Regarding the Members of Planet Feedback

Adam-
This is a long standing problem here. Years ago people responded with
helpful, useful comments. Not anymore. I have used PF since it
became available and I can't believe the way some people (you know who
you are) act here. You should feel sorry for them because they
obviously have NO LIFE outside of this board. From now on just don't
check the share letter box. It's not worth it. A few rotten apples
have spoiled this whole barrel. By the way PF is NOT the only
feedback site and there are even ones where people are still actually
pleasant. I won't mention them here, wouldn't want to give the pit
bulls any ideas.

Yea sorry im adding to this sad letter.. but I just wanted to ask
adam.. to WHAT company is your compliment letter to?

Wow, this is old.

Everyone has business being here. Including the people who make stupid
complaints.

Same old lame replies...........

Hmmm....Trailer Trash Members on here? You are calling yourself that
loser.

No one forced you to write a complaint on planetfeedback. If you can't
handle it, then leave.

First, I would like to apologize for jumping into this so late. My
schedule and recent injuries have prevented me from posting lately.

Before I was going to respond, I took the time to read everything you
posted as well as read most of the responses (or at least skim to get
the general idea). I did this because I was only familiar with your
True Credit letter and I had never responded to you before. I wanted
to make sure I understood the situation before adding my thoughts.

When we read letters like these online, we infer a tone based on
things like word choices, punucation, etc. Our inferences can be
wrong, but it's something we do almost instinctually. The two letters
that were the most controversial, this one and the one to True Credit,
both used word choices that really seemed quite abrasive. I mean this
respectfully, but if you set people on edge, the going to respond in
the same tone they initially read. Letters with a lighter tone, like
the one about the flowers for Mother's Day, we received much better.
Most people agreed with you and even commented it was a good letter.
Now other letters, like the cold meal due to a cashier not
understanding the gift card, did receive criticism, but it can be used
constructively.

Also, your responses sometimes read as being overly defensive. I know
that I feel I have to respond to everyone who responds to me. However,
try 'thanking' people for comments before responding. It starts you
out on a nice tone. If the person doesn't deserve a thank you, then
perhaps it's best not to respond.

When I first read this, my initial thought was that this letter wasn't
so much to help PFB to improve the site, but rather as a means for
telling other members how you felt. I could be entirely wrong (it
wouldn't be the first time), but that was just my initial reaction.

Thank you for taking the time to read my rather lengthy response.

Thank you Adam for admitting to the community what an utter arse you
are and proving why not a word you say has any merit.

I think it is safe to say that you are now officially Public Troll #1

Planetfeedback didn't bother to respond. This is probably the most
popular letter this site has ever seen. Mostly, because the truth
irritates people so much. The whole purpose of this site is to get
companies to offer better products/services. Yet, they chose to
ignore a complaint. It really says a lot about the people who are
running this site. They have used you all. They let you argue and
allowed me to say things that were simply inappropriate at times. Why
do they do it? $$$$$$$

They kept their hit count up. Let's face that's all anybody around
here really cares about. This letter kept you all coming back for
more. Suckers......

The more time I spend on other forums I realize the people are hated
by many! I wonder how many letters are NOT shared because people know
they sill be subjected to the jackasses on this site.

OK PEOPLE.. this letter is almost a year old. Let us make room for a
newer.. BETTER letter in the top 25! (Yea I know i'm not helping it
get off the list)

I would like to tell you that you are posting your letter in
cyberspace on a forum where everyone has a chance to talk about it and
you. This is very risky business! And by replying to the people who
flamed you, you are stooping to that level, so you are no better. So
instead of just ignoring them, you egged them on. There are quite a
few people in the country who are disenchanted with small business
owners, and rightly so! I am sure there are some small businesses
that are very nice and low priced, and open late, and hire workers for
a fair living wage with benefits. Unfortunately, bullying IS free
speech. And by posting complaints on a world wide forum, you leave
yourself open to various slurs.

Recently I posted a few letters describing the horrible experience I
had renting a car in France. It was a nightmare for all involved.

I was shocked that when I did the paperwork, all the monetary values
were labeled "Eur". Since I am lazy, I just assumed that meant
dollars. They described several attractive optional coverages, which
I assumed were included in the base price. I'm not some stupid
tourist, so I accepted them!

Imagine my horror when I was presented with a bill that was way more
than what I planned to spend. Back to my letters. People here were
merciless in pointing out how I did the wrong thing. They said things
like "didn't you know the exchange rate?" What does that mean - these
are dollars, LOL. Get real. Then, they said I should have asked what
the optional coverages cost before agreeing to take them. Didn't you
hear me? They were included. Duh. People here should travel for
themselves to France and see what it is like before acting "all that"
here on PFB.

