out of the several Disney CARS toys we have purchased from your company, this is the first and only one we've encountered to even have a plastic piece to be the window / eye area. All the others have those areas made out of the die cast metal which the rest of the toy is mostly made of. It is also frustrating that I could not find anywhere on your main website a section devoted to these toys though there are many still available in various stores both in the USA and even here in Finland.
Please, do let me know what can be done to correct this problem. I'll leave also the bar code at the end of this message just in case I've picked the wrong thing to be the product number, as there's NOTHING clearly labled as PRODUCT NUMBER on the package.
027084504002
Product Number or Description: The World Of Cars - # 46 - Sheriff
L5254-0981
Simple, basic, direct....right?
2) Initial Response
Hello
Thank you for contacting us. Please contact our Mattel Office in The Netherlands, who may be able to help and advise you.
Unfortunately, they do not have a consumer helpline email address.
We are sorry that we are unable to help you further on this occasion.
MATTEL EUROPA BV
The Netherlands
EUROPA
Jan G.
Consumer Response Advisor
Hmmmmmmmm....let's see my reply.
3) MY NEXT REPLY
Hi Jan,
I'm just curious why would I need to contact the office in the Netherlands? The product was clearly defective. If the plastic piece that is supposed to be the window / "eye" area for the car drops down when my son has barely even pushed it gently across the floor 3-4 times then it is clearly a problem with the manufacturing. He DID NOT drop it, throw it, pound it, kick it, punch it, crash it, crush it, burn it, drag it.....he just placed it in his hand normally and moved it back and forth upon the floor normally. Within a few movement around on the floor, then eyes dropped out of place. It upset him as he thought it was his fault, though I reassured him that it was not. This is why I contacted your consumer help division via the internet. I want to handle this quickly as possible so my son can be able to play with a toy that was supposed to be his birthday present.
I'm also curious as to why any division of your company in ANY area of the world would NOT have a way to contact the consumer help division online. Now, if I lived in the Netherlands I'd have NO problem mailing to them via the post. However, I DON'T. And I'd have to mail to them a letter that would cost money to send...roughly 1 / 6th of the cost of what your product is here. Then I'd have to wait for a response. How many letters do they get a day? If they'd get a few a day I'd see no problem other than the cost...which starts to bug me as it's again roughly 1 / 6th of the cost of the product here. However, it'll depend on how fast they'll get the letter...how soon they get around to reading it (depending on the amount of mail they get)....then how soon they take to make a response....then how long it'll take that response to be mailed back to me in the post...then how long it'll take to deliver that letter to me....then who knows? If they weren't clear on the problem then I'd have to remail another letter and THEN probably the car itself...which is another cost out of my pocket and certainly if I have to do that....it'll then end up costing me more for sending in the post then it would for me to buy a replacement. Then if I bought a replacement, I would be a fool because there was still money paid for by my relative who purchased the product as a birthday gift to our son. The idea behind the gift is completly wasted.
As I've said in the original message to your consumer help division, this is the first car of SEVERAL that we've purchased from THE WORLD OF CARS product line to ever run into that problem which I've described earlier. Disney's CARS was the first movie my son could watch from beginning to end that has a runtime of over one and a half hours WITHOUT getting bored. Before we caved in and bought the first THE WORLD OF CARS product from your company he would play with the toy cars he already had and pretend they were all his favorite characters. When we saw that he continued doing it for the ENTIRE summer since his first viewing, we gave in because we could see it wasn't one of those "gotta have it" moments that fades away by the end of the week that most children his age. We knew he enjoyed it enough to actually make it worth the purchase and decided to make the purchase to help support the creation and further developement of the line along with the countless other consumers out there buying for the same reason. He plays with them most of the day when he's home and it shows no sign so far of fading away.
Now, had a relative from Finland purchased the car from one of the Finnish stores then of course this would've been handled already. However, it wasn't. It was purchased in the USA. Now, if there were two tiny metal screws holding the two halves of the toy together, I could've already easily pushed the plastic piece back together myself and again this would've been handled already. However, there are no screws and the open area for the "eyes" to display is too small for my finger and the plastic piece is designed to fill that space so there's no way to use a small tool / utensil to guide it back or again...this matter would've been handled already. I as a consumer am forced to revert my attention all the way to the company's consumer help division and I'm being diverted again to another division in another area though it still the same toy from the same product line from the same company.
