Containing a capital letter or two
Let me just set the stage by saying that the longest stretch of sleep I've had in the last twelve weeks was that one Wednesday night when Marlo forgot who she was for a second and slept for a solid four hours. That's it. Since then it's been two hours here, thirty minutes there, just enough to want to walk outside and play hopscotch in the middle of I-80.
And this is not an excuse, it's just context. And you know what? I'm going to take you on a tour of what I go through when I sit down to write. I'm sorry there's no train to take you on this trip, but there are animatronic monkeys and the person sitting next to you is probably wearing socks with his sandals and smells like a giant garlic burp. WELCOME TO MY MIND.
Someone is going to read that first paragraph and send me an email telling me that Marlo should be sleeping through the night already and that I'm doing it all wrong. And I'm going to want to say, hey you, you the person who is so itchy to give me that unsolicited advice about my baby? Some people think that I'm a bully, and today I'm going to make their day because: SHUT UP. Go outside and smoke a cigarette before you come back to your keyboard. Except, I can't write that. You know why? Because 1) BULLY! and 2) someone will read that and send me an outraged email that I have encouraged someone to engage in such dangerous behavior, don't you know their uncle died of lung cancer? THEY WILL NEVER READ ME AGAIN.
It happens every single time I write something. Every. Single. Time. I am so in tune with human nature now that I've been dealing with it for eight and a half years that I can predict what someone will send me in an email in response to a word or sentence or paragraph that I've written that is totally and completely innocuous. At times I feel like an accidental puppeteer.
And the email inevitably ends with one of the following:
1) I AM DONE!
2) YOU'VE CROSSED THE LINE NOW!
3) CONSIDER YOURSELF REMOVED FROM MY RSS READER!
4) UNFOLLOW!
5) Do you have any naked pictures of yourself?
That huge tangent to say: I am sleep deprived. A lot. Because I live with an infant. An infant who does not yet sleep in large chunks of time. But you know what she does do? You'll never guess. Except you probably will because guess whose website you're reading? Yeah, that woman. So let's just get this over with shall we? Are you ready? Yes? Okay, here goes:
Marlo is an Olympic Pooper.
There is no more skilled or dextrous or prolific pooper in the world. In fact, there is no diaper or piece of clothing or blanket that can contain her. Once or twice every single day she poops so magnificently that she soils first: her diaper; second: whatever she is wearing; third: the person or object upon which she is lying. Meaning that a large portion of our day is dedicated to cleaning up that poop. I do not mind this at all because I like to encourage the talents of my children in any way I can.
I am not complaining about the sleep deprivation or the pooping. In fact, that's why I got pregnant. I wanted to live through it again, and since I'm feeling so much better this time around I'm crazy enough to admit that I'm loving it. Yeah, I don't get a lot of sleep. It can make me cranky from time to time, but in the middle of the night when it is happening it doesn't bother me much because she is so soft and cuddly and smells like the farts of unicorns drunk on happiness and Sprite.
However, we did a lot to prepare for the way in which Marlo was going to disrupt our lives. One of those things was to invest in a new washing machine because the one that'd we'd had for the last six years, a Kenmore Elite HE3 frontloader, was an absolute piece of crap. CAH-RAP. It once flooded the basement in our old house, and we had to get it fixed. And then seven other times, SEVEN, onetwothreefourfivesixSEVEN, SEVEN OTHER TIMES, we had to get it fixed. And then it would still randomly fill up with water. Just because. I had my theories as to why, maybe because of all those naughty thoughts I had about David Smith in high school and the way my girl parts felt when he kissed me for the first time, and I felt so bad about it I told my mom and she LAUGHED AT ME. But I don't think God has ever forgiven me for that teenage weakness. And he likes to fuck with people through their appliances. OH YOU KNOW HE DOES.
So we did some research, and we saved some money. Because I wanted to buy a washing machine that I didn't have to worry about, a machine I didn't have to think about, because I knew that having an infant meant that we'd be living underneath a mountain of laundry. Jon spent many nights reading reviews and forums and consumer sites, and we eventually settled on a Maytag Performance Series 4.4 Cu. Ft. IEC Capacity Front Load Steam Washer that retails for $1,599. Our local Dan's Maytag store was running a sale, so we got ours for $1,300 and then splurged on the 10-yr warranty. OK LET ME RANT FOR A SECOND:
This is where some of you are all, WTF? You spent how much on a washing machine? Don't you know that some of us don't even have washing machines? Don't you know that some of us have to drag our five loads of laundry AND our three kids down to the laundromat every week? HOW DARE YOU EVEN WRITE AND/OR COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR PRECIOUS LITTLE WASHING MACHINE.
And you can give me a goddamn break. It's not like we said, you know what? Let's just go spend fourteen hundred dollars today! It'll be fun! Where can we go? An appliance store! Hurry, let me change into my diamond-studded panties and climb into our golden chariot! Have the local police shut down traffic so that we don't have to maneuver around the little people! Also, where is Clive Owen and that blow job I paid for?
You know what we did do? We had a washing machine fund. Where we put a little money here and there, and we waited until we had enough in it to make such a purchase. Because I was raised by a man who taught me the value of doing that kind of thing. Thank you, Michael Hamilton.
Also, I paid $1,300 for an appliance. And bought the 10-yr warranty. That damn thing better work, so help me god. Why? BECAUSE I PAID $1,300 FOR IT. AND IT'S BRAND NEW. That's $1,300 I could have spent elsewhere, because we live in America, and that's how this economy works. So when I get upset about A BRAND NEW $1,300 APPLIANCE NOT WORKING, it's not like I'm getting upset about the fact that my butler has bad breath.
Are there other, more important issues in this world? Of course there are. There is always something more important. Period. But if you're going to tell me not to complain that my brand new appliance THAT COST ME $1,300 DOESN'T WORK then you aren't ever allowed to complain about anything whatsoever. Do you have a headache? SHUT UP. HOW DARE YOU. Some kid in war-torn Iraq DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A HEAD.
Oooh, that last one is going to get me some great email. I'VE CROSSED THE LINE NOW! UNFOLLOW!
(Also, I've just upset my headless readers.)
So, yeah. The damn thing broke a week after it was delivered. Started giving us this error reading and wouldn't fill up with water. Which was the exact opposite problem we had with the previous washer. SEE. GOD'S ANGRY.
So we called, complained, and they sent out a repairman. He shows up three days later and is all, yeah, gonna have to order parts. That's going to take another seven to ten days.
So that's three days plus seven to ten days equals LOTS OF DAYS.
In the meantime, if we wanted to get a load of laundry done, we had to jury-rig the thing, reach our hand up and inside a certain compartment and jiggle a part. And then maybe it might work. Or not. We never knew. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it did not. And so one load of laundry took us THREE DAYS to get done.
WE HAD TO JURY-RIG A $1,300 BRAND NEW WASHING MACHINE. Please tell me you're shaking your head. Right? RIGHT?
I've got a pile of milk-stained shirts sitting in a corner, SPOILING, because that's what milk does, IT SPOILS, CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE THE SMELL. And an Olympic Baby Pooper. Onesie after onesie after onesie stacking up in the washroom, six pairs of Jon's pants stained, several pairs of my shorts, a rug, seven towels.... it goes on and on. And every time we start a load of laundry we'd gather around in prayer, going, please, oh please, don't give us the error, please, just this time, please—ERROR, ERROR, ERROR.
Ten days later the repairman shows up to fix the machine because the part has been delivered, and oops! Guess he didn't order all the parts he needed! Going to have to order more parts! Another seven to ten days!
Okay. Breathe. Maybe throw some darts. At squirrels.
(I've just upset the squirrel people.)
That's three days plus ten days plus another seven to ten days equals YOU HAVE GOT TO BE SHITTING ME.
So I've got at least eight candles burning in the house at all times to combat the smell of spoiled milk and baby poop, and someone is manning the machine at all times to see if it is going to magically fill with water. And nine times out of ten it doesn't. But that tenth time when it does? Oh, sweet and delicious tenth time? We took turns having sex with the washing machine. There I said it. Sometimes naked. Sometimes fully clothed. And we forgave each other for the adultery BECAUSE IT WAS JUST SO GOOD.
So. Here's where things start to heat up, because that repairman calls on the morning that we have Marlo's two-month doctor's visit scheduled. Jon tells him we have to be at the clinic at 11:30 AM to have her immunized, we don't know how long we'll be there, we don't expect any delays, but you know how doctor's visits can go...
(I've just upset the vaccination people.)
Repairman says he's got a slot from 12 to 2 open.
So. Okay. You guys. Let's not even talk about the part where my pediatrician lets me know that he's found my website and knows who I am, or about how the German nurse comes in, asks what my book is about, and when I tell her it's about pregnancy and postpartum depression she goes, "Vell, some of sees veh-mon, seys goes VACKO!"
(I've just upset the Germans.)
And Marlo is smiling and giggling, and I'm purposefully not near her, but there I go, I can't help myself, and when the nurse jabs her leg with the first needle I peek over her shoulder at Marlo's face, AND HOW HAVE YOU PEOPLE BEEN DOING THIS? You people who have kids that look like you? It was like I was looking in the mirror and there I am SCREAMING. She has never cried or screamed so hard in the short time she's been alive, and she looked just like me when she did it. So disturbing and heartbreaking and there I am just bawling along with her. TWILIGHT ZONE WEIRD.
And while all of this is going on my assistant is texting me frantically that the repairman has shown up, and because Jon isn't there to help him move the dryer to get to the washing machine, he's going to leave.
He. Is. Going. To. Leave.
OH NO HE ISN'T.
And I give her my permission to sit on top of him, grab him, head butt him, whatever she has to do to get him to stay, and she can do it in my name, I will take the blame, because I am not going another day with a broken $1,300 washing machine. And that's what had to happen, she had to physically grab his arm and say, please, they're in the car on the way here, it's only been twenty minutes, please.
Please. She begged him. She begged him. And I am going to feel bad about putting her in that position for quite some time. She had to grab the arm of a strange man and beg him to stay. Katey, I am so so sorry I put you in that position.
Dude had to wait TWENTY MINUTES and was pissed and rude, and you know what? I HAD NO SYMPATHY. He's the one who didn't order the right parts in the first place and here I've gone HOW MANY DAYS? Three plus ten plus ten plus TOO MANY DAYS TO COUNT WITH A BROKEN $1,300 WASHING MACHINE.
