Savvy Consumer Blog

 AAA Reminds Travelers to Use Their Seatbelts in Cabs and Shuttle Vans

AAA Northern California is reminding summer travelers that seatbelt safety shouldn’t set sail just because you’re on vacation. Sometimes a false sense of safety can set in as vacationers leave their worries behind, and they forget to buckle up in taxicabs and shuttle vans. But the danger of being in a crash doesn’t fade away like a tropical sunset.

“You can leave all your cares behind while on vacation but don’t leave behind your habit of buckling up,” said AAA Northern California spokesperson Matt Skryja. “In the rush to relax, travelers sometimes forget basic safety while riding in taxi cabs and shuttle vans by failing to use their seatbelts. Safety should never get short shrift just because one is away from home.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that each day about 38 people who didn’t use their seatbelts are killed in motor vehicle crashes in the United States. In 2008, about 14,000 people who did not buckle up were killed in crashes throughout the U.S. Almost half of them could have been saved if they had only worn their seatbelts.

“For perspective, the force of an impact at just 30 miles per hour is like trying to catch a 300 pound barbell if it were dropped on you from 20 feet. Nobody is that strong,” said Skryja. “At 10 miles per hour, you'd still have to catch that 300 pound barbell if it were dropped from two feet. This is assuming that you saw the crash coming. Many impacts occur without a moment's notice, and when you’re in a cab or shuttle van your attention is typically more on the scenery than the traffic.”

If you’re a big fan of Consumer Reports magazine AND the Stephen Colbert show like I am, you’ll love these two hilarious segments. Colbert decides to investigate the testing process and labs at the magazine’s Yonkers, N.Y. headquarters in a 2-part series.

Part 1

Part 2

My favorite parts are when Colbert tries to test aluminum foil in microwaves and later when he starts tossing plates, soiled for dishwasher tests, at the lab technician. You’ll also see him in labs where cameras and sound systems are evaluated. I enjoyed seeing the people at Consumers Union, who are extremely serious about their work, have a little fun with the top-rated comedian.

Do you know all the verses to our national anthem? I didn’t. Happy 4th!

The Star Spangled Banner
by Francis Scott Key

O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming;
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O say, does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On that shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, now conceals, now discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam--
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream;
'Tis the Star-Spangled Banner; O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where are the foes who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave;
And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war desolation;
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just,
And this be our motto, "In God is our trust";
And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

One of the columnists I enjoy reading in the New York Times is Christopher Hitz, who’s also known as “The Haggler.” In a recent column, he asked readers to send their best strategies for resolving consumer disputes. I must be “old school,” because I believe that simply working your way through the chain of command is what usually works best. Others have more novel approaches.

Someone wrote in suggesting that you use your camera to document your complaint. For example, if your hotel room has dingy towels, take some pictures of the dingy towels and show them to the clerk when you ask for an adjustment to your bill. Really good idea. Show versus tell.

Another suggestion is to have a private conversation with the manager, sort of a variation on my idea of working your way up the chain of command. Instead of talking publicly about your problem or screaming your head off in front of everyone, you ask the manager to step aside. Keep your voice low to add a sense of mystery and importance to the conversation. I might try this.

When talking to phone reps, one person uses passive aggressive approach to eat up a lot of time. The reps are expected to process so many calls per hour and they’re not allowed to hang up on customers, so the longer you keep telling them you’re not satisfied, the more likely they will give you what you want.
You must have a favorite technique or strategy that you’re willing to share. Send it to me at chrisbjorklund@diamondcertified.org and we'll post it in a future blog.
 

Here’s how a “consumer-savvy” company keeps customers loyal.

_____________________________________________________

Dear Chris,

Due to a technical problem, your DVD shipment was delayed and will ship on Wednesday, May 26th.

We pride ourselves in delighting you, and we've let you down. We apologize, and we will issue a 10% credit to your account in the next few days. You don't need to do anything. Your credit will automatically be applied to your next billing statement.

Again, we apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. If you need further assistance, please call us at
1-866-923-0898.

–The Netflix Team
 

If you subscribe to my e-mail newsletter, The Diamond Certified Consumer Report, you may have heard my interview with Kia Ricchi, the contractor who wrote Avoiding the Con in Construction. She describes many of the shady practices that plague the construction industry. Ms. Ricchi emphasizes that “The con artist will always be with us. Consumers need more tools to find better contractors.”

I agree. Diamond Certified ratings are definitely one of those tools. Contractors listed for your county have had to go through a rigorous review process, which includes credential verification and consumer surveys, to earn Diamond Certified.

Ms. Ricchi has a useful checklist in her book to help you find better contractors. Rather than getting a list of references, she suggests asking for the names of people for the contractor’s last three jobs, so he can’t “cherry-pick” the ones he gives you. Another good strategy is to carefully define the scope of you work before gathering estimates. That way you'll be comparing “apples to apples” instead of “apples to oranges.” This takes more work on your part in the beginning of a project, but can pay off big-time in the long run. Estimates will vary, according to Ms. Ricchi, but in general, they should not vary by more than 10 to 15 percent.

One of her last suggestions is a good one. If you can possibly visit a contractor’s job site, do it. Is it clean and orderly? Do the employees have up-to-date tools and equipment? Are safety precautions being taken? It will give you a lot of information about how the company conducts its business.
 

