My daughter boycotts loads of companies but mostly I don't bother.

There is one jewellery shop I won't use again as they charged me to re-size (down) a ring I bought from them for my daughter some years ago and I had checked with them when I bought it that they would re-size it for me once my daughter had received it for Christmas, they just neglected to say it would be at a fee - disgusting, re-sizing is normally free on quality jewellery.

Apart from that, and avoiding some shops I know from my past employment to give bad customer service, I don't bother. I cannot bring myself to boycott a business on principle, not if it is going to cause me inconvenience.

A couple of years ago many islanders got upset with a particular wealthy immigrant, he owned so many of the large businesses in the island. Then he bought yet another supermarket and the shoppers got upset and boycotted his supermarkets and other businesses. Problem was for me, with my precarious health at that time, my nearest supermarket was owned by him and I really wasn't well enough to shop elsewhere.

Apart from the fact that many of these people will have drifted back having made a noise, I wouldn't mind betting that many of them didn't stop using our local Marks and Spencer stores, they are franchises that he owned.

Before anyone thinks this is racist, I hasten to add that I mean an immigrant to this island, he is in fact a caucasian Brit.

I didn't go to Burger King for years because once when my first two children were very small (a baby in arms and a 2-year-old) I locked my keys in my car in their parking lot and they wouldn't let me use their phone. I had to walk across a busy highway with children in tow to call from elsewhere.
I also boycott a local, privately owned pharmacy that opened locally a few years ago. They put a coupon in the local paper that was good for $25 of free merchandise if you got a prescription filled there at their new establishment. I figured this was as good as free money, so I took them up on it. When I got my prescription filled, I was given a little card to present every time I wanted to use some of the $25. It supposedly had a unique number on it and the balance on the card could be looked up at anytime. The store had milk, soda products, and snacks, so I went in a few times to take advantage of my store credit. EVERY time I went in, they told me my balance was considerably smaller than I knew it was, and that some member of my family had evidently come in and bought things without my knowing. After it happened about 3 times, I told them it wasn't worth the hassle and I wouldn't be back. I have never darkened their door again. My guess is that they realized too late that giving so many people $25 credits was cutting into their profits way too much!

I have boycotted Mothercare since a few weeks before my first child was born, so the store has missed out on benefitting from any of my three children's existence. Why? A few months before my first child was due I trawled the stores looking for the 'perfect' puschair, and ended up paying a deposit on one in Mothercare. A week before my due date I returned to Mothercare to complete the purchase, to be told that the puschair wasn't available, they were out of stock and didn't know when there would be one ready for me - months, or weeks.... Being a stressed mother-to-be I hassled the store a little over the next few days, to be eventually told that the puschair was available for me the following day due to another customer returning it. Reason for the return? Her baby was stillborn ;( Very poor customer service, and an appalling thing to relate to an already-anxious mother-to-be. I have not set foot in their store since.

I have to say that I never shop at Supre. Most of their clothes are designed for people that very closely resemble sticks, or the clothes are hardly longer than underwear. I have to disagree with things like that, and it gets worse when I see 10 year olds shopping there.

I refuse to shop at Old Navy. No high-falluting ideals here, just the fact that their advertising sets my teeth on edge. I hate their commercials. The one and only time I even considered shopping there was when I was pregnant and looking for some overalls to tide me over in that awkward time between being able to wear normal clothes and needing to wear maternity clothes. I called the only number available in the phone book, the national toll-free number. After a lengthy menu, I was directed to my local store, but only after listening to a "radio-ized" version of one of their television commercials, and lengthened to about 7 minutes. I patiently listened through the entire thing, waiting for a live person to come on the phone so that I could tell them personally that I would not be shopping in their store any time soon, if ever, after what I had just been through. Like I said, it didn't offend my ethics or morals... it was just completely irritating. lol

I boycott a well known fast food chain.

Oh, do tell, Bloomsby? Was there something nasty in your BigMac,(apart from the usual stuff?)?

I'm bleeding vendetta.

We aren't having much luck, but we need more people. We're all boycotting Mcdonalds after some guy had a heart attack there and they wouldn't let the medical workers in because they were doing 'maintenance'.

Ren, shhh. In England one has to be so very careful when saying anything like 'The bougres gave my son food-poisoning'.

I used to have two store cards.