Okay, remember. I'm sleep deprived. CONTEXT.
So we get home, Jon runs downstairs, helps the dude move the dryer, and we get our washing machine fixed, right? RIGHT?
WRONG.
W.R.O.N.G.
If I could speak seventeen different languages I would type the word WRONG in those seventeen languages right here for you right now BECAUSE THAT'S HOW WRONG.
He didn't fix it. Dude did not fix our machine. Because we go to do a load of laundry and guess what? ERROR. SAME FUCKING ERROR.
And that is it. I am done. I am so done. And because I have worked with the public before, because I have been on the other side of the phone, I take a walk around the block, have a large glass of water and then sit calmly on my couch. And then I pick up the phone and I make a phone call.
First I call the place where we bought the machine. And he cannot help me, I have to call their service department. So I call the service department, explain in great detail what has happened, and she says that Maytag has a policy that they will not replace a brand new machine unless it is documented that someone has tried to fix it at least three times. WHA?? WHA-HAAA? And I tell her that someone has been out to my house three times, and she says, yeah, but he's only tried to fix it once.
Oh my Lord God IN HEAVEN. SHUT UP. You're kidding me, right? The three times he's been out here do not count? No. And the fact that this machine has not worked for two months? THAT doesn't count? No. And the fact that we bought the 10-yr-warranty? ALL OF THESE THINGS? DO YOU SEE THESE THINGS?
No.
So what you're telling me is that I have to make an appointment to have it looked at again? And the earliest someone can come look at it is in three to five days? And in the meantime, how am I supposed to get my laundry done? With a rock in a bucket outside.
(I've just upset the Mormon pioneers.)
So I call Maytag. The Maytag. The Mothership. And the agent I get after working through a five-minute maze of PRESS THIS and SAY THIS and PLEASE HOLD is the snootiest customer service person I have ever talked to in my life. And I let her know the entire story, front to back, and that while I'm really upset and sleep deprived, I'm not mad at her because I know it's not her fault. And she keeps saying, yeah, can't really help you, you're going to have to call and have the history faxed over, and then we'll take a look, and even then we'll schedule someone to come take a look, maybe in three to five days?
Why can you not give me a working washing machine in the meantime while you figure out what is wrong with the brand new one that is sitting there broken in my laundry room? Why? I'll take any machine. Any working machine. Give me a machine that works while you figure out why THAT BRAND NEW ONE DOESN'T WORK.
No.
Okay then, I say, almost begging at this point, almost to the point of tears, is there anyone I can talk to who might see what I've been through and understand? And here's where I say, do you know what Twitter is? Because I have over a million followers on Twitter. If I say something about my terrible experience on Twitter do you think someone will help me? And she says in the most condescending tone and hiss ever uttered, "Yes, I know what Twitter is. And no, that will not matter."
That is what she said to me.
So I asked if I could please speak to her supervisor. And I am not even kidding she goes, "Uggh. Fine. Hold, then."
She UGGGH'ed me.
(I've just upset the Cro-Magnons.)
And then I spend the next fifteen minutes giving my story to her supervisor, pleading for someone to fix my washing machine today or at least give me a working machine in the meantime, and he says no, but maybe we'll schedule someone to come take a look, maybe in three to five days?
Okay then. I hang up the phone, calmly walk over to my computer, pull up a browser and write this twitter:
And then I wrote this one:
And then another:
And another:
And then finally:
OH YES I DID.
Have I mentioned the part where I'm sleep deprived?
And oh dear, did I stir up some waves. Because I guess calling out a huge corporation on their shitty service is somehow being a bully. Being angry, CAPITAL LETTER ANGRY, that they will not make good on my purchase is somehow an abuse of my power. How dare I use Twitter this way.
Some say that I was calling for an all out boycott, and that I was disregarding the responsibility of my power. I give my readers a little more credit than that, and I think most of my readers are gracious enough to give me the benefit of the doubt, willing to believe that I was angry and ranting, and that I would eventually give them the whole story. Which I continued to do on Twitter as it unfolded (and continues to unfold as I write this).
I say, we should ALL use Twitter or whatever means is available to us this way. Not just me, but you and you and you. Until they stop treating us this way. It is not okay. If this is what it takes to get my BRAND NEW $1,300 WASHING MACHINE FIXED? Holy God! Seriously! This is capitalism, y'all. This is how it works. I AM NOT SATISFIED. I DEMAND BETTER SERVICE. PERIOD. So what if I'm on a list that includes Oprah and Katie Couric and Diane Sawyer. Would they scream about crappy service this way? IF NOT, THEY TOTALLY SHOULD! Come on, Katie! SCREAM! LET IT OUT! But the thing is, Katie didn't make it on that list because she would scream like that. I am on that list SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE I WILL.
And to think, our health care system is left to the same devices. Thank god it's just my washing machine AND NOT MY FUCKING KIDNEY.
Within hours I am contacted by several big name appliance stores on Twitter offering their services, except none of them can really help because I'm trying to work with Maytag directly. And then a few hours after that I get a message from @WhirlpoolCorp who I guess own Maytag, and I send them my phone number and I wait. And wait. And wait.
And then the following morning I get a phone call from Jeff Piraino, manager of the executive offices of Whirlpool Corporation in Michigan.
BOO-YAH!
That, my friends, is service.
And he is incredibly nice, very apologetic, very helpful, and like any good therapist listens to why I am so upset. And the kicker: HE UNDERSTANDS WHY. So then he himself calls a different repair company and has a guy come out within the hour to look at the machine. And so I go put on a nursing bra to look presentable.
That guy assesses immediately that three parts need to be replaced, and he and Jeff at the headquarters in Michigan work it out that the parts will be overnighted and he can come back today and fix it. (currently waiting for him... UPDATE: he is here... waiting... waiting...FIXED! He FIXED IT! He FIXED IT! RAIN CAME BACK! RAIN CAME BACK!)
Oh my God, this is all I ever wanted. Seriously. Thank you Maytag. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jeff Piraino. My $1,300 washing machine is now working, and I can finally shut up about it. THE INTERNET THANKS YOU.
IN THE MEANTIME.....
You're not going to believe this. You guys, even though I'm wearing really dirty clothes and the house smells like poop, I have been BEAMING, literally shining light, there are vibrant yellow rays shooting out of the windows of the house because of what I'm about to tell you.
So.
I'm sitting here yesterday getting yelled at on Twitter — BULLY! DOUCHEBAG! — when I get an email from a guy named Jason Avila who works for Bosch. Yes, THAT Bosch. And they want to give me a free washing machine of my choice. OF MY CHOICE. Who WOULDN'T take up that offer. Except, I don't know. It just doesn't feel right. My brain just wouldn't let me feel okay about it. And I mention on Twitter that I'm being offered free appliances when a woman with the handle @MommyMelee (here is her website) suggests that this might be a good opportunity for me to hook up a shelter with a free washing machine. And I give her full credit for this idea, and I feel like crap that I didn't think of it in the first place. I blame the smell of poop rotting out half of my skull but will go forward with an eye to end every dispute in as charitable a manner.
So I talk to the guy at Bosch, tell him that since I can afford the $1,300 I spent on that washer I'd love it if they'd be willing to donate a free machine to a local Salt Lake City shelter instead, and he doesn't see why not. So I do some looking around, find a place called the Rescue Mission of Salt Lake, make a call, and DO THEY EVER NEED THE HELP. I almost started bawling right there on the phone. All that stress and name-calling and pacing the floor yesterday...
You guys, Bosch is donating a brand new washer AND DRYER to the Rescue Mission of Salt Lake. GO @BOSCHAPPLIANCES!!!!
That is the power of Twitter.
You go right ahead and call me a bully, and you may totally disagree with the way I handled this, and you go right ahead and UNFOLLOW! But having this be the end to the story, well I'll gladly let that be what the B. stands for in Heather B. Armstrong.
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Heather talks about public tantrums (from kids) on today's Momversation.
- RIP Louis Mortimer Armstrong: http://bit.ly/1R4tv6
- Hugs and kisses to you, too! RT: @Monkey_Tree: @dooce he probably committed suicide because he was tired of LISTENING TO YOU WHINE.
- Our fish just died. And I'm sitting here crying. And it wasn't even my fault!
1. Elizabeth_K said:
I think you handled this AWESOMELY! I think you yourself are awesome.
2. Daddy Scratches said:
I can't decide if I LOVE the fact that we live in a day and age where technology makes the malfunctioning of Heather's dryer a national incident that generates major controversy, or if it is one more sign of the impending apocalypse.
Meanwhile ... I have an auto-repair place I'd like you to bully for me ...
3. Jane's Mom said:
I watched the whole thing unfold yesterday and it is my opinion that you were unjustified in ranting on Twitter about it. I know you were sleep-deprived and god knows I've been there because I have three kids and life sucks sometimes. But I think you should have known better. And your husband too. Anyway, cool idea from mommymelee and kudos to you for seeing it through. Hope your washer works okay from here on out.
4. Lauren From Texas said:
You are SUCH a bully, Heather.
Glad you got it fixed!!
Also, DO you have any naked pictures of yourself? I'm uh, asking for a friend.
xo
5. Maria @ Mommy Melee said:
You got class, woman. Thanks for having a sense of humor.
Spiderman never had to change a shitty diaper.
6. fudgeit said:
so what, just cos you're you know, dooce, with half the interweb hanging on your every word you can't vent anymore? sheesh! if anything you should be more confident in your ability to kick some ass. you is awesome.
7. Sarah said:
I can totally get the frustration you felt. And I love that you were able to not only get your washer fixed, but help out a bunch of people in need, too. Pretty freaking amazing. Yay you and Yay Twitter!
8. Kristine said:
What a monster of a post! (In the sense of the size, not connected to bullying accusations.)
No unfollowing here!
9. Laird Nelson said:
Great work, great writing. As always. What you did is exactly what Twitter should be used for.
10. inothernews said:
I'm glad you did what you did. Hopefully this causes places to really re-evaluate their service. It reminds me of the travel troubleshooter, where they deny deny deny refunds and compensation until Chris Elliott gets involved. And suddenly it's all "oh my gosh we are so sorry, this is not at all common" and quickly pays up.
This common person knows it is TOTALLY common. If you have the pull? use it.