The first time I heard this expression, I had no idea what the person was talking about. Years later, after toiling in many different jobs in consumer affairs for a long time, I finally got it. It’s how you perform repeatedly over time that builds your professional reputation. This is something to be tuned into whether you’re hiring at your office or deciding which businesses to patronize.

I thought of the saying the other day when deciding where to buy a sandwich for lunch. Who makes the best chicken salad sandwiches, week after week, month after month, year after year? The Ambrosia Bakery on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco. Consistency and quality are what keep lots of us going back.

The sandwich maker meticulously scoops the chicken salad onto the freshly baked whole grain rolls, and with the precision of a surgeon, she tucks the lettuce into the roll on all four sides, every single time. I love watching her in action. She’s proud of her sandwiches and the bakery’s reputation, and it shows.
 

You can tell when you’re dealing with empowered employees, can’t you? They’re agile. They step up and solve your problem. They aim to please, and make it look like no trouble at all.

Here’s what I’m talking about. I was going to a show at the brand new Musical Instrument Museum in Scottsdale, Arizona. A reggae band was performing in a rather small concert hall. It dawned on me, right before the lights when down, that my 89-year old mother might have trouble with the loud music. We didn’t have earplugs with us, so I decided to run out and ask guest services where I could buy some.

The employee hesitated for a moment, looked at her watch noting the concert was about to start, and said, “I’ll run and get you some. Which row are you seated in? I’ll bring them to you.” Five minutes later, she comes bounding up the stairs to our seats and handed us a packet of earplugs. My mom would not have been able to enjoy the two-hour show without them.

We were so impressed with the “can-do” attitude the employee demonstrated that we will not only tell all of our friends about the experience, we plan to return for another concert, an afternoon at the museum, and lunch at the café. All because of one empowered employee.
 

We’ve all had bad customer service experiences, but how often do you take that next step and voice your concerns to someone with authority?

I’m so ready to do that. I’m speaking up about the appalling, inferior, sub-standard service I had this week at a blood lab. Have you ever waited 1.5 hours for a simple blood test? I noticed six or seven people ahead of me when I arrived, and estimated that it might be a 30-minute wait. But then, one of the two lab techs went to lunch! That left ONE—count ‘em—ONE woman to process paperwork AND draw blood.

By the time my turn came (at some point there’s no pulling out, you’ve invested too much time already), I could see the employee’s nerves were shot. And here she is drawing my blood. You can see how over-working your employees might comprise safety. Some companies are cutting their budgets much too drastically.

When I left—the waiting room was packed with even more people—I dropped a carpet bomb saying, “I hope you all voice your complaints about the bad service you received today. The employees would appreciate it.” I’m not sure how many will do more than nod in agreement as they did that day and speak up. I came right home and tracked down media relations for the lab company (the company website was NOT helpful in the least) and asked them to put me in touch with the consumer complaint department.

I’m looking forward to seeing how responsive they are. Meanwhile, I will be tweeting about my bad experience @ twitter.com/asavvyconsumer, so stay tuned.

Take a look at this youtube.com video called Fraud: An Inside Look.

The Federal Trade Commission created this 10-minute video that shows you how easy it is to get conned. The deceptive practices range from making unsubstantiated earnings claims for business opportunities to giving phony references with people who are in cahoots with the fraudsters.

With the economic downturn, these types of scams are on the rise. If you’re approached with a questionable offer, the con man in the video suggests this one thing: “Fast no’s and slow yes’s. That’s all you have to remember.” Don’t get caught in their web and get pressured into anything on the spot.
 

In a recent Stephen Sondheim radio interview, the famous composer and lyricist made an interesting comment. “Familiarity breeds content,” he said, and that struck a chord (pardon the pun) with me. This is a play on the well-known saying, "Familiarity breeds contempt.”

Sondheim started me thinking about the meaning of his phrase as it applies to customer service and satisfaction. What came to mind was the contentment I feel when I have a long-term, on-going personal relationship with a provider. When I need my trees trimmed, I know Joe will take care of it, no problem. Toilet back-up? I have George’s phone number at my fingertips. I don’t need to shop around for another carpet cleaner; Ofer’s familiar with my house. My guy knows what to do and how to do it.

Familiarity also means getting to know the person(s) who provides the service. I often learn something about their families, where they’re from, what their goals are for growing their businesses, and who their favorite sports teams or musical groups are. And they know a lot about me too. These are the best kind of business relationships in my opinion. Do you agree?

I often say that one of the best ways to judge a company’s commitment to customer service is by how they handle things when something goes wrong. An auto body shop I did business with recently passed that test with flying colors.

The damage from a car accident cost more than $3,000 in repairs, and the job took several weeks to complete. Happy to get the vehicle back after so long, we drove right to a car wash. Minutes later, the manager called me over to point out that radiator fluid was pouring out of the vehicle. Nearly everything under the hood had just been almost entirely re-built, including the radiator!

Here’s the happy ending. The shop owner did not hesitate or waffle when it came to solving the problem. He promptly sent a tow truck, ordered a rental car, offered to investigate what went wrong, made the repair, and road tested the car again. The solution cost him money, but he knew it was the right thing to do. That’s the way to earn a customer for life.