A Memorial Day letter to Radio Shack from a Marine Corps veteran.

I admit to being curious as to what your military service had to do
with the Radio Shack product...

But it does sound like you should have received the refund.

Allison,

First, thank you what you have done for our country. I have a lot of
respect for our folks in the military. Unfortunately, many other
people in the U.S. do not have the same feelings as I, especially
Generation Y.

Your letter was well-written and I don't think your request was
unreasonable at all. I hope something good comes from your letter and
wish you luck.

-DB

Your letter and complaint don't mean a hill of beans just because you
are an ex-marine and it was Memorial Day. Who the hell do you think
you are? Really! No disrepect intended, but don't hide behind your
former career, we can all do that and none of us are special because
of it. I think you were going for the sympathy angle on this one and
look, it didn't get you anywhere.

Your complaint though is very valid. But your requests, or some of
them are a little atrocious. A full page apology ad? What are you
smoking lady? Once your ego dies down a lot, you might want to try
writing your letter again but from a more sincere angle. We all
receive exactly what we put out there, so your proof is in your
response. Try it again. You are not special. Again, none of us are.

Thanks for your service, but what does it have to do with Radioshack?!


Just because you were in the Marine Corps, does not mean you get
treated better than other people. Someone using there service as
excuse just pisses me off. You don't get special treatment. Quit
acting like you do!

Lastly, (and I'll probably make some people mad here) Texas is the
state that gave us the village idiot that is currently president. So,
I don't expect much out of Texas.

Not all Texans take offense to that...I grew up in Texas, and to me
that state is a caricature of itself. All the guys in cowboy hats and
pick-up trucks...I did not relate at all.

As for our village idiot, two words come to mind: Ridalin and Leash.
That's what he needs.

ROFLMAO!!!

Oh that is good! LOL!

I dont blame Texas though...I blame his parents.

About Mr. Bush! Made me laugh out loud! Thankx!

Being a Marine Corps Vet has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with your
ability to return merchandise!!!!!

What, exactly does being a Marine have to do with anything?

My ex husband was/is a Marine. He never used that to try and get
special treatment.

If you cant get your problem solved on its own legitimacy...then you
probably need to re-evaluate what it is you are trying to do.

"
I would like to bring to your attention the deplorable set of
circumstances forced on me today by your employees and a store
manager.
I attempted to return a defective piece of merchandise which is still
under warranty. I had supporting documentation, the merchandise, and
the receipt.
Instead of trying to work with me, the manager, a (very) young person
named *****, was rude to the point of personal insult. He made no
attempt to work with me, but peremptorily interrupted the salesman
whom I had approached and told me, "We don't do cash returns." I
indicated that the merchandise was still under warranty by Radio Shack
and it was defective. ***** once again said, "I can give you another
one, but I will not refund your money." I told him that I did not want
another unit, and asked if he could work with me. ***** then stepped
back and said, "Why should I?" To say that this made me mad is an
understatement.
I then asked for the name of the district manager and was informed
that this person is ***** I sincerely hope that he is notified of
this deplorable situation. I also attempted to contact customer care
via the phone and found out that Radio Shack evidently does not
believe in supporting customers unless it is during their designated
business hours.
The store in question is a standalone store, number 01-6742, located
at 4909 E. 82nd St, Indianapolis, IN 46250.
Please give me a refund of the purchase price for the defective
merchandise.

Thank You,
A. R. xxxxxxx
Sgt., USMC (1980-1988)"

Much better, don't you think? Clear, concise, to the point, no
excessive demands, no status/race card, and chock full of factual
goodness!