Bullying like this is unacceptable. These people are ruining my faith
that the rental company will DO THE RIGHT THING. They are beginning
to make me realize I did something wrong, and I'll fight that even if
I have to write a letter every week.

As a first time user of planterfeedback.com a few days ago, I can say
I had the opposite experience! The members were helpful, insightful
and polite. Even better, I got a response from the company I wrote the
letter to within days.

I missed you!

I completely agree with your statments! This site is designed to allow
people to report good and bad occurances. While people are free to
opinions, there isn't a need to flame someone over an experiance they
had.

I just responded to a user who responded to my letter, they asked why
I didn't just talk to the manager to save time? Well you see, that's
what this site is about! A place to come and vent or compliment when
needed.

While my instance is not nearly as bad as yours, I do feel that
moderators could help in situations where posters are attacked.

I thought I was the only one who noticed how harsh and rude some
people on here can be.

That every time we get a honked off OP, this letter mysteriously
resurfaces? Is there some pop up that appears and says "If you have
been insulted, abused, told no or otherwise offended by the commenters
here on PFB [click here]?"

I'm sure it has never occurred to any of these OP's that if there are
a large number of people telling you that your complaint is way off
base, maybe, just maybe, you were the one in the wrong.

I know I comment on letters all the time that are VERY well written
(even complaints), but when you get people like our friend who is
proud of himself for acting like a raving lunatic in the Cellular
store and chasing off customers, do you really think that someone
shouldn't tell that guy that he's lost his mind and has jumped off the
deep end?

If you are trying to use PFB merely as a griping board to spout off
about your bad luck and problems that you mostly caused yourself or to
rant about your alleged mistreatement at the hands of evil corporate
America, and you don't show a shred of personal responsibility or an
ounce of common sense, then please don't whine that people are
mistreating you by telling you that your complaint quite plainly
sucks.

I am so sorry you experienced the attack of immature people with
little else to do.
I recently posted my first complaint. It was fairly minor about what
we felt was an unfair Early Termination fee being assessed when
leaving TDS.
Within minutes, 3 different people replied saying I should just pay it
to avoid going to small claims court. One sited chapter and verse from
TDS materials that support this type of fee, whether agreed to or
hidden in the fine print.
I might have expected this type of response from the company but not
from other consumers. Perhaps major companies actually have people
that monitor this type of site and offer discouraging comments on the
company's behalf. Or maybe they are just people with too much time on
their hands.
I was truly delighted when I received an email from TDS stating that
the fee is actually valid but as a courtesy of our many years of
service, the $40.00 termination fee was being waived.
The system does work and perhaps someday the negative people will
realize that you're only going to reap what you sow.
Don't be discouraged. If you/we stop complaining and demanding what is
right, people will do and say what ever they want.
A.Smith

Meh... it's one of those "if you can't take the heat..." deals.
I've posted a handful of letters in my years on here, and many of them
were met with at least one or two critical replies. Ya know what...
so what? :-)

My most recent one was a complaint about the lack of live cashiers at
night at Krogers, and I took some heat from several people. I made
some replies, tried to explain my opinions a little further, and if it
didn't work - oh well... and actually, the folks that seem to get so
bent out of shape about something I wrote... well, they just amuse
me. :-)

It seems funny to me that my opinion on something can get someone I
don't even know, probably hundreds of miles away from me, so worked up
that they have to go on a reply rant.

You'll generally get some people that will agree with you, if your
letter is at least somewhat reasonable, but of course you are going to
get the people that don't. My advice - reply and clarify your
position if you want, but if not - just forget it. The letter still
gets to the company you wanted, and that's what you are really after,
right?

Hi Adam,

I'm new to site and recently posted a letter, too. I took a lot of
heat for my comments, but considered the points everyone made
objectively (and ignored those that were purposely trying to be mean
just to get a laugh from others).

When you post things publicly on a Web site for others to respond to,
more often than not, people will respond differently and sometimes,
more rudely than they would in person due to the anonymity of the
Internet.

Despite my initial experience, I think PlanetFeedback is a great venue
for people with gripes and hope that you don't let others ruin it for
you.

Good luck with your letters of complaint.

-DB

.....

currently at #22......you will be missed.....*sigh*

I was just about to agree with you, right up until you used the term
"trailer trash". You're on your own now, pal.

P.S. Using a nasty classist slur in one breath, then, in the other,
whining about what big mean bullies you think others are? Ironic lulz
abound.