11. Rebecca said:
Seriously, why is it so hard to get anyone to do anything these days? Go Heather! Hey, they can't say you didn't give them fair warning...
12. Antonia said:
God, I love you.
FOLLOW!
13. Susan Mercedes said:
And sometimes it is just good to vent and get it all out! Or to get laid. Or, in your case, have a nap.
14. Lori said:
I love you. That is all. :)
15. Lori said:
I have just one B-word for you.....BRAVO!!
16. Abbie said:
heather, you are hilarious. fuck the haters. I'm sleep deprived too, and you just made me laugh so hard my baby now has iced latte stains on her shirt.
17. Having Fun said:
Good Lord that's long... I'll be back later...
18. Amy said:
You rock my socks off!
19. Nancy said:
Just remember for every raging asshole leaving you horrible messages there are 1,000 of us who like you a whole lot.
20. Nancy said:
The service you received was deplorable. You can say whatever you want HOWEVER you want...it's a free country, isn't it? Twitter away - we should all twitter about the unfair and terrible service (or lack of) that we get these days. It's really incredible what you had to go through just to get a BRAND NEW machine fixed! I applaud you!
21. Cassie said:
And this just proves once and for all why you are the Queen of the Internets. Most entertaining saga thus far. Keep em coming!
22. Connie said:
Now that's what I call using the power of Twitter for good. And screw anyone who thinks or says otherwise.
23. Sarah said:
For the people that call you a bully? Fuck them.
And - for donating the washer you were offered? Major props. That's taking the responsibility of having a major readership and turning that into something good.
24. Mrs Soup said:
Bully, maybe. But got results. And unfortunately, partially needed.
25. Patty Edwards said:
Bravo. I would have done the same thing, except I don't have that many Twitter followers. But I could have called them out on CNBC. And I would have.
26. Elvis said:
How very self-aware of these people who feel the need to name call. "Bully" indeed!
27. Mia said:
Confession: I don't read your blog (except this one time), but I follow you on Twitter. And I can't believe you got flack for your tweets.
You may have upset the immunization, squirrel, Cro-Magnon, German, headless and Mormon pioneer people, but you gained a follower in lowly lil me.
28. Elizabeth said:
This is why people love you, Dooce. What you see is what you get, and it's about time you told people to suck it.
29. laura said:
i wouldn't have done anything differently, nor should you have. and kudos to the woman who suggested the donation to a shelter. hope the machine behaves itself from now on!
30. stephannie said:
There was an episode of This American life where a woman had been dealing with the phone company for like a year, and made absolutely no progress at all. Eventually, she and Ira Glass get on the phone with a higher up at the company with the understanding that the conversation will be on the radio, which it is. Only at this point did her problem get fixed. And the woman who was having the problem (I believe a staff member of T.A.L) was so disappointed in the company because it basically took public shaming of being on the radio on a very popular show to get her issue resolved.
So you're not the only one who can and has to take this approach. You've got the platform - use it.
31. Princess of Power said:
Oh snap! I have been waiting to hear this story. Good for you! Those other people can fuck off, I mean really, fuck off.
Newborn laundry is not a joke people, perhaps you don't know or can't remember but it's no joke. :)
Glad the washer is fixed. Ridiculous amount of BS but now it's done!
32. andy matthews said:
Great job Heather. Businesses need to be kept accountable for their actions, or lack thereof.
33. Beth (in NC) said:
I have the BIGGEST smile on my face right now. Fantastic story because of the wonderful ending(s).
34. Emily said:
I'll confess to being totally confused as to why the whole thing blew up the way it did yesterday, but I'm thrilled it had such a great ending. For you and for the shelter. Now Marlo can poo freely!
35. Janet Marcum said:
I think my favorite part is, "six pairs of Jon's pants stained," because my first thought was that Jon shits his pants alot. haha.
36. Anonymous said:
You were completely justified in using twitter. I, an average non #26 person have used yelp.com to report poor service, and received a quicker response than you did. We should all scream for better service. America used to be known for customer service, now the best customer service I receive is when I am in the UK. Also, the best FREE health care I have received is in the UK...Just saying.
37. Diane said:
OMG - Way to go! Use the power of media, girl.
38. Megan said:
This is pretty much the most awesome story EVER, especially since it all really happened!
It sucks the BIG ONE how once the company has your money, you are useless to them and not worthy of acknowledgment. Frankly, you pretty much HAVE to be a bully (though I always try to start off as politely and kindly as possible, being in the customer service biz myself) and even then nobody cares (at least when it's me, a small insignificant human speck.)
I agree about the health care thing as well- ugh!!!!
39. Karen said:
You are my ideal.
40. Calee said:
I couldn't think of a better ending to that story. Yay Bosch for being willing to donate to the homeless, yay you for being beyond reasonably patient (we had the same thing happen with our dishwasher when my daughter was 2 months old and our house and all of the appliances were BRAND NEW--3 weeks later I could finally get all of the bottles clean) and most of all, yay for the opportunity to actually wake up some of these ridiculous customer service people.
Broken things need fixing. If that's your job, you better get it done.
Bravo.
41. MsAmanda said:
you rock. power of the internet vs. piece of shit service. awesome.
42. Laurie said:
I've been reading for years, and I still think it's hilarious that you have readers that will "unread" you for things like this.
And while that so sucks for you (the whole washing machine being broken), it's equally as hilarious to read about it now.
43. Erin said:
So glad there's been a happy ending, Heather! How stressful for you. And having this context I think will really help the naysayers -- of which I was not one to begin with, but anyway. ;-)
44. Jen said:
Oh, I was in that exact place last year with a very expensive non-working dryer. I only wish I were #26 so I could have spread the idocy online to people who would follow and make it right. You were completely justified! FOLLOW!!!
45. Gemma said:
Sleep deprived and poo stained and still making a difference. Think Marlo could handle a second hand glass of champagne? You earned it!
46. Anonymous said:
Pretty sure this is the LONGEST dooce post EVER. Loved every word and how awesome it is that they are donating a brand new washer and dryer!!! Go BOSCH!
47. bisous said:
Hi - I'm happy that everything worked out for you and the shelter!
Just one little tidbit I learned from the internet - putting a washed breastmilk-poop-stained onesie out in the sun for an afternoon will get rid of the stains, so you don't have to get all wacky rinsing it or putting stain-b-gone on it or anything. Just sunlight. I have a three month old and I can attest that it works.
48. Sara said:
Bravo!
49. Anonymous said:
"I am on that list SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE I WILL."
Exactly! Take that, Sundry!
50. Leslie said:
wow. I am impressed beyond all measure - way to get things done, dooce. And I think that Bosch will now be at the top of my list for most desired appliances. Sorry you had to fight so hard, but I hope this shakes things up in the ol' maytag customer service department.
Also, my comment captcha words - deeply berating - how apropos!
51. Anonymous said:
You go Heather! Those idiots need to stand behind their products and help their customers out a little better. It's ridiculous that it had to get SOOOO out of control like that before you could get it fixed. I know everyone has been in a similar situation so good for you for speaking up about it.
You really shouldn't have to defend yourself on here for what you write so... stop it! lol
Now go do another load - I can still smell the poop and spoiled milk coming from your house!!! :)
52. Meeka said:
Heather, I've got to say I've been on the receiving end of what I would like to call the "giant bag of douche" that thwaps you in the face whenever you legitimately try to deal with a broken item... especially if you have a warranty. Seriously, thank you for speaking out and getting these guys to shape up. You had every right to, and I appreciate it.
53. Jen said:
Hurrah! That is my only response!! And still not sure how this could even make you a "bully"... but ok....
54. Lisa Paul said:
They call it the Bully Pulpit. And it is meant to be used JUST THIS WAY. Congratulations on a job well done on two fronts: better customer service for paying customers and a free washer/dryer for a shelter.
55. Stacy W. said:
FOLLOW!
p.s. I've been following your blog off and on for years and love that you always crack me up! And as a photographer myself, might I add that your photo skills are rocking lately. Nice work!
56. Steph said:
i applaud you.
57. Stuart Sipahigil said:
Incredible. Not that you were able to get your washing machine fixed — though I bow to your sheer doggedness — but that the Bosch appliances ended up at the shelter. You should be proud.
58. Jolyn said:
Clive Owen is so hot.
59. Kristy Merrill said:
Well done Heather! Paying it forward is SO very rewarding. You are the nicest bully I've ever followed.
We love you over in the Merrill house.
(Show us a naked pic?)
60. Samantha said:
W O W.
61. Mississippianna said:
STANDING OVATION!
62. Lori Paximadis said:
In your position, I would have done exactly the same thing. It's not like you lost it at the first bump in the process; you probably held it together a whole lot longer than I would have. The sad thing is that it took this level of action to get resolution. Companies that want to keep their customers and attract new ones can't have this kind of crappy service and expect to thrive.
63. Melissa said:
I would have 'bullied' in exactly the same way. Times have changed people - if you do business in the days of the inter-web-connects then don't be surpised when consumers actually use the aforementioned interwebs to generate some level of staisfactory customer service that one might think could be offered by an actual human worker when you have spent $1,300 ON A BROKEN WASHING MACHINE.
Yeah Dooce, high 5 from New Zealand
64. Taryn said:
The negative reaction to this situation was ridiculous. RIDICULOUS! I'm so glad everything was repaired and that you were able to use TEH TWITTER to help people that really need it.
Go Dooce!
65. Tracey said:
Being someone who doesn't take kindly to the run around one gets in the area of customer service these days, I think every single thing you did was justified..TOTALLY!! And the free washer and dryer for the shelter is amazing..and probably cements my plan to get a Bosch when my dishwasher gives out. Glad your washer is humming along again!
66. Jane said:
Brilliant. Good job.
67. Julie said:
Proud of you Dooce!
BTW, also had a Maytag washer that crapped out - they wouldn't fix it because the we weren't the original owners of the warranty (bought it second hand).
68. Donna said:
Thank you for being a damn good person. Yes, a DAMN GOOD PERSON.
69. Alex Clark said:
The best part of this story is that the shortened url on Twitter to link to it is /2Nipz.
70. Anna Mayer said:
I love you. So much.
(I've been reading you for five years now, from Spain)
71. bearing said:
You rock so hard you make me cry.
Or maybe it's the pregnancy hormones. Anyway. You rock.