Over the years there has been consumer help divisions online for various companies, each of the few products from the few companies in which I purchased personally or someone purchased as a gift to me personally that have had the misfortune of having something wrong that was clearly a manufacturing problem, it did not matter in which country the product was purchased nor where I lived....they would either replace the defective product outright or continue to help me themselves until there was a resonable resolution. This is the first time I'm being redirected to another consumer help division though it still the same toy from the same product line from the same company. Not only that, the idea of getting the consumer help starts to waste away when it suddenly become a question of how fast they'll get the letter...how soon they get around to reading it (depending on the amount of mail they get)....then how soon they take to make a response....then how long it'll take that response to be mailed back to me in the post...then how long it'll take to deliver that letter to me....then who knows? If they weren't clear on the problem then I'd have to remail another letter and THEN probably the car itself...which is another cost out of my pocket and certainly if I have to do that....it'll then end up costing me more for sending in the post then it would for me to buy a replacement. Then if I bought a replacement, I would be a fool because there was still money paid for by my relative who purchased the product as a birthday gift to our son. The idea behind the gift is completly wasted, the idea behind consumer help gets completely wasted.....
So, what can be done?
Kindest Regards,
Jeremy Hummel
You'd think I'd get a better response....right?
4) THEIR NEXT REPLY
Hello
Weare the head office for the Uk only i'm afraid our office for Europe is in the Netherlands. We don not have a base in finland so you need to discuss your problem with the Europe office.
sorry i can't help you further
regards
Jan G.
Consumer Response Advisor
Hahaha...Now the gloves come off:
5) MY HARDENED RESPONSE
Hi,
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the UK part of Europe? I know I failed Geography at least one year during high school due to my "teen angst" problem at the time where I decided to to alot of nothing in school. I also can't remember if I read somewhere that the UK is part of the European Union or not. Maybe I misread that article in the paper when the EU contract was signed by it's founding members. Certainly my wife's sister who lives in the UK claims that it's part of Europe and can fly here to Finland within two hours. Don't think I don't understand what you specifically mean by saying "UK office" and "European office" because I do. My problem is such that I am fully aware that a company....no matter the location of the office...has a responsibility to correct the problem for the consumer that has purchased a defective product.
Look, I'm a consumer but I'm no fool. What I'm essentially reading from your two messages (and...please...do feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) is this:
Hello,
You live in Finland, we're in the UK. Though we have full capabilities to replace our companies defective product (which ALL are manufactured in China, by the way) we won't because...well....you're in Finland and we're in the UK and the UK is clearly not a part of Europe despite what the maps say. Why not try another consumer help division somewhere else within the same European area the maps say exist.
So...may I ask; would it be different if the product was purchased from the UK...or would I hear the same thing? In the end this is not consumer help I'm receiving but something else....consumer inconvenience does spring to mind. It puts not a lot of faith in me about this company nor it's various inconvenient head offices. As I've said in the previous message, I'm also curious as to why any division of your company in ANY area of the world would NOT have a way to contact the consumer help division ONLINE. Now, if I lived in the Netherlands I'd have NO problem mailing to them via the post. However, I DON'T. And I'd have to mail to them a letter that would cost money to send...roughly 1 / 6th of the cost of what your product is here. Then I'd have to wait for a response. How many letters do they get a day? If they'd get a few a day I'd see no problem other than the cost...which starts to bug me as it's again roughly 1 / 6th of the cost of the product here. However, it'll depend on how fast they'll get the letter...how soon they get around to reading it (depending on the amount of mail they get)....then how soon they take to make a response....then how long it'll take that response to be mailed back to me in the post...then how long it'll take to deliver that letter to me....then who knows? If they weren't clear on the problem then I'd have to remail another letter and THEN probably the car itself...which is another cost out of my pocket and certainly if I have to do that....it'll then end up costing me more for sending in the post then it would for me to buy a replacement. Then if I bought a replacement, I would be a fool because there was still money paid for by my relative who purchased the product as a birthday gift to our son. The idea behind the gift is completly wasted.