OK, so I read many, many, many posts by the 'regulars' here
complaining and attacking people for 'gimme grabs'.

Recently, a letter was posted titled "bad Service at the 99". The
poster was complaining about what was a human error, but annoyed him
enough to decide not eat there again.

He tookthe time to explain in detail why he was annoyed, leaving out
the usual histrionics. Didn't ask for a single thing.

Only to be accused ny a 'regular' of making a "veiled request for a
freebee'.

So, am I to surmise that this, and other, regualrs here think no
letter should ever be written just to say you are annoyed and why? If
so, what is the point of this board???

WARNING! Possible rant ahead

OK, I'm sick and tired of reading a lot of the verbal tactics that
have been used on here as of late. Therefore, I am going to make some
clarifications here, as well as my own time-tested opinions.
I am NOT, nor have I EVER been a corporate terrorist. I work making
sandwiches, not attacking people to defend my "employer". Heck, check
out my message history! If I worked for every company that I have
"defended", then I am employed by just about everyone! Wow! Hope I'm
getting rich, I'm going to need that kind of money to pay for my
nursing school. Truth is, the old "you're just defending the
companies because you work for them!" is a tactic used by people who
have gotten no satisfaction from a posted complaint for whatever
reason and have had the same letter verbally attacked, and cannot see
that perhaps it was because their complaint was unfounded, or they
made excessive freebie grabs, or written a letter that was vague,
confusing, or hard to read.
What I AM, however, is a consumer that was raised with the homespun
ethics and morals of the hard-working European immigrant farmers that
settled in the Midwest, and believed that hard work is the key to
getting the things you want and need, to never take more than you need
or give, and to be human enough to accept that mistakes happen. What
I also am, is a person who has been in that same situation of the
person behind the counter, whether it be employee, manager, or
customer service representative. Many a day I have been close to
tears and mental exhaustion dealing with people like some of these
OP's whose abhorrent behavior and excessive demands have served to
make my days horrible, and make me hate my job. My purpose,
therefore, is to enlighten, educate, and teach empathy. Have any of
you stopped to think how that other person may feel? How many of you
like to be yelled at, berated, insulted, and humiliated? Not too
many, by some of the responses on this site. It's especially
frustrating if the abuse is unwarranted.
Now, before you go and say, "You did the same thing too." Yes, I am
quite aware that I am equally responsible for some of the things I
mentioned above. However, in recognizing that, I am taking steps to
correct it. For example, I am making a conscious effort to eliminate
the spelling and grammar criticisms altogether, after having my own
posts criticizing spelling and grammar corrected for the very same
thing. If I feel I need to make a comment on the letter structure, it
will be a more generic comment.
I am also attempting to add more helpful suggestions in dealing with
certain problems, instead of always being critical. This is more of
an effort towards helpfulness than always criticizing, ranting, etc.
My goal here is to bring a little more positivity towards the overall
site. Who knows, perhaps someone will see one of my suggestions and
think, "Hey, that's a great idea! I'll try that!" Therefore, I have
made one person's life a little better or easier.
I'm also attempting to ask questions for clarification. After all,
very few OP's will add all of the relevant facts, and there may be
things that are missed. It's hard to make an accurate judgment call
if you don't know everything involved. My hope is that the OP will
respond and answer my questions. It doesn't usually happen, but one
can only hope.
What I will try NOT to do, though, is resort to petty name-calling. I
don't know any of you personally on this site. I don't know what you
do with your spare time; therefore it is not within my ability to make
personal judgment calls. I may make comments on someone's actions
(i.e. "that sounds kind of lazy") rather than to them personally (i.e.
"you are lazy"). What I will not do is call someone something I would
have no personal knowledge of.
What I will continue to do is call out those who have made their
letters just so outright outrageous that it has to be either a joke or
(heaven forbid) someone who thinks their letter is legit, when it
defies all common sense. I'm not doing it because I get some kind of
perverse pleasure bashing complete strangers on the Internet, but
rather simply because it's people like these that make my job and the
jobs of those like me absolutely miserable, and that is a condition I
am trying to avoid.
With a lot of that said, I'm going to add some more helpful hints
here:
This is a business letter. Treat it as such. This letter is being
addressed to the customer service person in the company you are
sending it to. If you want your complaint duly noted and acted upon,
and not summarily dismissed, then it should look professional and
legible. Act as if it is your resume, and you are looking for a job
there. With that said, write your letters first in a word processor
program. This not only checks for spelling and grammar errors, but
eliminates the problem of "I took to long to write it and it didn't
post, erasing all my work!" The problem when that occurs is people
get frustrated. Their first letter may have been well-written, full
of facts and quite professional. Now that they are frustrated, it's
short, omitting facts, and may have a sour undertone to it. Going
along that line, don't write a complaint while you are still angry.
Anger can cloud your judgment, and make you forget relevant issues, as
well as adding an angry undertone to your letter, which will not be
received well by the person reading it. Using a word processor
program to write a draft also gives you an easier time of going back,
re-reading, and making any changes needed to get your point across
sufficiently.
Take the proper steps before resorting to PFB. If you have an issue
at a physical location, your first step should be to address it with
the employee you had the issue with. Most people do not realize they
did the wrong thing, and just saying something might fix the problem
right then and there, with little fuss. If that is not done to your
satisfaction, your next step should be to go to the manager. If the
employee cannot or will not fix the situation, it is a good
probability that the manager can. The manager at the location there
has the most clout and pull to be able to actually do something at
that very moment. They can also fix the possible situation so that
hopefully it won't happen again. A manager cannot fix a problem unless
they are aware of it. They can talk to the disgruntled customer, ask
relevant questions, find out the info they need to know and dispense
recompense immediately. They can discipline the errant employee or
dispatch someone to fix the broken thing, whatever the problem may be.
Hearing complaints second-hand lessens the power the manager has over
that situation. They don't know for certain what happened, as very few
customers include all the necessary details and information the
manager may need. They aren't given the option or ability to observe
the problem first-hand and take the correct course of action. If
neither of these outcomes is satisfactory, then it is time to go to
PFB and the corporate HQ. Compose your letter with the hints I have
given above, and make sure the previous attempts have also been
documented. This will assure that your issue is handled with in a
timely and hopefully satisfactory manner.
Have a "WWJD" moment. (or whatever belief system you have that
applies). Stop to think about your complaint and/or post. Ask
yourself questions.
"Is this a legitimate complaint? Was whatever occurred something done
and possibly could have been avoided by the company? Am what I am
asking for as compensation reasonable and equal to what I have lost?
"Was what I perceived to be true actually true, or could I have been
wrong?" There are so many margins for error in situations like this.
Many of the rants that you will see on PFB can be avoided by asking
yourself these questions.
Take what is said with a grain of salt. As I have said before, we are
all humans, therefore we err. We have bad days, and these bad days
can cloud our judgment. If we let personal attacks sway us, then we
are stooping to the level of those we are angry at. Words are just
that; words. They cannot wound you; they cannot make your life
miserable for all eternity. Learn to accept that not everyone is
perfect. In that as well, take criticism as constructive and not
destructive. Who knows? Somewhere in that rant there may be a valid
point or two. It does you much better in the long run than just
knee-jerk defense.