72. Beeaunka said:
YESSS!!!! Thank you for calling out a company on the crappy service they provide. Awesome! for the donation to shelter. Happy ending, Go Bosch, I needed that right now.
73. Bess said:
That's amazing. Kudos to you, Dooce.
74. Sarah said:
If a bully is just a person who tells the truth in order to get a problem fixed, then maybe Jesus was a bully. Maybe George Washington was a bully. Maybe Barack Obama is a bully.
Or maybe, just maybe, by telling the truth and sharing your experience, you raised the bar for corporations everywhere in dealing with customer service issues. We as consumers refuse to be treated like crap any longer.
You go on wit'cha bad self, Dooce. Rock on.
75. Miss Thystle said:
It stinks (see? see how I worked Marlo's amazing talent into this comment? It's because I pay attention) that it came to this, but way to use the resolution to help someone else!
High Five!
(oh, and um. Unfollow. Bully. Poopy Shirt. Yeah, I said it. Poopy shirt)
(just kidding. I can't quit you.)
76. Leslie said:
I say it's about damn time the appliance was fixed. I cannot believe it took that long for the company to fix it but thank goodness they did. Given the fact that the washer cost 50% of my monthly take home pay, I say you have every right to expect it to work and to work well from the get go. You took all the right steps and being a "high profile" person on Twitter who expressed their frustration is not bullying at all. In fact, this might help companies realize that is is the future. Companies will have to deal with unsatisfied customers because the whole world will be able to know about them whomever is complaining, big or small. I am sure you are not the only person who has taken to Twitter to express their dissatisfaction with a product. In fact, you being a high profile person, you did the right thing in outlining the entire story for your audience; any rational person can figure out you are just like them and doing what any well frustrated and resourceful consumer would do.
77. Alyssa said:
For anyone who has been reading you for any amount of time, they should have known there was a reason you did what you did.
Thank you for taking the time to explain everything (which you totally didn't have to) and for turning this awful experience of yours into a giant plus for that shelter.
That, Heather, is class. You get thumbs up from over here, and all those other folks can kiss my ass :)
78. Robin Torres said:
Grats on the fixed washer and the charity! Yay you!
And I'm so glad you realize that you did handle this correctly.
79. Erin said:
Epic.
80. Anonymous said:
Good For you! It really annoys me that we can't rant about anything without some idiots getting their panties in a twist. Geez, you don't like what she's saying, then unfollow. No need to be all bitchy about it. You let off steam, and had good a reason for it! We all have our reasons to complain sometimes, and writing about it is a great way to vent. Don't Censor what you write because some people don't agree with it. They'll get over it, and find someone else to complain about. All in all, its probably someone who is fuming mad that they don't have balls to say speak their own mind anyways. Good Job.
81. Bucky Four-Eyes said:
I am going to name my next band Accidental Puppeteer in your honor.
82. Courtney said:
That fucking rocks. We SHOULD all scream about crappy customer service! Every. Single. Time.
83. Ali said:
Good for you Heather!
84. Kwil said:
Good job. I was laughing as each MAYTAG blast flooded my tweetdeck screen.
85. Sarah said:
Dooce, you are fucking awesome!
86. Susan Sawatzky said:
I think you showed remarkable restraint. I've been know to "cuss" out the poor person on the other end of the phone whose job it wasn't to fix my machine(s).
Our refrigerator went out the DAY the warranty was up. Fortunately we too had purchased an extended warranty. Same song...wait until they had been out three times, but it did eventually result in a new refrigerator. Same one but improved. Seems there WAS something faulty in the original design...go figure. Why didn't they notify people? Might have caused a jam up in the Whirlpool factory trying to manufacture new refrigerators with NEW parts!
87. Ali Harris said:
Heather you rock, sleep deprived or no :-D
88. Anonymous said:
First, this is, far and away, the funniest post of yours I have ever read. Literally, laugh-out-loud funny.
Second, way to use the power you have for a good reason. Screw the haters.
And third, you are a good person. No amount of poop jokes can hide that fact. Keep fighting the good fights.
89. Brooke said:
Hmmm....Your crazy internet people sound suspiciously like my future in-laws. I'm onto them...
Anyway, I think you handled it perfectly, and it turned out great. I, personally, CAN'T stand when I purchase something, and it does not work, breaks, etc. Flying is especially bad. I have written many a nasty e-mail to airlines recently.
Ahh, the power of social networking!
90. Stacy said:
As always, I admire you for living your life out loud. Or is that OUT LOUD?
Anyway, good on you for getting the appliances to the shelter. And for getting a big corporate entity to take seriously your request that their product do what they said it would do.
I think you are terrific. And now, apparently, you smell of freshly washed clothes. So that's happy too.
I remain a fan.
91. PoochMom said:
So I have to ask the obvious: what were Chuck and Coco doing while all of this was going on?
92. apricoco said:
You know what? Fuck anyone who calls you a bully. I have been so mistreated by corporate America that I would love to be able to do something like this. It's crap the way they treat you. Total crap. I'm happy you got results and happy that Rescue Mission got a free washer from Bosch (and good idea MommyMelee). It's a win for everyone, you, Rescue Mission and us lowly consumers! Heather, FTW!
93. Jordan said:
I come back because of posts like these. I LOVE IT.
You are not a bully. You're a mom who has poop and spoiled milk piled up in her laundry room and I'm pretty sure all other moms who are calling you a bully are just jealous that you have a blog and somewhere to rant about the said poop and milk.
If Karma works, let's hope there's a broken washer outbreak amongst them.
Kidding. Kind of. And now I'm a bully.
94. emjaybee said:
Screw anyone who gives you a hard time for taking on a giant corporation. Honestly. They made your life hell; they deserve some bad publicity. Funny as it would be if you single-handedly put them out of business, it's not going to happen. I mean, Pepsi set Michael Jackson's head on fire, and it's still around.
95. Leslie said:
When I saw what you were doing I cheered. I LOVED it. And then I was really, really jealous. And, frankly, I know you are being called a bully because there are many other folks that are jealous.
We all wish that every time we have a customer service nightmare (and this sounds like an actual nightmare) we could, in 700 characters or less, get a giant corporation to right their wrong...?
96. steph said:
YOU. ARE. AWESOME.
So glad it's fixed!!!!!!!
97. nitebyrd said:
Go get some rest, woman! That post was epic and you done real good, for a "bully"! :)
98. Dad Gone Mad said:
Is T.H.I.S. the new THIS!!!!!!?
Mad props to you, Heather, for turning that drama into a win for the shelter.
99. Kerry said:
what a fantastic ending! so good, i pretty much forgive you for giving away a HUGE battlestar gallactica plot twist while i'm only in season 2. and man, was i mad about that... kudos to bosch, and here's hoping the folks at maytag have to attend mandatory weekend classes in customer service and civility. "ugh" right back at them!
now, if you have some time on your hands, would you mind dealing with my mortgage company?
100. Maura ~ @MoBurns67 said:
I'd prefer to think that the B stands for "Brava" because that's what I'm saying. It's so the American way that as soon as someone gets "big" we want to see them torn down, and nothing works better than petty name-calling.
I'm glad that both Whirlpool and Bosch stepped up. I completely agree that the consumer needs to use whatever legal means necessary to get their grievances aired and resolved. GOOD FOR YOU!
101. Andria said:
Good for you. I don't care who you are, how much money you have, or how many readers you have - you spent $1300 on something AND IT SHOULD WORK. And for them to imply that you should be satisfied with their "attempts" at correcting their shoddy product is insulting. Glad they saw the impact one frustrated consumer can have.
102. Kim C. said:
Bravo, Heather! BRAVO!!
You did EXACTLY what every unsatisfied customer should do. Shout it out. Make sure everyone knows. There used to be a time where companies valued your business so much that they would do whatever it took to make you happy. That time is no more.
I think you handled it beautifully. You utilized Twitter (which I think is awesome). And apparently someone at Whirlpool is watching Twitter because you got a response.
You are my hero. Always.
FOLLOW!
103. Sheila said:
I wish I had your power!
Hope you get some much needed sleep soon.
104. Helen said:
I so want to be all holier than thou, but in truth? If I had any kind of power I would have done the same. There was a happy ending for you and for the shelter. Result.
105. Desiree Fawn said:
Yo Dooce.
I love when you write like this -- you're a effing badass in all way and you should know it :)
If I could hug you, I would, but my arms aren't that long and I'm stuck in Ontario (ALSO with an olympic pooping 7 month old!)
MUCH LOVE.
FROM CANADA.
Canadians love you (I speak on their behalf).
Peace.
(Yes, yes I am also sleep deprived. ^_^)
106. Anonymous said:
Can't even believe you went through all of that. No need to explain. You rock.
107. Jessica said:
Dang.
I love you. I should say it again in CAPSLOCK:
I LOVE YOU.
108. Heidi said:
I LOVE IT.
109. Layne said:
I haven't read the whole post yet, but I just had to stop and say, OMG. When I got home from work yesterday, my currently-unemployed boyfriend had just returned from the grocery store wearing sandals with socks. AND HE ALWAYS SMELLS LIKE A GIANT GARLIC BURP! And to make it even worse, his socks were BUNCHED DOWN AROUND HIS ANKLES. The first thing I said to him was "you did not just go out in public like that!" and he acted all clueless, like "what?"
110. Lauren said:
Twitter is used for THIS VERY PURPOSE by most US businesses- to maintain and curb quality customer service/satisfaction IN REAL TIME. You used twitter in exactly the way that you were supposed to. And quite frankly, we should applaud @whirlpoolcorp for responding in the exact way that they should. It should've never escalated to that point, but their efforts to make it right will not go unnoticed. I applaud you for giving credit where credit is due.
111. MJButah said:
There is nothing in the world wrong with calling out a manuafacturer on a lemon, whether it be an appliance, or a car, or a house or a service. You paid for a washing machine, not a 700 lb. ornament that you could stack dirty stuff on.
They sold you a crappy machine, period. Then they handled it pretty poorly when the couldn't fix it the first, or second, or third time.
This is the new world, manufacturers. You better start building better stuff, because now not only am I not going to buy your product ever again, I can not only tell just my friends and family not to as well, I can tell many, many people with just a few mouse clicks what kind of crap you are selling.