My last comments on this matter.
1. Yes, I was angry when I wrote the letter. Next time I will wait
about a week and calm down before I write - and I will write again.
2. I was not, do not and never will try and get special and/or
preferential treatment because of my veteran status. Anyone who
assumed as much is very wrong and does not know me.
3. My complaint is about the insulting and demeaning way in which I
was treated by someone who obviously does not know better - and if his
employer (in this case radio shack) does not fix this, then they have
problems.
4. Just because a company posts a policy does not mean that there is
not room for improvement. I will respectfully discuss this point with
anyone who will listen without preconception. and by the way, if the
product I bought is defective, and the replacement is defective, why
should I be saddled with another one? Why would I want store credit
at a place that does not care for their customers? (BTW - I have
worked retail and a return desk before - I know the story, and I know
what can be done for the customer)
5. By the end of the letter, I was (obviously) in MAJOR sarcasm mode.
A full page ad?? What, it has to come from Letterman or Conan
O'Brien to be funny?? Lighten up, folks.
6. For those out there with ties to the military, I never intended to
put a bad light on those who served, and if it came across that way,
then I apologize.
7. Copy the above for Texans - and the Enron comment was over the
top.
8. For me, a computer generated form letter will not suffice as an
apology nor rectify the situation, so in reply to at least one person,
no the letter(s) I received are not enough.
Lastly - how would you react if you were treated like dirt by a
disgustingly arrogant person who is supposed to be serving you and
representing a well known company? Would you just take it with no
comment or reaction? You may not like my reaction, but I promise you,
it honest and true.

Peace out.

ARP

Your status as a military veteran does not entitle you to freebies and
benefits at every store for the rest of your life. The only benefits
you are entitled to are from the US Government. How dare you play the
miliatry veteran card?

Continue holding your breath, you will get what you deserve.

Let me begin by saying thank you for serving our country. I have a
deep and abiding respect for our soldiers and veterans who defend our
rights and freedoms.

However, even that status does not entitle you to circumvent the
"rules", so to speak. Corporate policy is in place for a reason.
Also, the demands are a bit excessive. The refund maybe I can see,
via gift card if they don't do cash returns, or perhaps store credit.
The threat on the manager's job and the whole "firing him will expose
you to no real legal risk" statement was uncalled for. Race cards of
any type are big no-nos. I can see a sincere apology, but a full-page
ad for a week? I can tell you right now, not going to happen. Why
wasn't the letter they sent you enough?

If the OP has veteran's benefits, I believe he/she should use them to
get treatment for whatever illness they may have.

It is sad this came so close to Memorial Day. Thank you to all
veterans out there for serving our country.

I won' touch the whole Marine thing, but.......

A warranty only means they will replace if defective, not give you a
refund. What is Radio Shack's return policy? If you are past the
deadline for returning merchandise, end of story.

I feel so ashamed reading this. Ashamed because of all the people I
know - marines, navy, army, air force - none have ever tried getting
preferential treatment simply because they served their country. And I
would be ashamed to know anyone who ever did try to pull this kind of
stunt. I don't know why some people feel they need to throw it in the
face of others that they did serve.

My father was a Tech Sgt. in the USAF. He retired with full honors,
and he was buried almost 20 years to the day with full honors at a
national cemetary. Never in all the time that he was alive and that my
family can ever recall, did he ever pull the kind of stunt you did.
I'm sure he'd have some choice words for you if he were still alive
today.

I sincerely hope that you get resolution, but I hope for your sake,
you never ever ever pull this kind of stunt again. While some
retailers might give discounts (Best Buy comes to mind as they did
this over the holiday weekend), they don't have to, and can even
refuse service to enlisted customers if they so desire. So keep that
in mind the next time you want to try and get special treatment for
your service.

After reading this letter again...a few things popped into my head.

"2. Instruct the store manager on the rudiments of customer service.
How you do this is up to you. Since he is a white male, firing him
will expose you to no real legal risk."

This is absolutely absurd. The race of the manager has nothing to do
with this letter. I am appalled by this actually. It doesn't matter if
he was black, white, blue, purple or green. Your comment was totally
out of line, and you lost a LOT of credibility, not only with us, but
if RS were to read your letter, with them too.