With that said, can we let this thread die? It's worn out it's
welcome by now. =)

I can only laugh at this!!!

http://www.debt-consolidation-credit-repair-service.com/forums/showthr
ead.php?t=268109

AMEN- get some mods on here already! It's ridiculous. If I want to
be bullied, I'd go back to frickin high school!

Alot of the people on here need to get a life it seems besides
bullying those that are trying to make life easier for the rest of
us!

The exact same thing happened to me and so I no longer read any
replies to complaints I've make. In fact, from here on I will not
share my letters.

I feel your pain. The same thing happened to me last year. I
definitely got the feeling that if I had posted a complaint against
the Third Reich for murdering my grandfather in the gas chambers, that
there would have been a significant number of Planet Feedback
community members that would have defended the Nazis, and that there
must have been something my grandfather did to deserve it.

However, there are also a lot of ridiculous complaints on this site.
In the future, if I were you, I would just assume that there is, at
any one time, a cadre of cackling PF busybodies out there with their
fingers poised over their keyboards, just waiting to willingly
misinterpret what you have just written.

Can we have a vote count please? Scroll down through these seven
hundred something comments, and let's see how many people voted for
toning down the criticism of OP's, and how many feel it is justified.
Only one vote per person, folks. Except, perhaps, for the founder of
this site. His voice should count for two votes, at least.
I scrolled through, and noted one interesting point. Most of those
who favor reaming the OP's are daily comment posters, and most of
those who see excessive brutality are people we never hear from, many
of them former OP's.

This is interesting. I am new to this site, and I posted a letter
that I was sending to Valvoline. I saw the same behavior you are
writing about and commented on it in a couple of my responses.

After the responses I received, I decided that I would not post any
more of my own letters to companies publicly on this site. The first
few responses I received upset me a LOT...then I read some of the
shared letters and realized that most of the letters had this type of
response.