If I was late making a payment on my Argos store card, I would immediately get a shouty letter covered in block capitals, red ink and threats, and a huge late payment fee (something mad like £25) added to my bill.

If I was late making a payment on my Debenhams store card, the next bill would include a pleasant letter asking me if I had overlooked the payment, and advising me to make a payment as soon as possible, as otherwise I might have difficulties using the card next time I was in the shop.

Now I have one store card. No prizes for guessing which one I use and which one I cut up.

Yes Jar - the library for me too! My husband asked me to pick up a reserved book for him. I had a card but was told I needed his to take out the book. The librarian "offered" to call him at work to ask his permission for me to take out this book! I could have taken the book out using his card - they would have assumed then that I had his permission. All to do with the right for privacy I was told. So, now he's on his own and I will continue to use the internet for information.
Someday I will have to tell my Comcast cable company experience!

Ooops - I had a library experience too Jar but replied to someone else!

Several years ago a lobby group here in NZ called M.A.D.G.E (Mothers Against Genetic Engineering) printed a very useful list of major companies.They promoted the concept of "purse-power".Those companies who do use genetically engineered ingredients or refuse to state whether or not they do.....don't get my money!

I don't go to Circle K anymore. I stopped in one day to get gas and the clerk was outside smoking with some friends. I waited 10 minutes before he reluctantly came in to take my money. I felt as if I was an inconvience so I don't "bother" them any more.

From the Other Side:
As the Manager of a Grocery Store in a small Canadian town, I am trying to think of promotions that will attract new , or keep existing Customers.
Like most small towns, many of our residents are becoming older, so I am wondering if this is a good idea - I am thinking of giving out free samples of Prune Juice - in the hope that they will become Regular Customers.
Please let me know what you think!

Just curious Trigger, why prune juice? Why not any juice such as orange juice, lemonade, apple juice, tomato juice, etc.? Does prune juice have something to do with getting older? I think the idea of attracting or keeping customers is a good one, free samples would be a good idea, in my humble opinion.

Now, an update on my earlier post about boycotting my local library. I did send the letter I referred to, to two of my councilmen. Within a week I got a phone call from one, and a note from the other. Well! It turns the letter was sent at just the right time. The fiscal year ends for our city on October 1. I sent the letter on October 4. Changes were just instituted on the first of October.

The library now lets one check out books on tape or DVD as one item. But, it was not my letter that sparked the change. Once again it was $$$. They wanted to go to a self check-out system, and that would not have been feasible with audio books being checked out in the old manner. So, as much as I would like to think it was my prodding and urging , it was the almighty dollar that got them to change to a decent check out procedure.

Have I gone back? Well, not yet.

PRUNE JUICE is famous for its Fibre Content, thus promoting a certain improved bodily function, - Sorry you didn't get it.
If I need to explain further, my attempt at humour has been lost.

That's OK Trigger. I got it and I thought it was hilarious!

Do I boycott a shop or a product? How much time do you have? Seriously, I believe in voting with your feet!

There's a well-known survey that determined that an angry customer will relate their negative experience to about 72 people while a truly happy customer will tell about 12 (but the customer service must be truly exceptional for this to happen). So six outstanding events have to take place to break even against one bad customer service experience.

I teach customer service seminars (in the health industry) and so I hear a lot of stories like those given above. It never ceases to amaze me how some businesses manage to survive. And when they don't survive, they'll blame everyone but themselves. They'll blame the government, the employees, the customers...

About once a month I visit my parents who live about 1-1/2 hours' drive from me. The drive is mostly rural. I used to stop and get petrol (gas), drinks and other things at a little general store about halfway. But when I was almost eight months pregnant, they refused to let me use their bathroom. Apparently it was "staff only". When you are pregnant and you need to go, you NEED to go! So I asked again and they firmly refused, even though the next store or gas station where I could go was at least 15 minutes drive. That was the last time I ever darkened their door so they've lost about 17 years' worth of my business. They still exist but they don't look very prosperous judging by external appearances.

I changed doctors because of the rudeness and inefficiency I encountered from the medical reception staff at my former clinic. He was a good doctor but there are lots of good doctors out there with polite and considerate staff.

I refuse to go to the local hairdresser any more. I never particularly liked going there in the first place because the salon owner/senior hairdresser used to spend the entire appointment whining about anything and everything, but she was a good hairdresser and her prices were reasonable.