I've also dealt enough with various companies to know the score; the more inconvenient you make it for them to receive the consumer help they deserve (no matter how frustrating it may be) the more likely they are to give up seeking the help. Not a drop of confindence can be found in that. Although not a toy line, the company I have been employed in not only makes every effort to keep all lines of communications open to the consumers who purchase our product through the various stores throught the European area, but if there's a serious manufacturing defect someone from our company will be dispatched straight to correct it or there will be a replacement issued that meets the quality and standards should be IF there's no other recourse. Our product is manufactured by us, shipped by us and although sold through various outlets, our office handles all complaints and addresses them seriously. The product from your company is manufactured in China, shipped worldwide and you company has several offices worldwide and yet I'm getting redirected to another office where it's more inconvient for me to have my problem addressed and recieve the help as a loyal consumer to your product that I rightfully deserve..
As I also stated earlier, had a relative from Finland purchased the car from one of the Finnish stores then of course this would've been handled already. However, it wasn't. It was purchased in the USA. Now, if there were two tiny metal screws holding the two halves of the toy together, I could've already easily pushed the plastic piece back together myself and again this would've been handled already. However, there are no screws and the open area for the "eyes" to display is too small for my finger and the plastic piece is designed to fill that space so there's no way to use a small tool / utensil to guide it back or again...this matter would've been handled already. I as a consumer am forced to revert my attention all the way to the company's consumer help division and YET AGAIN I'm being advised to be diverted again to another division in another area though it still the SAME toy from the SAME product line from the SAME COMPANY. It's the same as hearing "M-O-O-N...that spells "consumer help."
In the end, my son recieved a defective product as a birthday gift. I have made my effort as I should to keep it simple, basic and direct to one of several head offices for the company who is repsonsible for the existence of said product (defective or not) because that office offered me the ability to keep it simple, basic and direct to the office of the company who is responsible for the existence of said product (defective or not). Instead of being extended some decency in the matter I am instead given a cold shoulder and to make matters more complicated...directions to keep my contact further limited to a way that does nothing but force me paying more money out of my own pocket. That is, in my opinion, embarrasing and inexcusable. Consumer help, to me, means that there is help available to the consumer though an employee of one of several head offices for the company who is repsonsible for the existence of said product (defective or not), even if it means some inconvience. Not only does giving that consumer help relieve the consumer needing the help, it also assures them the company is willing to stand by the quality and standards of their product and makes them feel more confident that next crucial purchasing decision that they make.
As a modern person living in a modern world buying modern consumer products from a modern company with modern offices around the areas of the socially and industraially advanced areas of the world with modern equipment, I flat out REFUSE to believe there is no way that the head office in the Netherlands CANNOT be contacted by another head office (no matter from the location) and inform them of a defective product that is currently located in an area the company internally belives should be handled by the office in the Netherlands. If there was no way to contact, then there'd be serious trouble for a company to have offices existing that they have no real contact with. In fact, that is even more worrysome than a defective toy with a loose piece of plastic that cannot be replaced by a normal, healthy-minded person with a ever so slight incline towards the understanding of how to unscrew and screw a normal screw because no screws were chosen to be used by the design group for the company but instead were fastened so you can't undo it so you can't fix it so it creates an unuable product that the consumer should have easily replaced but can't because the consumer lives in an area where the closest, "most convient" office isn't "modern" enough to have a simple method of contact (or, at least it seems...correct me if I'm wrong) therefore making in imparative that the consumer pays out of pocket costs in order to receive a simple "free" replacment that may very well end up exceeding the cost of the very same product in a local store that COULD be SIMPLY purchased but then again...the idea of the gift would be ruined and the consumer would have paid again for the SAME toy from the SAME product line from the SAME COMPANY which could have the SAME problem so he'd have to contact the SAME company at the SAME office for the SAME problem for the SAME product.
I could go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and .....
OR
We could see if it's too inconvient that either 1) the SAME office that was contacted could find a way in line with policy to give consumer help regarding the product or 2) kindly forward internally through company e-mail / phone / fax my probelm to the **aHEM** "correct office" (I'm sure the company has an internal way of contact) and have the "consumer help" division contact me so that I can actually receive some "consumer help" for the SAME toy from the SAME product line from the SAME COMPANY.
Kind Regards,
Jeremy Hummel
You can see the main points of my topic here in that last response, so I won't bother with a recap. In the end, these days companies don't give a flying fuck anymore. So, my question to them is: SO WHY SHOULD WE AS CONSUMERS?
I'll post more responses as they flow in because...HEY!
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