Name the worst companies/products you know.

[Southern_Yankee]

@msmith537

Time Warner? I’ve dreamed of getting Time Warner back since moving to Jersey and being forced to go with CableVision.

I think most of the big cable companies have similar issues, but be careful what you wish for with TWC. Here’s just the most recent (and ongoing) example of mine:

I have a TiVo DVR that requires CableCards from Time Warner. With this type of setup I cannot receive switched digital channels without and additional piece of hardware called a tuning adapter. Probably 6 months ago I requested a tuning adapter and they shipped it to me. It’s a simple device, and setup was easy. Except every few days it stops functioning. I know this because when I go to a switched digital channel, it’s not available. This requires me to power the tuning adapter off and on again. Not the end of the world, but not an ideal situation. So I call TWC.

It’s now been at least 4 months since I originally called. I’ve had 4 on site technician visits and at least a dozen phone calls. When the technician came out the first time he did some tests and said the tuning adapter was faulty. He didn’t have one on the truck (even though he knew the nature of the call in advance) but said he’d order me one. Two days later a different tech came to the house when my wife was home. For some reason, he refused to install the new one (because the original was working at the moment, presumably.) More phone calls ensue (and even though they supposedly put copious notes in your account, I have to explain the entire problem every time.) They promise to send another tech out. I ask that they make sure to have a tuning adapter with them. “Well, I can’t promise that. I can put a note in here. That’s all.” WTF? How can you not tell the technician making the call what they need to do to resolve the issue?

Tech shows up the next day, empty-handed. Apologetic. Says the dispatch system they have is pretty bad. Since he can do nothing, he leaves, but assures me he’ll pick one up tomorrow and bring it back.

In between these visits, by the way, I was told by the customer service people 3 different times that a TW engineer would call me “within 12 hours” to see if they could figure out if anything was wrong with my set up. 3 times, I got no phone call.

The next day the tech comes back with (woo hoo!) and different tuning adapter. He says to me that they know that there are problems with TiVo and tuning adapters so this one may not work any better. Again, WTF?? I understand if there’s something that doesn’t work well, but why am I just hearing this now, after 4 visits and lots of phone calls?? Grrrrrrr.

They obviously prefer you use their DVRs and are not going out of their way to play nice with TiVo, but how is it even closely good business sense to waste so many man hours of their people’s time on this? Why not just say, “We’re not compatible with TiVo, sorry. These are the limitations you’ll have if you use TiVo…”

I’d be disappointed, but I’d know what i was in for from the beginning.

By the way, the second tuning adapter has the exact same problem as the first. So I have to decide if I want TiVo without switched digital channels, or go with the TWC DVR.

[campp]

@RickJay

In terms of being a retail store, Walmarts are perfectly competent.

Nobody said anything about competent. Only about being “worst”. Walmart fits this for me.

I was going to list my local cable TV retailer, but I think almost all cable TV companies are perceived as bad by default.

[fluiddruid]

@MsWhatsit

U-Haul. Their reservation system is a complete and total lie. They will give you a reservation regardless of whether they anticipate actually having a truck at the time you’ve reserved. When you show up, it’s basically first-come first-served, so good luck getting a truck at all, much less one in the actual size you reserved.

Yeah, definitely.

Story time: I briefly worked for the police department in the dispatch area. The U-Haul in our jurisdiction was a frequent caller. Why? Because they depended on the police to remove customers so angry that they basically lost control. Their customer service procedure seemed to be to call 911 and tell us that the customer was trespassing. I thought that seemed odd. They called for this several times while I worked there, and I only worked there a few months.

Well, I’m sure the customers were out of line and screaming, but I came to find out it was that the U-Haul pretty much screwed up customers’ reservations constantly, and had a “So what?” attitude every time this happened. They made no attempt to make things right at all. So inevitably, sooner or later, someone would flip their lid badly enough and refuse to leave until they fixed it, and they’d call 911. Not give them a discount, not try to work with another location, calling 911 was their procedure.