Also, you wanted apology...it will not happen. I agree you should be
apologized to for the way the manager acted, but a weekly "ad" is
outlandish.

I expected a 5th grader to act this way, not someone who (I am
assuming, given that its been almost 20 years since you have been in
service, and had to have been at least 18 when you joined the Marines)
it near 50 years old. You're an adult, please act like one.

I just threw up in my mouth a little.

Wow - I had no idea that there were so many people out here who are so
self righteous as to turn the afterburners on and flame me for my
opinion.

First - I was not implying that I should get special treatment because
of my veteran status. My comment to the young man in question was
made in an offhand manner, in an attempt to lighten the very dark mood
that he brought into play. I was trying to get normal customer
services as a PAYING customer.
What I received was a measure of rudeness normally encountered on TV
talk shows hosted by former mayors of Ohio cities.

Secondly - As a Marine veteran, I understand service - and I wanted to
make that point. The employees of this store (and Radio Shack by
inference) do not understand service - just taking your money. I stand
by my comment that if my son acted in the same manner as that store
manager, he would be disciplined. If an employee of mine acted in the
same way, there would be serious repercussions including possible
termination for cause.

Lastly - (although honesty in an anonymous forum is a stretch) how
many of these respondents are associated (employee/former
employee/spouse/partner/significant other/friend) with Radio
shack????

I stand by my statements.

ARP

As a 7th generation Texan (at least; that's where we lose track of
the ancestors) and a diplobrat, you disappoint me, Allison.

I grew up knowing Marines to be the young people who were prepared to
do what it took to protect me and my family if something went wrong.
(I recognize that there is a lot more to the job than that.) I never
doubted for a minute that they would do that, and I'm well aware that
that responsibility weighed heavily on at least some of them, because
I've been sat down for serious talks about what to do in case the
embassy was attacked -- and what to do was pretty much to get out of
the line of fire and let the Marines slow any attackers down long
enough for the people behind the steel door to destroy sensitive
documents.

I admired those people throughout my youth, and I admired them even
more when I was roughly the same age as many of them and asked myself
whether I was prepared to sign up for a job that exposed me to that
kind of risk on behalf of people I hadn't even met yet.

I know that right now an awful lot of people believe that military
personnel are entitled to special treatment in a wide range of
situations, and I share a few of those beliefs. But I do not believe
(and do not expect others to believe) that having been in the Corps 19
years ago entitles you to special privileges at Radio Shack. Not on
Memorial Day and not even on Veterans Day.

And I'd have liked to think that as a Texan and a retired Marine, you
were better than to try to pull that.

I have a song that's echoing in my head I'd like to share. I do hope
you somehow find peace in your life. I don't agree with what you say,
but I'll defend your right to say it.

I hope someday you realize what being an American really means.

Bono won the Liberty Metal this past weekend, his words speak volumes
to me, at least.

ONE

Is it getting better
Or do you feel the same
Will it make it easier on you
Now you got someone to blame

You say
One love
One life
When its one need
In the night
Its one love
We get to share it
It leaves you baby
If you dont care for it

Did I disappoint you?
Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
You act like you never had love
And you want me to go without

Well its too late
Tonight
To drag tha past out
Into the light
Were one
But were not the same
We get to carry each other
Carry each other
One

Have you come here for forgiveness
Have you come tor raise the dead
Havew you come here to play jesus
To the lepers in your head
Did I ask too much
More than a lot
You gave me nothing
Now its all I got
Were one
But were not the same
We hurt each other
Then we do it again

You say
Love is a temple
Love a higher law
Love is a temple
Love the higher law
You ask me to enter
But then you make me crawl
And I cant be holding on
To what you got
When all you got is hurt

One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should

One life
With each other
Sisters
Brothers

One life
But were not the same
We get to carry each other
Carry each other

One

One.

Read this, Allison. Hopefully, it will help you gain some
perspective:

Beth Quinn: Of phantom pain and cries in the night

Times Herald-Record
May 28, 2007

As children, Inge and I heard our fathers cry out in the night,
sometimes, on those occasions when the phantom pains took over.