After that, I didn't even bother to read some of the responses because
I was pretty sure they were going to be snotty and full of personal
insults.

Seeing this letter just reinforces the conclusion I came up with
almost immediately.

If I had read some of the shared letters BEFORE I wrote my own letter,
I probably would not have posted publicly to begin with.

Oh well, lesson learned.

*Puts on helmet, bullet proof vest, and climbs into a bomb shelter*

Ok, I'm ready...let the assault begin! :-P

Can't we all just get along?

Complaint: "I was walking into Walmart the other day and out of
nowhere a manager knocked me upside the head with a baseball bat and
told me to leave so I did".

Planetfeedback poster: "Then you need to shop somewhere else! Walmart
has a right to ask anyone it wants to leave. You should read their
policy before entering that store!"

Oh yeah, we also need to get rid of the ones that relentlessly say
"shop somewhere else". Again, what is the point of this site if you
are just going to tell everyone to shop somewhere else? You couldn't
really complain about anything then, right? But I guess that is what
they are trying to make happen. No complaints! Ok, hit me where it
hurts!!!

Damn fine letter honey. The point is, people do not want to write
complaint letters because this group of people will go to the ends of
the earth, twisting things around to make EVERYTHING the consumers
fault. It almost never fails. I sometimes wonder if they work for
these companies! Yes, you have a right to your opinion, but if people
do not feel comfortable posting their complaints here, then what is
the point of planet feedback? Ok, let the attacks begin!!!!

I have used Planet feedback a few times when I didn't feel speaking to
someone locally would solve the problem (usually when something
involves a decision by a large corporation as opposed to something
that happened in a local branch). I've found it interesting that it
seems I either receive a reply from the company with a resolution or
at least an explanation or I am attacked (almost at a personal level)
in replies on this website and hear nothing from the company regarding
my complaint. I have to wonder if the attacks are posts from
"employees" of the corporation or if the corporation monitors the
replies and decides which ones should be answered. If it is the
latter, I realize some complaints may be unfounded; however don't you
have enough command of the English language and compassion to explain
where the person is wrong without insulting them? The complaint is
written because something is bothering a person and insulting them
will will not help solve the problem, whether the problem lies with
the person or the corporation. Let's try to be constructive here.

I have a complaint about Planet Feedback.
Funny thing is when you go to send in a complaint about this site by
writing a letter it shows Planet Feedback is not listed in their
files. lol
So I used this message to voice my concern.

I had someone state in a reply to one of my letter's that they will no
longer into my posts until I open my profile.

I've made two attempts at this.
After spending a half an hour on my first attempt I decided to try
again at a later date, figuring the fault may be on my part.

The second attempt which I know I spent an hour on also went without
success.

On both attempts when I hit the "Submit" section I'm told "User Name"
is unvailable, change the requested user name.
Now I used my "User Name" and "Password" to go into my profile section
so why must I change my user name?

That is only the begining. I figure what the heck I'll just alter my
"User Name" and explain it to people if they must know why.

After altering (change) my user name I hit the "Submit" key once
again.
What happened next really ticked me off.
It now tells me to click on something else to have my "Password" sent
to me.
Come on, I used both User Name and Password to get to where I was, why
do I have to make changes and have my password sent to me?

Well I went ahead with it's command to have my password sent to me.
Now what happens is really a set back.
It returns to another page and all that I've spent my time on is
lost.

I wouldn't think I was doing anything wrong to have all I've put into
my profile erased just to have to start over, have I ?

Anyway, for those who need to see my profile, forget it for now until
Planet Feedback works this bug out, or corrects me in my skills when
logged onto their site.

Hobo
(maybe soon to become Lil'Hobo

It's a shame people are not directed to the "Shared Letters" prior to
writing in their complaint.
Not many would after reading how other's are treated for doing so.

The worse part of it is when people write in replies that do not deal
with the complaint itself, they look for other reason's to go off on
you.

I'll bet if someone wrote in a letter describing themself as being
treated unfairly by an Airline I would expect to see replies something
like this.
"So, the pilot died of a heart attack and you just happen to take it
upon yourself to try and fly that big plane even though you do have a
pilot's license or have ever been trained in one. But because you
broke your leg in the crash that you caused on the runway in an
inexperienced attempt to bring the plane down you now expect this
airline to cover your medical."

Get what I mean, people will twist things around without addressing
the real issue.
Don't get me wrong on this as I've seen some very deserving letters
which warrant questioning the reason for the complaint.