112. Lauren said:
Wow. That is an incredible story. Worth the wait. First of all, I can't imagine what it must be like to get yelled at or judged or criticized or admonished or threatened for every little thing you say. Who cares how much you spend on a washing machine? You work hard, and you deserve it. It's terrible that people in this country think that they have a right to tell anyone what to do or how to live.
Secondly, GOOD. FOR. YOU. When it comes to customer service representatives, I always vote for NO MERCY. I have been mistreated so many times in the past, and I hope that this is a sign of us taking back some of the power.
113. eejm said:
Good for you, and good for Bosch! Yay!
Marlo's pooping may be her super power. I firmly believe that everyone has one. Mine is the ability to destroy office machinery through simple, everyday use.
My husband and I had a big, ugly fight once with our mortgage company. We changed the date our mortgage was to be taken out of our account. Big Bad Mortgage Company assured us that everything was set and the payment would not be taken out on the old due date, and guess what? We had two payments taken out that month.
Since we're weird and don't have $1000 spare dollars just sitting in our account at any given time, checks for other items were bouncing left and right. We alerted BBMC, they admitted their mistake, and that they'd refund us the money in, oh, 7-10 days (the magic number). Oh, and this was after we had to fill out forms A, B, C, D, and E that they had to mail to us because they couldn't be faxed due to privacy laws. And the folks at BBMC are all, "What's the big deal? Why are you so angry? Sure, it's our fault that this happened, but this is the system to make it right and we can't make any exceptions to it. Ever."
It took awhile, but we finally got someone on the phone with a brain and got it sorted out.
I feel for you. And I totally want some diamond-studded panties of my own.
114. steph said:
This is awesome and perfect and funny and AWESOME.
115. Bess said:
And apparently #3 Jane's Mom wants to be your mom too. Guess she's never gone ten days plus ten days plus three days plus three to five days without a functioning washer. That's a lot of days.
116. JR said:
YAYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!
117. Katherine said:
I think it's total crap that people responded to you like that! People reach out to companies on Twitter all the time--many set up an account for that very purpose!--to resolve a problem when calling customer service goes poorly. (And that's putting it lightly for your situation.) I've been stewing over this since your divulged the backlash on Twitter this week. And I'm still annoyed! I'm glad it was finally resolved. Now I know God is conveying his wrath by way of appliances I understand my many many laundry mishaps in college (bleach incidents despite not using bleach, red dye on all my clothes in a normal load, plus slipping/sliding on pavement all the way there and back...IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW.)
118. Phoo-D said:
If I had the ability to do this with these results - I would never stop. Thank you for sticking it out and demanding customer service. It is making the world a better place for all of us and I for one am VERY grateful.
119. Connor Turner said:
Without a question, this has to be one of the single greatest rants ever published on the internet.
This deserves a slow, but dramatic and classy golf clap....clap...clap...clap...
120. Anonymous said:
just had the same experience with B of A re my VISA card. Was going on a trip to Europe in 2 days (1st time -REALLY big deal for me) and so I called to alert them that I'd be using the Visa overseas so they wouldn't block it. They thanked me, nice guy told me to have a nice trip, blah, blah, blah. The next day my husband's Visa was denied. Sure it was a mistake, I called only to find out they dropped our available balance by 20,000! dollars. And though the only reason we had such a ridiculously huge avail balance was that we had the card for eons and were such good customers, we were punished simply for calling at the wrong time, and alerting them to our unused credit. Apparently, many banks are pulling peoples credit out from under them due to their (the banks')ineptitude and bad economics, but I couldn't understand why they, knowing I was about to leave on this trip, would do it to me w/out notice, and leave me in a terrible position so far from home.
I pleaded, bitched, almost cried, and despite repeatedly asking why, never got a straight answer.
All I wanted was for a million Twitter followers to say that the folks running the credit cards at B of A were crooks, assholes, and the devil rolled into one.
So, thank you! Somehow your success in dealing w/ and exposing this makes me feel tons better.
121. kjc said:
You go girl! Why are you a bully for demanding decent customer service? I think we've just gotten too used to being treating like... POOP, great big stinking piles of it.
I have a friend who did the same thing with Comcast... it got results.
122. Peeved Michelle said:
That was the longest blog post I have ever read. I am glad it had a happy ending.
123. Lanne Beattie said:
You have to live your own reality.
Your reality is a pile of stinky washing and a new baby and crappy customer service. I would have gone higher and higher sooner and done it louder and damn straight I would have whinged /publicly bagged them out on twitter.. ABSOLUTELY. Totally and completely. If you are in business (and I am) and you take someone's money for a product AND offer any kind of warranty paid or otherwise you absolutely SHOULD be doing the right thing and doing it fast.
I spent 57 hours on the phone to the phone company to get a phone connected, that worked, then dealt with the disconnected phone they shouldnt have disconnected, the lack of phones for 2 weeks the internet I didnt have for 2.5 weeks and the nonsense that lasted..oh.. 5 months after that. You know what they paid me nearly $4000 in credits and I earned every single one because Telstra's customer service, actual phone service and customer experience SUCKED.
You were not bullying them. You were asking for what you wanted. You were lucky you were well known enough that they actually did something. Now they should review the entire system so it doesn't happen again. And thank you for donating the washing machine to the shelter, both you and the company rock for that.
124. Susan said:
I don't think you get enough positive feedback.
You're AWESOME. :)
125. Criss said:
Seriously, had I been in your situation, there is no way I would have waiting as long as you did to bring out the ugly. Sure, Maytag eventually, after being publicly shamed, came around to doing the decent, basic-customer-service thing. $1,300? 10-year warranty? I cannot believe they did not fix it within 24 hours of your first call.
And you put the wheels in motion for a shelter to get a new washing machine and dryer.
You are my hero.
126. gina said:
That story should end with "and they all lived happily ever after". I am so excited that the mission is getting a new washer and dryer because of your "journey with Maytag" even though I can only imagine the frustration that it caused. http://a-slapintheface.blogspot.com/
127. Jenny said:
Oh, Heather. You are so awesome. Thanks for sharing the story -- I've been waiting with bated breath all day. Glad Marlo is free to poo.
128. Andrea K said:
I agree with you that that service is completely unacceptable and that you handled everything perfectly.
My one question is this though....... instead of candles, why wouldn't you go to a laundromat? I know they are inconvenient especially when you have a new baby, but seriously, my first thought was "Why aren't you guys using a laundromat in the meantime...."
129. Anonymous said:
Brilliant!!!
130. Hokie Deb said:
-->I'm glad Number 26 uses her power for good and Not Evil!
By the way, we have Bosch front loaders and I think if I could learn to use all the buttons, we'd be able to fly to the moon. They're great!
http://www.WebSavyMom.com
131. erika said:
Thanks for standing up and saying that service sucks! And way to go on the donation....You are both strong and generous.
132. Chana said:
I love the power of Twitter! Good job! You had every right to be as angry. Why in the hell wouldn't they just replace your washer!
I even got teary eyed at the end!!
133. Diahn Ott said:
I watched the drama unfold yesterday, as well, and just couldn't help thinking that I would do exactly the same thing, were I in your shoes.
Regardless of the number of followers I have.
Are you kidding? For a $1300 washing machine and a house full of poop and sour milk encrusted clothing? I'd hijack the Today show microphones out on the plaza.
You just keep on doing what you're doing, Heather. Maybe someday people will realize we don't have to take that crappy customer service.
134. witchypoo said:
I can't imagine how entitled many of your readers feel to call you out on ridiculous shit. And? Thinking of the crazy emails with every sentence you type has to be all kinds of stressful.
I love reading your accounts of your life.
Thank you.
135. Angeladean said:
"accidental puppeteer" - excellent, excellent phrasing.
136. Danit said:
You go girl. You handled this perfectly and gave them MORE THAN ENOUGH time to fix the issue and right their mistake before you "used your power".
This really is the beauty of Twitter! Everyone has the right to expect good service, ESPECIALLY when you put down over $1300!
137. Jillian said:
I say shame on maytag for only being willing to give that type of service to someone who has 1 million+ followers on twitter. You worked for your fame and influence, so why shouldn't you be allowed to use it to your advantage? Don't we all use what we have to give ourselves the slightest leg up? The only shame would be in not also using that influence in a way that benefits others as well, which you did, so kudos to you Dooce!!
138. Liz said:
Take solace in the fact that for every person who unfollows you, there will be another flock of newbies to follow you right back. I myself plan on having all of my future children read your website. And I'm Mexican so that's like 10 right there ;]
139. Megan said:
Bully? I think not! You are amazing!
140. Shelly Whitfield said:
Perfect!
141. Jenn said:
I'm not going to call you a bully. Not even one little bit. What I am going to say is that I'm glad you finally got a good resolution, but you shouldn't have HAD to go through all that in the first place. And I don't even care if the last guy was nice to you. It took Twitter Madness to get to him and the other bazillion people you talked to were complete asshats. And I believe in the power of word of mouth and letting people know your experiences with businesses, both good and bad. And that, my friend, is why I'll put Maytag on my list of OMGNEVERDEALWITHTHESEPEOPLE. And yes, I do have a list. :)
142. Ev said:
Heather, so WHAT if you were sleep-deprived?! Why should that matter? You were perfectly justified in taking this to Twitter or anywhere else to get action. Any criticism of you is totally out of line. Why should you have had to go to such trouble to get action from Maytag? What poor service on their part. You may feel okay about them now, but I'm not going to forget what lousy service they gave you. When I'm next in the market for an appliance, I'll be sure to overlook them and I'll be sure to look at Bosch. Penny-wise, pound-foolish on the part of Maytag. And how ironic to think about their Maytag repairman commercials...good for you, Heather!
143. Sharon said:
You are my hero!
144. Corrin said:
I watched it all go down and I say...so what? Just because people call someone "famous" doesn't mean they can't rant and rave. In fact, I prefer they did. I'd much rather hear honest, knee jerk, gut reactions and words than censored mush.
145. Gem said:
AMEN. Do Mormons say AMEN? Sorry for my ignorance lol! All I can say is HELLSSS TO THE YEAH!
I would've done the same thing except I would have killed the repair man right there the first time they didn't fix the machine. Yeah I have anger management issues.
You think you could hook me up with a new washer too? HAHA!
I am for TEAM HEATHER.
146. ashley said:
FOLLOW!