Then the family doctor hers and ours would be summoned to our
houses, each arriving with a black bag and needles filled with
painkiller.

The doctor would inject a dose into my father's stump Inge recalls
those shots into her own father's stump, too and the pain in the toe
or the knee that was no longer there would subside for a time.

The doctors would always come, no matter the hour. Out of respect.
These two men Inge's father and mine lost their legs in World War
II. The right leg, both of them. Artillery shrapnel, both of them.

And they'd both had hope for a time. My father thought the doctors
might save it. He was undergoing skin grafts when infection set in.
Then they cut it above the knee.

Inge's father had his cut below the knee in the field hospital. He
thought he'd still have that important knee joint, but infection set
in. Then they cut it above the knee.

Both men learned to cope when they returned home wearing
government-issue wooden legs. They were heavy, those legs. The two men
clumped and thumped as they hauled them through life.

Their stumps sometimes developed sores and rashes. And sometimes, in
the night, there were the phantom pains.

Inge was Herbert Eisenmann's oldest daughter. Oldest of three, with a
brother and sister to follow. I was Hank Werkman's oldest, also with a
sister and a brother who came after me.

As children, neither Inge nor I could imagine a man with two legs.

My father's leg was made of wood from a willow tree, and it was held
on by a wide belt around the waist, attached to a metal hinge. So was
Herbert's although, in later years, he was issued a plastic leg that
attached to his short stump by means of suction.

During the years after the war, both men developed a love for
swimming, perhaps because it was the one sport their wooden legs
didn't interfere with. I recall my father walking into the ocean on
crutches, his stump dangling down toward the shifting sand as he waded
in deeper and deeper. At some point, when he judged an oncoming wave
to be the right one, he'd hand off his crutches to my mother or one of
us kids, then he'd dive headlong through the cresting water.

Floating on his back out there beyond the breakers, looking skyward, I
suppose he could imagine a time when he dribbled a basketball down the
court, spinning his body, leaping toward the basket, an effortless
dance.

Inge, too, recalls her father walking into the breakers, in his case
on the plastic leg with a cane to steady him. And at just the right
moment, he'd release the suction and take off the leg, handing it to
Inge or her mother even as he dove head first into the water. She can
only guess that, as he floated in freedom on the salt water, his
thoughts might have wandered to the days when he could ski with grace
down the side of a mountain.

Years later in 1991, when Herbert died of stomach cancer at the age of
67, the government requested the return of his prosthetic legs. They
were government property, after all, issued to a soldier wounded in
combat. He was buried with only his own flesh-and-blood leg, and Inge
often worried that he needed the artificial one, even in death.

My mother has a vague recollection that she, too, was supposed to have
turned in my father's wooden leg when he died of a blown aneurysm in
1979 at the age of 59. She never did, though.

He was buried wearing that chunk of wood. I often hoped he didn't need
it.

But as young men going off to war teenagers, both of them Inge's
father and my own most likely never pondered whether or not they'd
eventually be buried with wooden legs. They proudly put on their new
boots and uniforms, they loaded their guns and their knapsacks, and
they prepared for the coming adventure. They each stashed a deck of
cards in among their spare socks to help the time pass in the night.

They carried those cards through their separate wars, into their
hospital wards and on into adulthood. No doubt, they would have
enjoyed a game with one another.

But that was never to be.

They played different card games. My father favored cribbage and
poker, Inge's liked a game called skat.

And they swam in different oceans. My father tossed his crutches to us
at the edge of the Atlantic, where we'd go for vacation from our home
in the Hudson Valley. Inge's father swam in the Mediterranean, where
his family would go for holidays from their home in Bavaria.

And of course they spoke different languages. My father knew no
German.

Inge Grafe-Kieklak is the only one of her family who eventually moved
to America. She lives in Jeffersonville now, where she recalls with a
head shake the terrible pain her father suffered after the war.

