Complain about a product or service

Letters, we get letters, we get stacks and stacks ... well, you get the idea. Leading the list lately are Reader's Digest and Moviepass. Last week, it was Martha Stewart and Trilegiant.

Most of the mail consists of complaints about cars, credit cards, washing machines and so forth. But, shocking though it is, some of it contains complaints about our site, our intelligence and our annoying qualities. In the interest of fairness, we herewith display some of the more pungent examples.

Here's some other stuff that doesn't fit neatly into any category that we can think of ...

Susan of Basking Ridge, NJ writes:
Have you verified the complaints listed on your web site about Home Depot's Expo centers? There is a boycott of Home Depot by Arab/Muslim groups ( they have various web sites), who refer to the founder and CEO who happens to be Jewish as a Zionist. Are you validated the negative reports or are they merely plants by hate groups?

Have you taken the trouble to read the complaints? If not, please do so and then, if you still feel it is not completely absurd, repeat the question.

Tom Roberts of Rochester, NY, writes:
Your website seems to be the meeting ground for stupid consumers who never research anything before they buy products or services. Therefore, your consumer complaints read like hysterical writings of stupid people. An example is the person who complained about tires and wasn't even sure what type of tires were on the car. And I came here thinking I might find useful information but I was terrible wrong.

Well, don't hold it against us, Tom. We can't all be as brilliant as you.

R. Fletchner of Los Angeles writes:
As a salesperson for Bekins, I appreciate the added publicity. Out of the thousands of moves we do each year, even though unfortunate, some moves go wrong. You have listed less than 20 here at your site. Why don't you try unbiased news reporting, like NPR, and show some of the good letters from the people who have truly been helped with their relocation. Check for yourself, visit the Southern California BBB web site and maybe publish the rating for Bekins Moving and Storage. Thanks for your time.

Well, a salesman would certainly have an unbiased view, so R's concern is understandable. If we ever get any good letters about Bekins we'll be happy to publish one or two. We can't go stealing complaints from other sites, though. That would be illegal. We publish only complaints sent directly to us by consumers writing about their own experience. Seems pretty easy to understand.

Peggy of Sylvania, GA, writes:
My aunt received this postcard in the mail from something Asset Recovery. It says that under Georgia law, unclaimed money must be returned to the rightful owner. It includes an unclaimed money collection form and says send this form along with a check for $10.00 to Asset Recovery.

We would like to know if this is a legitimate business.

We'd say it's a legitimate way to get rid of $10.

LaRae writes:
I am interested in studying to become a Consumer Advocate. I am not sure where to start and thought you may be able to give me some guidance. I love to write, analyze, research (online and off), and help find solutions. Maybe you just need to be able to write and have a passion for making things right. And in that case, are you hiring?! Thanks in advance!

Dear LaRae,
Thanks for your note. To be an effective consumer advocate, you probably need to be either an attorney or a journalist. It's important to know the basics of consumer law and to have some skill at researching and presenting individual cases. Thus, we would suggest that you consider working towards a law or journalism degree for starters. You can get some valuable practical experience along the way by volunteering with a local Legal Aid office, city or county consumer agency or volunteer organization.

We actually don't have any paid positions in our organization but we are always looking for volunteers. If there is any subject area in particular that interests you, let me know and maybe we can put you to work. Thanks for thinking of us.

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