It doesn't matter whether it's (several) watches from a Connecticut-based company that embarrassingly tumble off your wrist, boxing gloves from a prominent manufacturer that come in ripped again and again due to a lack of quality control, or the cell phone that arrives from an online dealer permanently fixed to the "Glitch Out and Die" setting - it's garbage.
Everything is built from plastic when it should be metal and made in China or India or Bangladesh when it should be made in the USA. Everything is cheap, everything is disposable.
For a long time, during that mythical "golden age" of American manufacturing, it seemed like we were different. Our guys took pride in what they did, and the business owners themselves seemed to live closer to that old adage that your business was only as good as its reputation.
Of course, that might be an overly nostalgic (and maybe even false) notion of how things were, but it should be true, even if it isn't. And if it was, the corporations now, these international conglomerates of sub-holdings and parent companies birthed from the era of globalization, have forgotten it, and their awful customer service proves that they're not particularly keen on remembering.
I'm not a businessman, and I don't pretend that I understand retail, wholesale or any of the other terms that were never uttered within 500 feet of the hall that housed the English majors at Montclair State.
But I do understand that doing one thing, and doing it really, really well - whether it's forging knives, teaching piano, or putting out a newspaper - is often a recipe for success.
Diversification can sometimes equal death, especially when, in the pursuit of larger profit margins, a company forgets what its original purpose was.
I used to be the sort that hated calling up and harassing businesses about their pathetic products (a trait I often attributed to my own long stretch in a retail setting), but my frustration has simply boiled over.
Now, I'm just surprised that they've apparently escaped the cascade of angry phone calls that so often accompany widespread consumer wrath.
Maybe we feel that no matter what we say, the products we buy will keep getting smaller, cheaper, and flimsier. Or maybe we've just lowered our collective standards enough that we barely even notice that a pair of jeans doesn't last through one winter anymore.
We should not let that continue. Even if it's a losing fight, it's worth it to give them a call or send them an email just to let them know, "Hey, I'm paying attention, and I hate what you're doing with your product."
Most times they'll blow you off, but once in a while, I'll get one that actually fools me into thinking they're sincere when they thank me for "bringing this to our attention."
Sometimes, they offer a deal or discount to go along with their fake gratitude, and even though they're probably still making something on it, it makes me feel better.
It's not much, but you take what you can get. Just like them.
Email: janoski@northjersey.com
http://www.northjersey.com/news/220233001_Businesses_don_t_care_-_do_we_.html
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