It doesn't have to go on forever either. After numerous attempts at
explaining myself and begging people to address the complaint only,
people still went on the attack without acknowledging I was at least
right in my cheif complaint.
After no longer wishing to deal with it I apologized more than once
but more people continued to write in about my being wrong in
statements I said in follow up posts. It was a no win no matter what.

If future authors of complaints would read the replies to other posts
first it would cut down on the amount of complaints sent in to PFB by
a large amount.
This place may even have to change their format to that of where a
business could get a fair shake from consumers.

I haven't been here in a while. I can't believe people are still
responding to this letter! It's time to move on folks.

"ruin everything planet feedback stands for?"

this was posted 6 months ago and since then this website has done
nothing but gained more popularity. nice try though.

I couldn't agree more. This site has become the myspace of the
grown-up (er, maybe?) community. I must admit, I take guilty pleasure
in it as well during lunch breaks or boring classes.
However, I reacently read a very alarming complaint about a power
company that was very likely unlawfully merging a woman's account with
her live-in boyfriend's account. Apparently, he was past due on the
account he had independently before they moved in together.
The first comment was, "You need a new boyfriend."
How utterly helpful and mature. .
This website used to be amazing at gaining the attention of the
corporate community.
However, with comments like that it has become comprable to all the
other silly blogs out there.

This was extremely unfair. As we just have 15 min to write our
letters its impossible to tell all the details. If major companies
are doing things that are shady they need to be reprimined. Big
companies should know better & for others to takie their side is a bit
ridduclous because I am sure others have been hurt by this same
company. Members of planetfeedback should be more sensitive & not so
critical. After all what goes around comes around

Yes, I agree. People in general are rude, whether it be on these
boards or in person. These boards give people the chance to really
tell someone how stupid or petty they are being!

This letter is being read more than any other. That should tell you
something, that it is examining an issue of critical importance. The
most frequent commenters here are not making their comments for any
other reason than to be heard, perhaps because no one listens to them
anywhere else. Frustration is apparent in what they say, and as the
founder of this place has expressed, their often insulting comments
are taking the site down. There are chat rooms everywhere, but it's
sad to see a potentially productive site becoming one of them. That's
what happens when a few whiners make what could have been great into
their own private playground.

I have been on this site briefly but have been surprised by the tone
that some responders take. The assumptions made and derogatory
comments weren't something I expected. That's fine, if that's what
they want to do but I do think it detracts from the site and it's
purpose.

I am sorry that people have to be so mean and petty. This site has
helped me several times in the past. I would feel terrible too.

I just noticed this also. But then I read on the site that when we
share people can "critique" our letters. Some of the advice given is
very helpful but there are a few who just like to stir the pot.
You take the good with the bad and go on ...

Read the first post in my blog for my statement on that.

1. This is a public forum based online and registered in the USA.
Freedom of speech is a promised right as a US citizen, and is almost
limitless. The only thing we cannot do is threaten the President's
life or the life of another government official.

2. If you don't wish to have other users comment on what you write,
don't make your letters here public. If they're not shared, other
users will never find them.

3. If you understood the above two items in the first place, I
wouldn't be posting this reply. I find it hard to believe that you're
oblivious of what I've stated.

Moles? Aren't those the little furry rodents that burrow through the
ground? If I see one of those little things burrowing through my
computer, then I am complaining loudly, I hate those little buggers.
;o)

There are moles here from large companies. They use a simple tactic of
always defending the company and then say something like you can't
spell or your grammer is incorrect. This is done to make you look
dumb. therefore your complaint is dumb. Simple, but it works.

I am now at 12 in the top 25, and my age is causing me to melt.
PPPlease, someone help me... I am going the way of the Kissin' at
Chili's letter.

I believe you can send a letter without letting everyone else on the
site see it. I have done this, not because I worry about what others
are going to say, but because I could see no real benefit in sharing
the letters with the community. In future, maybe you should consider
this option.

Well spoken, there is too much of the "nitpicking" going on here.
Whether someone has a legitimate complaint or not, once they voice
their thoughts or opinion on something, it seems everyone loves to
play grammar teacher around here. Sometimes I feel has though I am
supposed to have a PhDs in Elocution, English and Grammar in order to
post an opinion on something.

Although most of us can actually use help in writing and preparing a
letter, it seems everyone shreds what people write, simply because
they aren't the most well spoken people in world.