Say what you like about Wal-Mart, the cable company, etc. There was only one business that called us about a disgruntled customer ever during my tenure there, let alone more than once. Only one business was so awful that they wasted taxpayer money and police time by constantly trying to press charges on their own irate customers rather than deal with their problems. It was U-Haul.

[John_DiFool]

Okay, let’s hear about some car insurance companies…

[MsWhatsit]

Yeah, just to add on to my previous story - I won’t go into the gory details of how U-Haul screwed us over when we used them to move me from Chicago to Seattle several years ago, but I will say that they are the one company that I will absolutely never, ever use again, no matter what. We used Penske when we subsequently moved from Seattle to Ohio, and while the cost was significantly higher than U-Haul would have charged us, the experience was a complete dream in comparison. No problems with the reservation, very helpful staff, and a smooth experience overall. Worth every penny.

[Green_Bean]

@RickJay

You could probably do a master’s thesis on how a company that’s so front-line inept can stay in business, but I suspect it’s simply that they got so big that they’re the only option anyone has, and it’s a business in which market entry is so difficult, and the business so unglamorous, and nobody would ever try.

Here’s your master’s thesis: When your company name becomes the noun that everybody uses to describe your product/service, you’re at an incomparable advantage. And that counts for something like U-haul more than a regular consumer product. If you go to the store to buy Band-Aids, there’s a good chance you’ll choose 3M Nexcare instead because they’re right next to the Band-Aid brand adhesive bandages. But if you need a U-haul, you’re going to call U-haul. Even if you call around, U-haul will be one of the companies you call. You give them an opportunity to talk to you and sell you on their crappy service.

You know what burns me up the most about U-haul’s horrible fake reservation system? Because if you’re doing something that requires a U-haul, it’s virtually certain that you’re doing something that not only is incredibly stressful, but requires precise timing as well.

You can’t just put off U-haul stuff until tomorrow or next week or maybe even later in the same day. You have to move, so you rent a U-haul, right? You have to be out of your apartment that day–maybe you have a couple of days. But your friends took that day to help you and it’s not like you can say, “eh, come back on Tuesday.” Maybe you had to wangle a rare Saturday off work. You’re looking ahead to a day of schlepping heavy stuff and trying not to be cranky because people are helping you. You’re worried about where you’re going to park the damn thing. You’re probably short on sleep and stressed out from the packing and the changing addresses and utilities and all that stuff. You know that when all the stuff is moved, you’ll still have to deal with unpacking. And finding out that things are missing or broken. And the expenses of moving? Auuugh! And all that’s assuming you’re only moving a few miles! A move of any distance will be a lot worse.

So you show up bright and early in the morning to get your U-haul. And they don’t have your truck? And they don’t give a shit?

No wonder people go postal.

[Mr.Excellent]

@MsWhatsit

U-Haul. Their reservation system is a complete and total lie. They will give you a reservation regardless of whether they anticipate actually having a truck at the time you’ve reserved. When you show up, it’s basically first-come first-served, so good luck getting a truck at all, much less one in the actual size you reserved.

This. Good God, this. When I helped a friend move, we spent four hours waiting at the U-Haul off Capitol Hill.

On the other hand, though, their U-Box service works entirely as advertised. You order a storage container, they drop it on your lawn, store it as long as you’ll pay for the privilege, and drop it at your new place when you need it. Can’t complain.

[Leaffan]

@Green_Bean

Here’s your master’s thesis: When your company name becomes the noun that everybody uses to describe your product/service, you’re at an incomparable advantage. And that counts for something like U-haul more than a regular consumer product. If you go to the store to buy Band-Aids, there’s a good chance you’ll choose 3M Nexcare instead because they’re right next to the Band-Aid brand adhesive bandages. But if you need a U-haul, you’re going to call U-haul. Even if you call around, U-haul will be one of the companies you call. You give them an opportunity to talk to you and sell you on their crappy service.

You know what burns me up the most about U-haul’s horrible fake reservation system? Because if you’re doing something that requires a U-haul, it’s virtually certain that you’re doing something that not only is incredibly stressful, but requires precise timing as well.