One time I made an appointment for a perm on Thursday morning at 9.00 (first appointment of the day). I made the appointment three weeks in advance. In those days I worked full-time and the only time off I had was Thursday morning, hence the need to get an early appointment.

On the day, she opened the salon and immediately took another customer ahead of me. I figured she was just "prepping" the other lady and would be with me in a few minutes. She kept me waiting until 9.30. I would have walked out if I hadn't have been desperate for the perm. I should have walked out.

After the perm, as I was paying and leaving, I decided I would say something about it so I politely queried why I hadn't been seen at the correct time.

Hairdresser: "Oh. Mrs X ALWAYS has the 9.00 appointment".
Me: "She couldn't have had it this week because I did".
Hairdresser: "Well, every week, Mrs X makes her appointment for the following week".
Me: "So you've known for an entire week that I had already booked this appointment and you didn't bother to phone me to ask if I would mind changing the time?"

I was furious. Mrs X was an old age pensioner and presumably had all the time in the world to get her hair done. She probably would not have minded a slightly later appointment time. But the hairdresser didn't say to her "Oh, I'm sorry, someone appears to have already booked the 9.00 appointment."

I can understand her desire to look after her regular customers, but I was a regular customer too. She knew me and she had a customer card with my name, address and phone number so she could have phoned.

She also could have said something to me about the situation when Mrs X and I both showed up when the salon opened at 9 o'clock. Instead she totally ignored me and let me sit in the waiting area wondering what was going on.

My mother-in-law continued to patronise her establishment but I never went back. She continually whined to MIL about how she was losing customers to the new hairdresser and she blamed the shopping centre management because she said they promised that she would be the only hairdresser in the shopping centre when she established the business. I told MIL she had my permission to tell her that I left because of the way she treated her customers.

Quote:

---

As the Manager of a Grocery Store in a small Canadian town, I am trying to think of promotions that will attract new , or keep existing Customers.
Like most small towns, many of our residents are becoming older, so I am wondering if this is a good idea - I am thinking of giving out free samples of Prune Juice - in the hope that they will become Regular Customers.

---

Well, um, er, Trigger, I did "get it." I'm just wondering why you would seek to encourage new "old" customers only. Why not encourage new customers of all ages? Besides, fiber is good for everyone's constitution.

My friends and I boycotted two places once both for terrible service..however it didnt seem to work as both places ended up on our regular list regardless. Now we laugh at the idea of boycotting anywhere.
I have a friend who always said yes to things then pulled out at the last minute we didn't black ball him from things, he's our friend, but we brown balled him instead he's always welcome but nobody bothers to invite him.

I boycot Walmart for their draconian practices. They are ruthless with wholesalers, treat their employees like machines, and do what it takes to drive the competition out of the market. Phase II once competition is gone is to (surprise) raise prices because no one is left to compete with. I guess after owning my own pharmacy for a time I grew to find their practices loathsome and based on pure greed. I will shop with independent store owners whenever I get the chance because I believe they are what make America great not the jumbo corporate greed machine. I really do think Walmart is a parasite.

I also tend to avoid bying things from China. This is due to their lack of quality control. I also don't want to suport the sweat shopes that their 'goods' come from. Hey maybe the Chines sweat shopes are kind of like their 'Walmart'. Maybe Walmart already owns the sweat shopes over there to ...uh help bring you the best value!

I worked for RadioShack for ten years, and I worked in their training and development department for 2 of those years (when the company was doing well--they made some changes to their corporate structure which has since changed the quality of service you get). One of the things I taught was: If a customer gets great service, they will become a customer for life. If a customer gets lousy service, you will lose that customer and at least 4 of their friends.

With that said--I've never gotten good service at a Burger King or a Wal Mart, so I avoid them (not boycott).

Circuit City recently laid off their most senior managers and them offered them their jobs back at lower wages with fewer benefits. I boycott that store.

Taco Bell (at least in SC) advertises one price on their drive-thru menu but then charges you a different price on the register. They seem to hope no one will notice--and this has happened to me in several cities in the state. Their corporate hotline has no comment.

I try to shop at local Mom-and-Pop stores when I can. You get better service, and you usually get better prices than Wal Mart.

Yes, it is always amazing to me that people just assume walmart will have the best price. Sometimes they might but not always. Also, quality of goods is frequently much better at the mom and pop places too.