147. Vanessa said:
absolutely amazing. you did the right thing, and if you hadn't received such horrible service you wouldn't have had to resort to twitter in the first place. also, as you and bosch demonstrated, this amount of power can be a good thing.
148. nutty mummy said:
Good result all round.
149. hotpants™ said:
I saw your tweets. I'm so glad your washing machine is fixed. Also, way to go Bosch!
150. Jeannie said:
Fantastic! You're not a bully, you're persuasive.
Bring on the power poos! I too had a mega crapper. Amazing pyrotechnics, pooped up to her hairline quite regularly.
Oh hey - this made me think of that airline who got shamed into replacing a passenger's damaged guitar after the passenger wrote a song about it and put it on youtube. Public shaming is back!
151. Anonymous said:
ugh. you showed WAY more restraint than I would have. and i get plenty of sleep. good for you for finally calling them out publicly. you gave them PLENTY of chances to fix the problem and they absolutely DESERVED to be called out on their super-crappy customer service. it sucks that most people don't have your power, but everyone, including you, should use whatever pull they've got.
152. Kyre said:
Thank you for using your power as number 26 for good! And you should feel great that you used it to help yourself, your family and that shelter.
If only everyone else on that list used their powers for good, too! Instead of, you know, to design a fragrance or to tell me how to vote.
And this is truly your funniest post ever, and that is saying a whole helluva lot.
Much love to you and yours!
153. Nursing Anatomy said:
Heather, I think you handled this wonderfully. You did not rush to "abuse your power" by ranting immediately on the Internet about your experience, but waited until you had exhausted all possible options before taking to Twitter. I can't tell you what a good thing you did by arranging to have Bosch donate the brand new washer and dryer to a local shelter. Kudos to both you and @MommyMelee for that one!
154. Anonymous said:
I think crappy companies should be called out. That was horrible customer service that would likely not have been fixed for the average person. We had a similar experience with SEARS, WHICH SUCKS! with our new fridge which incidentally is also hard to live without for extended periods.
The funny thing is, while I think it ludicrous for people to be upset that you complained about something "trivial," I tend to get annoyed when widely read people complain about the complaints. ;) I love ya, but I just think that with such an enormous audience and reimbursement, that is likely part of the game. Have you talked to columnists about this? I'm guessing they learn to take it in stride. I'm sure it's not easy, especially when the writing topic is so personal.
155. EMM said:
I've said it before and I'll say it again. We paid $1,600 for a Maytag refrigerator--after saving for a year and thinking that we were investing in a product that wouldn't have to be replaced for at least fifteen years-- that broke three times in two years. The Maytag repairman who had been fixing Maytag appliances for 25 years told us that ever since the big Whirlpool/Maytag/Jenn-Air/Amana merger, Maytag appliances had taken a huge dive in their quality and reliability. He told us, without malice, but with a true desire to help us, that we should get rid of the fridge and buy a different brand. The next time the fridge broke (six months after the previous time!), we did. Maytag was completely uninterested in hearing from us, save for sending us the same form letter three times that basically said, Oh, we're so sorry you don't like our product.
I am seething with jealousy that no one offered to send us a new fridge, but I am truly glad to hear that Maytag actually helped you out. We were not so lucky.
156. Stephanie said:
Let me just say Heather - and I know I'm just some reader who usually lurks and rarely comments - but that you are totally in the right here. It's sad that in this day in age it takes huge corporations being kicked in the balls through twitter (which is essentially technology's version of word of mouth)for them to so much as ask to fix the problem that they created in the first place. Since when is it right for brand new shit NOT to work? Isn't the whole beauty of buying a new product so that it DOES WORK?! I think that you doing this was actually a positive thing and using your power to stand up for us, the little guys, the ones that don't have 1 million followers on twitter or their blog or whatever. Kudos to the (literal) balls you have my friend for your actions. I truly understand (along with I'm sure almost every other person in North America) the frustrations that go along with customer service departments in corporations. I also find it sad that it has to escalate to this level in order for the company to do something. When is corporate America going to realize that we've had enough? Ok I've begun a rant of my own hehe. Anyways again I cannot tell you enough - thank you thank you thank you from all us little guys ( or girls :) ) out there that do not think you're a bully and who truly appreciate the pile of shit (literally haha) you had to wade through to get this washing machine issue fixed. Ignore the haters - they're just jealous you have a million followers :D
157. Edwin Allen said:
Yo, 26, let me add my name to the pile of names piling up telling you to rock out w/r/t yr bad self.
People are silly and there anger is often misguided, deflected from its proper course or just straight projected offa' demselves onto others.
I stumbled upon that whole exchange the other day as I was puttering around twitter, and was all 'what's up with all the hating on dooce because (it seems to me) she's a popular blogger and twitterer that people read and follow?' I mean, I do get that, but I don't get that.
Keep on with yr bad self running
158. Lexi said:
What's sad is that if you didn't have a million followers on twitter, you'd still be waiting for a washing machine.
Which is on Maytag, not you.
Also? Twitter is a free service. We live in a free country. You can bitch about whatever the hell you want to on Twitter. And honestly? Yeah, I'd certainly think twice about buying a Maytag now. Because I don't have a million followers, and I'd still be sitting here washerless. So thanks! Reading about your experience qualifies as research.
People need to fucking chill. Nowhere did I see a tweet from you soliciting a free washer. Besides, were it not for your "bullying" on twitter in the first place, that shelter wouldn't have a new washer right now.
Glad it all turned out okay, and I wish you many error-less loads for the future!
159. Jilian said:
If this isn't what Twitter is for, then why are Maytag, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, etc making a name for themselves by using it to respond to problems and work on a social dialogue with their customers? If we know that's what they are using it for, why shouldn't it be what we use it for? Isn't that what they are encouraging? YES.
The suckiest part of this story is that you (or Katey or Jon) has six weeks worth of laundry to do! Hope Leta likes to fold!
160. Donna said:
Am I the only one who finds it totally bizarre that people are freaking out about you for using social media... in a way that many, many people use it? What, being popular means you can't use the power of public opinion to get shit done?
People post their stories to The Consumerist to get results like this. Good job -- you have enough fame that you can get results on your own while leaving the precious real estate on The Consumerist for people who DON'T have that ability.
I mean honestly, people have been using the power of "Posting your story publicly" to get companies to -do their jobs- since the internet got popular enough to handle it. Why the hell is Dooce being vilified for it?
161. scottish penguin said:
You go girl!!
I don't think you were being a bully- I think you were just desperate. We've all done similar things, just not had as much punch as you!
Let them all un-twit you. Who cares?
:o)
162. Rita said:
WELL, I think you are jinxed when it comes to washing machines and must keep that in mind from now on. BUT, this jinxed-ness has TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY BENEFITED A VERY WORTHY PLACE. And that is awesome - I'm beaming now, too :)
163. Kitty said:
Awesome, pure and simple. If that's what it takes to get decent customer service then maybe they need to rethink how everything is handled before it makes it to a corporate level. At least those guys seem to understand!
164. Annie From Vancouver said:
The worst is being treated badly on the phone by snotty customer service reps. Did you tell her supervisor that she was a horrible rep? There are so many good reps out there, I'm sure they could fire her and hire a new one who smiles and doesn't say ugh to a customer.
I'm glad it all worked out. Having been one of those people who had to drag laundry up hill to the laundrymat, I hug my insuite washer and dryer on a regular basis... I don't hump it though... the neighbours might talk.
165. megan said:
I really enjoyed the writing about this occurance on these two blogs. What a weird and wonderful thing for you two (and maybe more, i dunno) to make me think about.
166. Kristi said:
I'm laughing, imagining the shit-storm you must have created at Maytag headquarters after your Twitter update. Awesome.
I think all of us have experienced horrible customer service and if a charity gets a free washer/dryer out of it, it may not make all of our headaches worth it, but it does make me feel a little bit better.
All hail the new (Internets) world we live in.
p.s. I will NEVER understand why people have to tell you why they aren't going to read you anymore. If their opinions were so important, perhaps they too would have an extremely popular blog. But oh wait, they don't.
167. Anonymous said:
Even in this economy businesses still don't get that CUSTOMERS are the most important thing! It's amazing. I agree that this is America, and you have every right to use whatever means necessary to get your concerns taken care of. Way to go!
168. Amy Jo said:
#26 my ass, you're #1!
169. Anne Lindenfeld said:
You rock!
Thank you SO MUCH for that last posting and also for sticking with it to get your washer fixed. There is no more customer service anymore. In fact, the store where I bought my dishwasher and oven only has a repairman working ONE DAY A WEEK. And I don't live in East-West Jesus, I live in Washington, DC, land of complaining lobbyists and people who demand things. Like service.
Anyway, I think you are just great. Ignore the ignoramuses.
Oh, and BTW, you have two gorgeous little girls!
Anne
170. julie said:
Great job!!!I think what you did was great, and you've made it easier for others who may have had the same issue a way(twitter it) to get resolution. This is not bullying, it is standing up for yourself. julie
171. Michelle said:
At the risk of sounding like a mindless stan, I will simply tell you that you are awesome and that I love you and HELL YES. I wanna be a bully just like you when I grow up. :)
172. generic_ said:
u r so rude & sarcastik 2 mk fun of yr readers tht way. i don't know why yr such a BULLY yeah i sed it. u make fun of mormons and pioneers thats not nice how you u like it god is watching everything u do
UNFOLLOW!!!!]]
how do you like that lady?
173. Guinnevere said:
Heather. Dood. Let me just tell you- you TOTALLY did the right thing. And I think it's a damned shame, like you said, that a BRAND NEW MACHINE needed parts replaced. I personally would've taken that Bosch machine & said FU to Maytag BUT I'm glad it went somewhere it could use it ^_^
HUgs n puppies n all things beautiful because you were so strong in this struggle & I think you did the right thing. Corporations should have to own up for their shoddy products & shitty customer service.
xoxo
174. Anonymous said:
You are amazing!
175. kathleen said:
I had a similar experience with Comcast. Their customer service is usually shittastic, but one twitter (from me, with a whole 14 followers) and I had 2 people from corporate trying to help me. And they did.
I love Twitter. And I love the power of the customer's dollar. MY DOLLAR.
176. MIchele said:
ROCK ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love the fact that you didn't back down.
177. Lori W said:
Heather thank you for being so honest that it makes other people uncomfortable. Being 42 I remember when I was as much of a spitfire as you.