My own father lost a leg, but he never felt his sacrifice was in vain.
His was a just war. And his country won it.

Inge's father lost a leg, and his country lost the war all for a
leader he eventually came to understand was morally bankrupt, one who
had started an unjust war with neither the army nor the equipment to
win it.

And for that, her father's cries in the night went far deeper than the
phantom pains.

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a
difference."

I can answer that for you -- you've made me doubt the respect I USED
to have for Marines. Is that really the difference you want to make in
my life and that of others?

Memorial Day is the day set aside for honoring those who gave their
lives for this country. It's Veteran's Day (it's in November, not May)
that recognizes military service. Trust me, no intelligent citizen of
the U.S.A. will ever want to honor your service as long as you
maintain your attitude of entitlement.

You and your attitude soil the uniform you used to wear.

You're the one who should take out the full-page, week-long
advertisement in the Indianapolis Star, stating your full apology to
the decent and honorable Marines whom you have sullied by your
disrespect.

If I had been the clerk or the manager when you asked for special
deals because you are a vet and it was Memorial Day, I would have
laughed myself sick and when I realized you were serious, I would have
asked you to leave my store. How can you look yourself in the eye
after this?

I love my state, but there has to be something in the water around
here.

I've often wondered about the "computer program" that determines
placement of these letters, how some make it and some don't. I
understand about our right to free speech but maybe it's time to
"re-program" because this letter (and it's poster) are pathetic.

"First, if nothing is done about this letter, it will not surprise
me."

Nothing's gonna be done about your letter! Surprise!

"Secondly, as a 6th generation Texan, I will be extremely disappointed
that a company founded in Texas would willingly allow such conduct to
go unanswered disappointed but not surprised by the current conduct
of corporate America. I just thought Texas was better than that,
especially after Enron."

As a fourth generation North Dakotan, I'm confused by your belief that
your heritage should provide you with special favors from businesses
that originate in your home-state. Now that may just stem from the
fact that there are no successful nationwide North Dakota businesses,
but still, what the heck, dude?

"I attempted to return a defective piece of merchandise which is still
under warranty. I had supporting documentation, the merchandise, and
the receipt."

Uh huh. Interesting. See, I don't know if anyone's ever explained this
to you, but the concepts of "return period" and "warrantee period" are
two totally different things. If you have a problem with your
merchandise within the "return period," you take it back to the store.
If, however, you have a problem that isn't within the "return period"
but is within the "warranty period," then you return it to the
manufacturer as described in the product manual. Yes, I know it's all
terribly confusing, but it's just the way things are.

"I told him that I did not want another unit, and asked if he could
work with me , especially because I am a Marine Corps veteran (eight
years) and this is Memorial Day weekend."

Oh, I get it. Memorial Day weekend is a magical weekend where members
of the military get special favors and presents. It's not for the
remembrance of fallen comrades or any of that other hippie crap. How
could I have been so wrong for so very long?

"I also attempted to contact customer care via the phone and found out
that Radio Shack evidently does not believe in supporting customers
unless it is during their designated business hours."

Are you trying to tell me that I can't call Radio Shack's customer
service line at three in the morning? Outrageous! My Congressman is
going to hear about this!

"It should go without saying that at this time I will never make any
purchases from Radio Shack, and I will never do business with them on
any level, nor will I voice anything other than extremely negative
perceptions about your organization."

And you're telling me they didn't respond to you with honey and
butterfly kisses after you told them you'd never shop at their stores
again and devote the rest of your life to badmouthing their
organization? Wow. Go figure.

"'Some people spend and entire lifetime wondering if they made a
difference. The Marines don't have that problem.'
President Ronald Reagan"

Hey, swell. You didn't bother explaining what merchandise you were
trying to return or how long after you purchased it you were trying to
return it, but here's a random quote from a dead President. Thanks for
sharing that.