You can’t just put off U-haul stuff until tomorrow or next week or maybe even later in the same day. You have to move, so you rent a U-haul, right? You have to be out of your apartment that day–maybe you have a couple of days. But your friends took that day to help you and it’s not like you can say, “eh, come back on Tuesday.” Maybe you had to wangle a rare Saturday off work. You’re looking ahead to a day of schlepping heavy stuff and trying not to be cranky because people are helping you. You’re worried about where you’re going to park the damn thing. You’re probably short on sleep and stressed out from the packing and the changing addresses and utilities and all that stuff. You know that when all the stuff is moved, you’ll still have to deal with unpacking. And finding out that things are missing or broken. And the expenses of moving? Auuugh! And all that’s assuming you’re only moving a few miles! A move of any distance will be a lot worse.

So you show up bright and early in the morning to get your U-haul. And they don’t have your truck? And they don’t give a shit?

No wonder people go postal.

I’m glad I haven’t moved in 15 years. Now I know who not to call if i ever move again.

[lieu]

ADT home security monitoring.

I’m not going to spend 20 minutes detailing the issue but basically we’re left with the impression they’re the thieves we need to protect ourselves against.

[Mr.Excellent]

@Green_Bean

You know what burns me up the most about U-haul’s horrible fake reservation system? Because if you’re doing something that requires a U-haul, it’s virtually certain that you’re doing something that not only is incredibly stressful, but requires precise timing as well.

You can’t just put off U-haul stuff until tomorrow or next week or maybe even later in the same day. You have to move, so you rent a U-haul, right? You have to be out of your apartment that day–maybe you have a couple of days. But your friends took that day to help you and it’s not like you can say, “eh, come back on Tuesday.” Maybe you had to wangle a rare Saturday off work. You’re looking ahead to a day of schlepping heavy stuff and trying not to be cranky because people are helping you. You’re worried about where you’re going to park the damn thing. You’re probably short on sleep and stressed out from the packing and the changing addresses and utilities and all that stuff. You know that when all the stuff is moved, you’ll still have to deal with unpacking. And finding out that things are missing or broken. And the expenses of moving? Auuugh! And all that’s assuming you’re only moving a few miles! A move of any distance will be a lot worse.

Come to think of it, this may be why their U-Box service worked for me. The one time I used it was more or less the lowest-stress moving situation imaginable. I was moving out of a group house into a temporary apartment that I’d have to myself, and that came furnished. So I didn’t need to worry about loading furniture into the new place, and there were only a few bits of furniture I even bothered loading into the storage units. That only needed help from one friend, for about half an hour. Everything else, I just chucked in a bit at a time over a few days.

Since the new place was free (in exchange for cat-and-house-sitting) and much better than the place I was living at the time, I didn’t mind moving out before the end of the month. This meant that it just didn’t matter that I wasn’t able to get them on the date I wanted. Further, my landlord was very laid-back, and didn’t care that U-Box (U-Haul) couldn’t pick up the boxes until after the lease had run out.

Finally, I wasn’t working - I was studying for the bar. Not exactly stress-free, but it does give you a flexible schedule. So when U-box said, for example, that they needed me to be at home at 1:00 PM on a Wednesday, it simply wasn’t a problem.

In short - U-Box works well if you’ve got enough flexibility that you can work around any snags. How well it’ll work in other circumstances, I’m less sure of.

[Minnie_Luna]

My experience with U-Haul hasn’t been that bad. Generally, I rent a small to medium truck once a year for a charity drive.

This year could have been a disaster. I wanted a 10 foot truck. I go online and look up local U-Haul franchises. I call the closest one (A) and ask about renting the truck for that day. The agent tells me she does not have a 10-foot truck, but location B, five miles away does. She suggests making the reservation on-line.

I go back on-line to make the reservation. I tell it what I want and where I want it. The reservation system suggests location A as my default. I already know I can’t get the truck I want there, but the online reservation system does not know that. IMHO, they assume every location has every product and lets the location deal with the aftermath, which is really shitty for franchise management. I ended up not having any issues. I also rented mid-week, which I think is easier than renting on the weekends.