I agree. Somewhat. It is clear that some members spend far too much
time worried about the format of letter. I think the purpose of the
site is to complain about or compliment companies in a manner that
lets them know a large group of users will be learning of experiences
both good and bad. It does amuse me to know end when there are replies
shaming grammatical accuracy, etc. If I post, it is often just to
convey an experience. I have other matters to attend to that require
my complete attention to worry about spell checking or capitalization
or whatever on here. It's not that serious!!!!!
That being said, I enjoy ridiculous claims being attacked. Maybe some
of the more irrational consumers will beging to understand that they
are being petty!

So if I wave my ass at you for posting this letter, I'd be bullying,
right? I thought it would just be me having a bit of fun. :(

Yes, people can get out of hand. People on both sides of the fence. If
it really bothers you that much... Leave? BOYCOTTS ARE COOL! I don't
check this site as often as I might because most of the letters
written are unintelligible and give me throbbing migraines, plus they
make me want to jump into the intarweb to find these people and bash
them with the Unstupid stick.

I think I'll break my Complaint Letter Writing/Posting cherry to
express to PlanetFeedback just how upset I am that so much of the
world is so stupid.

You're perfectly entitled to your opinion (as we all are) and I see
your point. I think, though, if you're going to talk about other
members flaming you and other posters then calling us "trailer trash"
is only going to appear hypocritical and not to mention immature.

Honestly, I've looked at many posts here and the only ones where the
OP is verbally ripped apart are the complaints that are ridiculous
(i.e. "Kissing at Chili's", Racism at Burger King). Those posters are
asking for a tongue lashing with their entitled, holier-than-thou
attitude.

I will agree with you about needing moderators here if the site owner
wants to run a legitimate site, but also keep in mind that we ARE on
the internet where every Tom, Dick and Harry can get on just about any
message board and say whatever they feel. Most of the time, it's NOT
personal. The person is just very bored and probably has no life.
They don't give a shit, so why should you? Hell, you don't even know
the person and they don't know you.

If you're looking for an answer, the best solution is to ignore the
flamers. Most of them just like the attention and you're only fueling
their fire.

From what I've seen in my brief time on this site, there are some
people who get nasty with little to no provocation. For the most part
though, I've seen people making intelligent arguments. One of the
reasons to make your complaint public is so others can give their
opinions. The majority of the letters I've seen that were "flamed" or
torn down were poorly written, poorly thought out, or just silly.
People expecting something for nothing, and people upset they were not
treated like royalty when they did nothing to deserve it.

I may be young, but I've worked in customer service since I was old
enough to have a job. I also was raised with good manners, and a good
education. I like to try to put them to use when I'm on this site, and
I try to do so by presenting a valid argument or response, not by
tearing people down or presenting personal attacks. Granted, I may
assume you're mildly intellectually challenged if you cannot spell
simple words, use something that resembles proper English, and turn
off the caps lock while typing your complaint.

The majority of posts I've seen involving vile language and nastiness
have been from OP's who didn't like that people disagreed with their
complaint, saw through their entitlement complex or called them out on
a bluff. They're the ones who are first to pull the name-calling
cards, just as you did above. Calling someone trailer trash doesn't
make a good argument any less valid. Finding the flaws in their logic
does.

I guess my point is, most of the posts I see aren't trying to
discourage users from posting. They're trying to discourage users from
posting worthless letters that will get them nowhere, from posting
nonsensical rants with no basis in reality, and from acting like
entitlement w*#&$s who expect free meals/product/etc everytime someone
looks at them the wrong way. If people insist on posting drivel in the
form of uninformed, nasty and unresearched claims, they need to
realize that they will be looked at as a source of entertainment, not
a legitimate complaint.

I did not have the energy to read this entire epic tome of a thread
but as a new member here I wanted to share some thoughts.

My impression of the community is that there are distinct groups of
philosophies toward people exerting their consumer rights. You have
those reasonable people who are focused on the consumer's view, those
reasonable people who are focused on the company's view and a handful
who are using the site for entertainment purposes.

I am a career customer service trainer and quality assurance analyst
in a customer service organization (those recordings that say "Your
call may be recorded for Quality purposes"? I am proof people really
listen to those!). I fall in the category of those that are focused on
the consumer's view. I beleive a handful of simple philosophies... 1)
If you do not ask, the answer is always no. 2) Warranties, contracts
and refund policies are not written to protect the consumer's rights,
they are written to protect the company *from* your rights. 3) A good
customer service organization will always seek a fair and equitable
way to satisfy a good customer's sense of fairness even if it is
outside the "rules".

