# Consumer Watchdog \*D\*

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-watchdog-d/604676>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [December 1, 2011, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-watchdog-d/604676 "2011-12-01T05:42:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-watchdog-d/604676/1 "2011-12-01T05:42:03Z")

</div>

My wife. I think I’ll keep her!

A couple of months ago, (before our Oktoberfest) she’d bought a can of Planter’s Mixed Nuts and noticed there were no pecans in there.

She sent ‘em an e-mail along with UPC and batch number, and _WHAMMO_, next thing we know, here comes a coupon for $10 bucks which she used to buy 2 large jars of their peanut butter. (Still eatin’ on the first one).

Then my Mitchum solid deodorant broke.

I was just scrubbing it along the underarms and next thing I know, the whole top just broke off, clean as you please, rendering the damn thing unusable.

Enter **Dondra**.

Sent 'em a goddam e-mail, called 'em on the phone and next thing I know, here comes a coupon for $3.50 in the mail 3 days later!

Tonight, she had trouble opening a bottle of Snapple, so guess what?🙂

Quasi

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-watchdog-d/604676/2 "2011-12-01T05:57:08Z")

</div>

I’ve started doing the same thing! Blueberry bagels in a Pumpkin Spice bag? Not expecting anything in return, I e-mailed them and voila-- coupons. Now, if something’s not right, I send an e-mail. No more feeling cheated or mistreated. Coupons are nice, but being heard is the best.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-watchdog-d/604676/3 "2011-12-01T08:24:43Z")

</div>

In college, i worked for a potato chip company, and they sometimes got complaints of nuts or bolts in the bags. (To keep chips unbroken, the bags are filled via vibrating machines. Despite tightening them regularly, sometimes a nut will vibrate loose off a bolt, and drop into a bag. They are all stainless, and lubricated with edible food-grade cooking oil for that reason.)

The company policy was to ask people to mail back the nut or bolt to us, and then send a coupon letter to them for free chips.

But we kept a record of the people and their address when we did this!  
Because there were some scammers who thought this was a good deal, and would then regularly send in false complaints trying to get free chips. After 3 or 4 of these false reports, they would get a letter suggesting they might be happier buying a different brand. And no free coupons included!