As far as Wal-Mart, the reason I don’t patronize our local store is that it is nasty. Dirty store, unhelpful employees and lots of out of stock items. There is a Target the same distance away that is much better in terms of cleanliness, staff and stock.

[kayaker]

CHASE.

(Please contact me via my email for a home address to send my prize)

[Rushgeekgirl]

That awful Cricket wireless. At first, maybe the first couple months my daughter had no problems. Then she had phone issues. Then they started tacking on fees. Then the insurance she paid for the phone was apparently useless because they didn’t cover a new phone or repairs. What the hell is insurance for if it doesn’t cover that stuff? She’s ready to leave them, just shopping around for a plan she likes.

I hate Kmart. I can’t believe they still have stores open with Walmart and Targets as competition. Every one I’ve been to is nasty and poorly run. The employees are obnoxious and unkempt. The only reason I kept returning to one is because it’s right down the street, but even convenience isn’t worth it when you have to deal with such an unpleasant experience. I don’t know if they’re the worst company but I sure think so.

[control-z]

Internet Yellow Pages. Those bastards keep calling my business and trying to get whoever answers the phone to verify our oh-so-imporant business listing in their directory. They already know your name and address, what could be the harm? Well they also subtly get you to agree to a premium listing for several hundred dollars, and then invoice your company for that amount.

[Macnbaish]

I have to agree with the other comments here. In the past yearI have used U-Hauls in two different states. Both times, while they had the truck, they did not have the other things we reserved (blankets, dolly, etc.). We had to raise hell both times and drive ourselves to another location to get the stuff we needed. At least the one time they gave us a discount.

Mind blowing to make a reservation and the company apparently makes 0 effort to ensure that what you have reserved is actually there. The second time the lady running the place said that usually happened because they were supposed to keep their inventory updated on the website but employees were lazy and didn’t do it - therefore corporate thinks they have stuff they really don’t. Regardless they need to get that crap fixed fast.

[Zsofia]

I can’t believe this whole thread isn’t just a hatefest for airlines. Seriously. My dad still remains loyal to Delta because they used to have good customer service. After the assfucking we got flying home from my grandmother’s funeral, I wouldn’t stop to piss on Delta if it were on fire.

[Airman_Doors_USAF]

Do not, under any circumstances, buy a handgun made by Davis/Jennings/Lorcin/Jimenez/Phoenix/Bryco Arms. When they fail (and they usually do) you have what amounts to a very small, non-aerodynamic rock.

[Khadaji]

ComCast and Dell are currently on my hate list. ComCast has seniority by far, but Dell is fresher in my mind.

[Joey_P]

@Southern_Yankee

They obviously prefer you use their DVRs and are not going out of their way to play nice with TiVo, but how is it even closely good business sense to waste so many man hours of their people’s time on this? Why not just say, “We’re not compatible with TiVo, sorry. These are the limitations you’ll have if you use TiVo…”

I’d be disappointed, but I’d know what i was in for from the beginning.

I’m not sure about the switched digital video dongle, but as for the CableCard, by law, they have to let you use their card even on another device. All the cards, cable companies and devices that use the cards are compatible with each other and they can’t say things like “Our cards don’t work with TiVos you have to get our DVR” In fact, if they do say that (and TWC was notorious for doing that at the beginning) all you have to do is call TiVo and they’ll call your local TWC branch on your behalf and take care of it for you.

[Southern_Yankee]

@Joey_P

I’m not sure about the switched digital video dongle, but as for the CableCard, by law, they have to let you use their card even on another device. All the cards, cable companies and devices that use the cards are compatible with each other and they can’t say things like “Our cards don’t work with TiVos you have to get our DVR” In fact, if they do say that (and TWC was notorious for doing that at the beginning) all you have to do is call TiVo and they’ll call your local TWC branch on your behalf and take care of it for you.

They DID try that when I first got the TiVo, but I fought them and they finally installed them.