If you are a consumer-focused poster and feel dissatisfied with the
tone of posts in this forum, I have a simple solution. If you aren't
posting - the void will be filled by other voices. If you complain
about the lack of good advice and support, then by all means, post
some good advice and support. The tone of a forum is created by it's
most active members. Be one of them.

well if uve read sum of the letters on here, sum of them r really
ridiculous. for example, if u look at "Kissing at the Chili's", u'll c
that sum arguement are so pathetic that they deserve to b shredded

Let's make this go away. Compliment Week March 4 - 10. Click on my
profile for more info.

I had the same problem with a recent letter. I had a few people jump
all over me and told me to "suck it up" and that I "learned a
lesson."

The funny thing is the company I complained to agreed with me and
apologized and compensated me for their unfair practice.

It seems there are some people who use this website to spout their
"learned" opinions about everyting, while most users do want to help
and offer real advice.

Maybe this is the only place the malcontents can be heard since their
families don't talk to them, their friends abandoned them and their
cats ignore them.

I have had the same issue with my complaint to DELL. All the members
on here jumped down my throat and were very disrespectful to my free
speech. Wish I knew how NOT to make my complaint public. Yeah Planet
Feedback needs to start knocking members off for bad mouthing other
members, cause it gets old real quick.

I Feel the pain Adam

Best Regards,

Sean

OK I too am an active member of this site and so far I have not had
one negative comment sent to me. For if so I too would respond as
you. And this note is to let you know I support your concerns as
another member of this site.
Thanks

This line of communication has made up my mind for me. I will take my
opinion elsewhere from now on. You are right in stating that some of
the posters are full of negativity and do not need any more attention.
I have posted on here several times and if I recall I think I got 2 or
3 positive replies from other posters. There are other sites I could
go to, and if it was`nt for the negative and useless babble that I got
from some of the users I would stay here. Oh well. Ta Ta!

Your letter sounds like it speaks for many of the people who write
letters to be posted on Planet Feedback. I just did. The gauntlet is
something many newbies don't expect. It's not a matter of freedom of
speach, it's a matter of running into individuals with a chip on their
shoulder who pick up on one thing, perhaps way off topic, and use it
to harrass the letter writer continuously. If the OP responds well,
they just change their story, and continue their belligerant tirades
as if they hadn't just been shot down.
That kind of extremism tends to push others in the same direction,
and pretty much all the members start to do the same to a much lesser
degree. Rare is the person who steps out of the flock and defends the
original letter writer.
That said, many of the commenter's objections are legitimate to some
degree. And the OP, if they have a little backbone, can use the
criticism to try to prepare for what the company they claimed against
might say when forced into a corner. In that sense, hard criticism
becomes very valuable. It's not that much of a task to separate the
wheat from the chaff, the useful from the bullying. The chaff nearly
always uses personal attacks, and hogs the arena.

Have you ever seen this site before you posted your letter? People
have their own opinons and are free to express them. If your complaint
is stupid in their eyes, why can't they say so? You are the one who
put your business on the internet for everyone to see and comment on.
Now you want to tell everyone what they can and cannot say? You can do
one of two things: get over what other people think, or just stop
posting. Simple.

Redundant posting from "Turned away on Christmas Day by Blockbuster"
just because I am new to PFB and HAVE TO HAVE MY SAY!!! I promise I
will not do this often. :)

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

OK Adam,

I am brand new to this site, brought here by an entirely differnt
issue, and caught up in what people have to say. Before I got to this
posting, I saw your previous posting (newer than this) about how this
place just opens people up for attack. Well, true, they are stating
their opinion, just like you are stating yours. I will admit I am
impressed with your stalwart responses to all your critics.

Now I understand some of your aggravation, but you lost all
credibility once you admitted to your illegal action of returning the
movie to Target. (Yes, illegal) OK, wait, time for you and your
supporters to defend your actions. Feel free, I am curious what you
will have to say. But I have one quesion for you (and this may have
been asked before earlier in the thread.)

When you walked into Target, went to the customer service, did you
say " Hi, this is a christmas gift my friend bought for me at
Blockbuster, but it is the wrong format. Can I exchange this item
here
since Blockbuster won't do it since I don't have a receipt?"

If that is what you told Target, and they exchanged the movie for
you, then you are redeemed and did nothing wrong. If not, then you
have done wrong, and as I said before, you have lost all credibility
as a person who can be trusted.

Back to the beginning, I understand your aggravation, and some of
the actions you took I would have done the same, but I would not act
like the wounded consumer and then admit to an action that is A)
Illegal (yep, there is that word again) and B) Is the reason retail
outlets have to raise prices. Your action was minor, but combine that
with the same actions from several thousand other wounded consumers,
and you do impact the business.

Maybe before you post your next complaint (be it against PFB or
another consumer) You should think long and hard about what you are
going to admit to.