You are loved, your family is loved and I will make sure to REALLY do my homework when I buy my $1500 washing machine next winter. Thankfully I only have to wash for 2 anymore.
178. Holly said:
AWE.SOME.
179. Angela said:
I'm TOTALLY with you on this one. If I PAY good money (MY money, that I EARN) on a product (washing machine, dishwasher, laptop computer, whatever) AND pay for a freaking 10-year warranty, I DESERVE to a) have the damn thing work and b) get good customer service when it doesn't. The end.
Maybe, just maybe, social media will lead the big ass corporation to learn that WE are the reason they are PROFITABLE. Us. Here. With the money we give them. And don't we deserve good service when we give them our money?!
Why yes, we do.
And on the healthcare?! Thank goodness I live in Canada :) Because, honestly, while I realize our system isn't perfect (I had to spend 4 nights in a hospital to wait for them to surgically fix a broken arm because there weren't enough nurses, doctors or OR's) it's better than most. And would I move to the US? Well, I've considered it, but only if I get to keep my Canadian healthcare, or the US fixes theirs.
The end.
PS - Dooce, I <3 you :)
180. Cloud said:
The ending of that story just about made my day.
We bought a Bosch when we moved into our house and needed a washing machine. We've loved it. It works great. I won't go into how much I love the extra sanitary cycle. I'll just say that it has seen us through more than one round of norovirus.
I hope the rescue mission loves their new machine, too.
I'll bet Maytag gets some new policies out of this one.
181. Becky said:
If I didn't think those emoticon "hug" things were so ridiculously awkward, well, I might just see the benefit of using one in this comment. I have a two year-old and a five month-old and when I went to do my laundry yesterday, my wash machine wouldn't drain on the first load. I did everything in my human power to fix it (short of moving the machine, because, DUH, full of water!) Because I am a busy mom and had waited too long, I had loads to do, piles and piles of poo-stained, milk-moistened clothing such as you described, and I was pissed at the universe. I even unloaded most of the heavy, water-laden clothes into a tupperware so I could feel around and lighten the load. At the end of the evening, I lifted up that extremely heavy tupperware to throw it on top of my stupid wash machine, and something clicked and the thing started to drain! It drained! And now it works!
I completely understand your joy at having a working wash machine. And my ordeal only lasted 13 hours. I say, poo and spit up stains on anyone who calls you a bully. For goodness' sake, people, just don't read things if they cause you so much emotional strain.
182. Shannon said:
Not fair to add new stuff when I'm trying to catch up.
That is so cool that they donated that washer. Good use of the power woman.
183. Kathy said:
Hi Heather, I was following all this on Twitter, and admittedly my first thought was "Don't buy Maytag," however, tweeting about your issue produced results, and I am happy that the corporate office finally helped you. Maybe Maytag will not be crossed off my list of potential appliances when, joy of all joys, I have my own washing machine. Also, I am impressed with how well you deal with angry people!
184. A N N A said:
Heather,
You're not a bully if you're standing up for yourself.
Love,
Someone who has read and admired you since before there was a Leta (!)
185. Anonymous said:
You are amazing and awesome and I really wish that people would be nicer to you.
186. Mrs. Wilson said:
First off, I want to say that I think you did EVERYTHING RIGHT. I think that BECAUSE of your influence, maybe HOPEFULLY Maytag will take another look at the way they handle these things, which will HELP OTHER PEOPLE in the future. And look! A woman's shelter got a BRAND NEW washer AND dryer! I say that's pretty freaking awesome.
I hate that there is so much hate on the internet. I'm so sorry that you had to deal with this (the internet crap and the broken washer crap) and believe that you are COMPLETELY JUSTIFIED in what you wrote/did and it was completely NOT RIGHT how the company handled your situation for the most part - until the end when that dude FINALLY got your washer fixed.
ps. I'm in the first couple chapters of your book and I LOVE IT. I love the way you write and I love your character and the way it comes through in your writing. You are one talented lady. Who now has a working washing machine.
187. Beanie said:
Unless "they" can provide an accurate and definitive description of how to effectively use Twitter to the full extent of it's abilities, they should zip it.
Good on you for the donation.
188. Andi said:
You are seriously my new hero! Thank you for sticking to your ground and finally getting the service you deserve...that we all deserve.
And I don't think I could ever stop following someone for voicing their opinions. And if someone feels that way, I wouldn't want them following me!
Keep saying it exactly the way it is. You don't have a million followers for nothing!
189. conz said:
Next time try the laundromat maybe? You kind of overreacted but I can't say I would not do the same. But of course I am a German, headless, squirrel person who is now terrified to buy a new washer. Great rant in any case.
190. David said:
I absolutely agree that this is what we should all use Twitter for. That's why we have a free market and free speech, y'all. So that when huge corporations who sell expensive, defective products and provide shitty service, they get hugely, publicly embarrassed for it. And maybe next time, someone with only 100 Twitter followers will get better service.
Bravo, bravo, well done.
191. sharon said:
Great story! And I have much sympathy for you with an infant who doesn't sleep. I had one of my own. But some points are taken away as you have a supportive husband who helps. ;)
Did you know that Whirpool also makes appliances for Sears? Probably not as you might not have then bought a Maytag who is also made by Whirpool. Whirpool is hit or miss with appliances. Then again, most things are these days and it sucks.
And good for you for getting the washer donated to someone who needs it. You go Heather!
192. Amy said:
Heather, you are officially my hero =)
193. Dana said:
you are so talented, i love this blog so much
194. Serial said:
It almost makes me believe in the internet. *tear*
195. dizzy said:
it is not unreasonable to want your (very) expensive appliance to work within mere months of purchase.
i may not have the broad and immediate reach that you do, but i would certainly share my dissatisfaction with anyone i could.
kudos for getting what you should have gotten from the beginning, and for providing something to those who need it.
separate but related: excellent writing. i love when an ending has punch.
*PUNCH*
196. Karin said:
I would have reacted the exact same way as you Heather! You're not a bully in my books for what it's worth!
197. Kristan said:
Clap. Clap. Clap. CLAP. CLAP. CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAPCLAPCLAPCLAPCLAP!
(Note: That is the Slow Clap. Not sarcasm.)
(For serious.)
198. Kristen said:
I <3 you. I shudder to think what 3+ weeks of regular+baby laundry even looks like, never mind the smell.
Adam Savage (@donttrythis) from Mythbusters had a similar incident in June with AT&T, twittered about it, and suddenly AT&T were bending over backwards and Adam had articles you can find on Google written about it.
I say if you've got pull, use it. More companies need to realize the damage social networks can do to their brands, whether the complainer is a big name or not.
199. Sitcomgirl said:
I only noticed your drama yesterday on Twitter when one of the people I follow called you a bully. Paying a shitload of money for a new washer should mean it works, and if not that it should be properly repaired or replaced on the first trip. Isn't Maytag the one with the commercial that claims their repairmen have no work cause the machines work so well?
Anyway, that's awesome that Bosch is donating a set to the local shelter, if anything it means the next time I buy an appliance it will be from Bosch.
Now, you wanna bully Comcast for me? I've got 2 toddlers on summer break and the cable they installed 4 days ago doesn't work!!! My life is hell without spongebob!
200. Tim said:
Absolutely this is called for. Companies HAD good customer service, but then the decided it wasn't worth the cost. So they knowingly got rid of their customer service departments (or outsource them or what not). It's not that we the customers have unreasonable demands. It's that they decided it wasn't worth it to make us happy. They got out cost-benefit flow charts and decided that we wouldn't mind talking to someone less competent then the people they had currently. Then they saw the cost savings and decided that those people were too competent and looked for someone less competent. And they got the reports that said their customers hated them and they said screw our customers. Profits are all that matters.
Well screw them. Let's all take to twitter and show them the new cost-benefit analysis.
201. jackie said:
Love. This. Story.
202. wishing4one said:
OMG! Man I am sweating, after reading that and the ending....priceless. I have been complaining about my washing machine fiascos here in Cairo on my blog, so small and insignifgant compared to your $1300 fiasco. Twitter is the shit and see how awesome it is to be Dooce. You rock girl!
203. Meredith said:
Yayyy Dooce! I'm happy it all got figured out!
204. Erin said:
I've read your blog for about a year and a half now and never posted... until now.
Kudos.
Keep it up- what you do and how you write about it.
Thank you,
Erin
205. Charity said:
Great story. I would have also given away my new washer adn dryer. That was a great thing for you to do. Do they get an extended warranty on it also?
206. Lara said:
You are a fucking rockstar. I know your life is amplified ten fold but a shitty situation is a shitty situation (pun absolutely intended) and if they listen to one of us then by god they might listen to all. Eventually.
And I'm sure the mission is reveling in the outcome of your misery. What an awesome idea for the gifted machines.
Though I'd still be willing to take them off your hands any day of the week.
207. pamela said:
you are hilarious!
I loved this post! I wouldve 'bitched' on twitter too! Thats what twitter is there for, anyway!
208. doug said:
Screw the no-minds that think that's bullying. Many years ago, I bought a top of the line JVC VCR after similar consumer detective work, and it didn't break down immediately, but within warranty, and was never fixed right (including 2 out of warranty repairs I had to pay for). If I'd had a million followers on Twitter (except there was no Twitter then), holy f_ck would I have exploited that power. I got so fed up with dealing with JVC that I tried to buy domain names (like jvcsucks.com) to rant online. All taken. Intead, I was forced to spend HOURS on the phone, only to have them offer to look at it (for an estimate fee) once I sent it cross-country at my own expense.
I sent it, but only after smashing the sh_t out of it with a bat, then packing the pieces up. Oddly, I never heard from JVC again.
Huge companies - ESPECIALLY the Maytags of the world that promote their products as never needing the lonely repairman - should get off their high horses and start earning business from consumers.
And the haters can still take a flying leap.
209. Anonymous said:
Thanks for giving us the backstory.
Honestly, companies need to realize the power of twitter not just to promote their products but to also hold them accountable.
210. doug said:
Screw the no-minds that think that's bullying. Many years ago, I bought a top of the line JVC VCR after similar consumer detective work, and it didn't break down immediately, but within warranty, and was never fixed right (including 2 out of warranty repairs I had to pay for). If I'd had a million followers on Twitter (except there was no Twitter then), holy f_ck would I have exploited that power. I got so fed up with dealing with JVC that I tried to buy domain names (like jvcsucks.com) to rant online. All taken. Intead, I was forced to spend HOURS on the phone, only to have them offer to look at it (for an estimate fee) once I sent it cross-country at my own expense.