"1. Give me a refund of the purchase price for the defective
merchandise."

Already got a "no" for this one. Next!

"2. Instruct the store manager on the rudiments of customer service.
How you do this is up to you. Since he is a white male, firing him
will expose you to no real legal risk."

Oh, I get it! They won't get sued because he's a white male! Because
those uppity minorities are always suing over "discrimination" and
"unfair hiring practices," unlike the modern day white male, who is
unfairly persecuted by the American judicial system! Ha! I bet that
joke just kills them at the country club, huh?

"3. Issue a sincere apology for the disrespectful conduct shown to me
and (based on my experience) so many other patrons of this store in
Indianapolis. A full page advertisement in the Indianapolis Star
running for an entire week (Monday through Sunday, inclusive) business
section would be nice. (Of course, that would mean admitting that your
employee was wrong, and having to actually spend money - so I think
this request verges on fantasy.)"

Now I would argue that this request verges on fantasy because of the
fact that it's the stupidest idea I've ever heard of, but if you feel
better with your "admitting that the employee was wrong" excuse, who
am I to stand in your way?

"I am waiting to be proven wrong - and I'm not holding my breath."

Glad to hear. Oxygen is vitally important to your healthy well-being.

I am sick and tired of people who serve in the Armed Forces playing
the soldier card.

I'm thankful that you are are no longer serving our country as your
grasp of reality is frightening.

There is no draft. You chose to join the Marines. You deserve no
special treatment because of what you chose to do for a living. This
is disrespectful to the Marines and it is disrespectful to the country
you claim to love. My husband is a Vietnam vet and trust me, it would
never occur to him to think that entitles him to anything. It's
called being humble. He was proud to serve his country and doesn't
need to deal in emotional blackmail, which is exactly what you are
doing. You are embarrassing yourself.

And I'VE been accused of feeling entitled... man oh man.

I am speechless. The only thing I'm going to say is that two of my
grandfathers went to war as members of the Army and my father was a
Navy man. Never in their lives would they expect any sort of special
treatment because of their service. Military service is about being
humble and serving one's country. Giving back to the land that has
given so much to you. Not using your time served as a bribe.

"you evidently place no value on those who served our country other
than how you can squeeze as much money out of them as possible."

Nowhere did you prove that they exhibited this behavior - only that
they would not capitulate to your demands and give you cash back on a
defective item.

"Since he is a white male, firing him will expose you to no real legal
risk."

Really? And I suppose you know this because you hold an honorary law
degree that you received by bullying a university into bestowing it on
you for your military service!

You should be ashamed of yourself for disgracing the Marine Corp with
such a self-righteous and ignorant attempt to bully this company into
doing things your way.

There are several Marines in my family - My grandfather was an MP in
WWII and my uncle was active duty around the same time as you. My
younger sister is in the Navy on her second tour and presently serving
in Iraq. None of them would ever DREAM of using their military
service as a means to strong arm an establishment.

What right do you have to circumvent their policy JUST because you
were a Marine?

I will at least give you that you are spot on in believing you have a
better chance of seeing God before Radio Shack will take out a week
long ad in the Indy Star to apologize to you over this alleged
"mistreatment."

God Bless America.

"especially because I am a Marine Corps veteran"
I'm a veteran and this letter makes me almost ashamed to admit it.

Wow. Not one but TWO meatheads who throw their "veteran" status around
to make people quiver in their civvies.

You took an oath to defend the Constitution, not to intimidate and
attention wh*re.

I could care less that you're a "sixth generation Texan". I'm a third
generation American and it's that type of attitude that makes me stay
this side of the M/D line.

As for this:"Since he is a white male, firing him will expose you to
no real legal risk"....

I just have no words.

People like yourself make me want to expatriate myself, or at least
add an "eh" onto everything I say when out of country, lest I be
associated with the likes of you.

While this may be a vaild complaint, your attitude throughout the
letter really crowds it out. There's next to no information about the
actual item you were trying to exchange.

It's great that you were a Marine, but it doesn't entitle you to
better treatment than anyone else. My grandfather is a survivor of the
Holocaust concentration camps, and he waits in line just like everyone
else.

Oh dear.

This letter is just so... wrong. I dont even have a reply (everyone
else summed up my thoughts pretty well)

While its nice that you have pride in the fact that you have served in
the marines, your attitude is disgusting. Seriously. Its almost
downright offensive.

Well memorial day is a day to remember those that fought. You however
think you are special. I feel sorry for your son being punished by
you for standing up for what is right. Also if your eomployees stood
up for what is right and got fired they can sue you. Then you would
lose the case and make a letter about how the court system does not
support a Marine and about how the US does not care about it's war
heros.

#1- "also attempted to contact customer care via the phone and found
out that Radio Shack evidently does not believe in supporting
customers unless it is during their designated business hours. "- You
called during the time in which the customer care was open or the
actual stores. Customer care centers have certain business hours that
they are open. If it is one minute past the end time, they won't
answer. As with any other business.
#2-"asked if he could work with me , especially because I am a Marine
Corps veteran (eight years) and this is Memorial Day weekend."- So you
want special treatment? If i go there on my birthday with the same
situation, they should honor my request for special treatment?

My father was a Marine. He'd NEVER try to use his military service to
get a cash refund instead of store credit.

You are a fool-and-a-half. I'm guessing with your attitude, you were
dishonorably discharged.

Oh, and your letter is stupid. Texas? Enron? Indianapolis? Reagan?
None of this has anything to do with one another.

GO AWAY. You disgust me.

As the daughter of a Marine, I am absolutely disgusted with this
letter, and my father (sitting right next to me) wants everyone to
know that a REAL Marine doesn't act this way! Thank you for serving
our country, but you've forgotten what being a Marine stands for.

I'm not even going to comment on the "Since he is a white male, firing
him will expose you to no real legal risk" or the "by the conduct of
your employees, you evidently place no value on those who served our
country other than how you can squeeze as much money out of them as
possible" part, because this post would then have to be removed.

This letter disturbs me more than any other letter I've ever read on
Planetfeedback. I have a great deal of pride in our military and to
tarnish their good name by using them in such a demeaning way is
absolutely deplorable! You should be highly ashamed at the irreverent
way you've used the Marine Corp name within this letter Allison!

Your current or previous Marine Corp status has absolutely nothing to
do with the issue you are having with the retailer, as such it should
have completely been left out of this letter.

Secondly, I'm surprised that someone with your intelligence or lack
thereof, seriously considers a warranty equal with the ability to
return said merchandise for a full refund. A warranty is a guarantee
that the product, or portions thereof, will be serviced under certain
circumstances within that particular time frame. It generally has
absolutely nothing to do with the retailer.

It is further very blatant that the date of purchase and the time of
return were extensively spread, as neither of these dates were
documented within your letter.

You absolutely need to reconsider what being a member of the Corp
really means and apologize for the most inappropriate way you've
tarnished their good name.

Without supplying some more details, I don't think you are going to
get anywhere with this. What was the merchandise? When did you
purchase it? What was wrong with it?

Most retailers will allow a refund of defective items for a finite
amount of time. After that, they will replace it under warranty, if
that's their policy or refer you to the manufacturer for a warranty
repair or replacement. It appears that Radio Shack replaces the item
since that's what they offered to do.

I am, quite frankly, shocked that you would use the fact that you are
a former marine in a effort to get preferential treatment. The fact
that you added Memorial Day to your reasoning is over the top.
Memorial Day is a time to remember the sacrifices made by our fallen
military not "national bypass the policy for ex military day". I am
the wife of a Vietnam veteran and my husband is active in many
veteran's organizations. He would never use that to try and get
special treatment when returning an item. You should be ashamed!

BTW..mentioning that there would be no legal risk in firing a white
male is just wrong in so many ways!