I sent it, but only after smashing the sh_t out of it with a bat, then packing the pieces up. Oddly, I never heard from JVC again.
Huge companies - ESPECIALLY the Maytags of the world that promote their products as never needing the lonely repairman - should get off their high horses and start earning business from consumers.
And the haters can still take a flying leap.
211. Heidi said:
Fuck yeah.
212. Sarah C. said:
I'm not on Twitter, but now I'm considering it! I think you did what you needed to do, because you're right, a broken $1300 washing machine is not right. I don't care what your circumstances - it's wrong to not fix it or provide proper customer service. Work with the means you have available! When celebrities and politicians and the whatnot use THEIR power to pull strings, no one calls THEM a bully! No one calls George Clooney a bully for trying to get aid to Darfur! Okay, a little bit different, but still. And Bosch is awesome for their donation - because of this I will now keep Bosch in mind when my next appliance purchase rolls around.
Sometimes people (or corporations) need to be bullied. You rock.
213. Emily said:
Wow, you are my hero. We have all had shitty frustrating customer service experiences, and watching someone have the power to get some justice? That's not watching a bully, that's righteousness. One of my favorite posts of yours, ever.
Yeah, you crossed a line. You crossed that line from "totally awesome" to "super-duper-POOPER totally awesome." I hope you know that for every person you offend, three more people fall a little more in love.
May you have many happy loads of laundry in your future.
214. Alexandra said:
You are such an amazing person, Heather! I mean, how many people would not take that 2nd washing machine?
I guess this is to show us all that help comes from the most unexpected place. And also that when you want something done really badly, and all the logical solutions have failed, well, then being a bully is the way to go.
I really admire you for this bullying, yes, I do. Go bullies!
215. Janet said:
awesome! just awesome! you are not a bully and your stress and heartache proved to be important, not only to you and your family, but also to the women's shelter. congrat's!
216. Jill said:
I'm so glad that it worked out for you and for the shelter. However, I won't be buying any Maytag products any time soon, because I don't have enough clout to get them to respond to any issues I might have. If I did, I wouldn't hesitate to use it, but I don't, and that's an unacceptable lack of customer service.
217. Jennine said:
hmmpfff... my great great great grandpa was a german, mormon cro-magnon, antivaccinating, squirrel-loving man who lost his head in a horrible accident while scrubbing his britches against rocks down by the river.
HOW DARE YOU!
218. doug said:
Screw the no-minds that think that's bullying. Many years ago, I bought a top of the line JVC VCR after similar consumer detective work, and it didn't break down immediately, but within warranty, and was never fixed right (including 2 out of warranty repairs I had to pay for). If I'd had a million followers on Twitter (except there was no Twitter then), holy f_ck would I have exploited that power. I got so fed up with dealing with JVC that I tried to buy domain names (like jvcsucks.com) to rant online. All taken. Intead, I was forced to spend HOURS on the phone, only to have them offer to look at it (for an estimate fee) once I sent it cross-country at my own expense.
I sent it, but only after smashing the sh_t out of it with a bat, then packing the pieces up. Oddly, I never heard from JVC again.
Huge companies - ESPECIALLY the Maytags of the world that promote their products as never needing the lonely repairman - should get off their high horses and start earning business from consumers.
And the haters can still take a flying leap.
219. Abigail said:
Even IF you were "over reacting" and it wasn't as bad as it clearly was, you totally could have twittered those things JUST BECAUSE that customer service lady told you it wouldn't work. I mean, it's like she was daring you.
Hooray for you! Hooray for capitalism!
220. Liz said:
This post? THIS is WHY I follow you on Twitter and check in with your website many, many times during the day.
221. grace said:
Who cares how anyone would've dealt with it (and i'd like to see anyone stay composed in that situation). A Shelter in Salt Lake City is better equipped to deal with their clients! HUZZAH!
i totally love it.
Bless you and your laundry, Heather. <3
222. Pam said:
Thanks for ending my Friday in such an awesome way! That rocked!
223. Amy said:
God, you are awesome.
224. BettyCrockerAss said:
Hooray!
I'm glad that story had a good ending.
I was pretty done with it yesterday, as I know you were.
Funny, I currently have a BOSCH refrigerator fund going. Glad that I can support a company that is willing to donate.
225. That Girl Crystal said:
I've been following this, too and I think you were completely justified in venting on Twitter. You're a blogger and a writer and what you've made your career and reputation on is writing *honestly* about your life. It's not like you had one minor problem and went straight to bad mouthing the company. I went through a similar experience with a copy machine at the place I used to work at (heck, when I left, it still wasn't fixed) and if I'd had the clout to get someone to actually pay attention when no one seemed to be able to do anything expect break the machine even more (yeah, seriously... the repairmen managed to fry 4 separate hard drives on 3 separate occassions), I would have.
You paid for a quality product and paid for a service and you expect to get quality and get that service. What is so wrong with that? Bravo for making things happen and kudos to @MommyMelee for being a part of making another great thing happen.
226. Steph said:
I was completely shocked by the number of people who freaked out about you twittering about your crap washer.
Maytag had it coming!
Customer service and product quality seem to be in the toilet more and more these days...the only way to get help? Do what you've just done. Being "nice" almost never works. Sad.
I say good for you that you have enough internet presence to cause that kind of response...if they'd have just taken care of you in the first place, it could have been a completely different story!
That's fantastic about the machines Bosch is donating to the shelter!
This post rocks...
227. Andrea said:
Whoo-hoo!
I just vented recently about a baby company online to my tiny 80 friends on facebook, but I had the same fire as you. I could feel it as I read! Great job Heather! Glad it's over with a happy ending. Hope you get some sleep soon!
228. Shelagh said:
one of your best entries, and best stories. Love it! Well done Heather B!
Amazing how your site receives 200 comments in 29 minutes. Ah the power of the internet!!
229. Gretchen said:
Heather-Good for you! Poop on all of those that don't want to understand the power of taking a stand and being pissed that something you worked hard for doesn't work and it is BRAND NEW PEOPLE. Thank goodness for the power of social media. If @WHIRLPOOLCORP has a twitter account-they better be prepared to hear from their customers with all the poop laden good and bad. YEAH HEATHER!!! I am secretly hoping that I have pissed off the people who hate it when people type in CAPITAL LETTERS TO MAKE A POINT!
230. Nikki-Paige said:
Like I tweeted to your husband, people are just hating because they don't have the guts to do what you did. You used twitter in EXACTLY the way it's supposed to be used. Hopefully it will be a wakeup call to companies to provide better customer service. Thanks for standing up for all of us.
And to the haters reading this and want you unfollow dooce? SUCK IT.
231. Nanda said:
....ferris, you're my hero...
awesome job u used your power wisely. and i thought THATS what twitter was for. jeez...
232. cee said:
Personally I'm just amazed that Whirlpool HAS A TWITTER. I guess everyone really does have a twitter these days.
233. Shelli said:
I love how The Internet makes you out to be a giant bully because you complained about poor customer service. You did exactly what just about everybody else who has had a bad product experience did, you're just more popular than most people.
Here's hoping your $1300 washer becomes, you know, a $1300 washer rather than continuing to be a $1300 basement decoration.
234. Jess said:
I think your story is fabulous! And, I probably would have lost it waaay before they had to come out the third time. Why wouldn't anyone have done what you did??? Probably because they are sorry-ass push overs. I say good for you! You got what you wanted, needed and deserved. :)
235. heathabee said:
Bravo! You handled it the exact way you should have. I would have been in absolute tears if I went through what you went through on so little sleep. I've cried over much less with disappointment in telecommunications companies here in Canada (we have basically 2 and they're both spawns of satan).
But I must say, you have one thing wrong. God is not angry and vengeful; He used you to get that Bosch washer to that shelter. You had to go through all of this so that they could what they needed. Praise God that you have a working washer, and praise God that you were an instrument of his Grace, and Praise God the shelter now has what they need.
Great entry, Heather!
236. Lauren said:
These companies have entire departments dedicated to dealing with things that are said on social networks. They should have seen it coming, and they should have dealt with it. You go girl; that's all I have to say.
237. Sara said:
Well of course you should throw your weight around sometimes. It's like when the Red Tape blog calls a company that's been jerking a customer around and suddenly they fix it "because of course we were going to all along". Phht! Right.
I've been known to be an obnoxious pain in the ass (read persistent) to get things done and it works. Bravo to you!
238. Ingrid said:
This is, in my opinion, your best post yet. I still don't get what people were so upset about.
239. Allie P said:
God almighty in heaven...that posting was down right orgasmic for every consumer.
Heather, may your house never smell of shit...your shirts be washed of tit juice and you have sparkling underwear (holy or holey) for a lifetime.
I'd love to give you a beer and Ambien for all your hard work..but that would upset some people.
I shall wait to hear how the new machine treats you. I'm due for a new set soon.
Now...everyone take note: hell hath no furry like a woman's Twitter.
allie
240. Andrew S. said:
You are amazing! A goddess with mighty powers kind of amazing! Good Work!
241. @Hannahlue said:
As a Headless, German, Vaccinated squirrel-loving cro-magnon,I am truly offended! I AM DONE! YOU'VE CROSSED THE LINE NOW! CONSIDER YOURSELF REMOVED FROM MY RSS READER! UNFOLLOW! Do you have any naked pictures of yourself? But I would have handled it the same way, but your 1 million followers give you more pull than my measly 168. But you're not a Bully, I would say the B. stands for "Badass-Bitch" HOLLA!
242. Laura Riddle said:
Amen and well done. A worthy battle won and the joy of clean clothes all in one day. Here's my theory--you have to bully a bully. That is a law of the universe and the playground, and is how you bring the bad bullies down.
Sleep well even if not long.
Cheers.
Laura Riddle
http://thehousewifesredemption.blogspot.com/
243. doug said:
Sorry for the double post, but I got a page error the first time and didn't think it had posted.
244. Jennifer said:
As a mother of 2 with full time job that has been held hostage by both a BRAND NEW dishwasher and a BRAND NEW hot water heater, I completly understand and empathize with you. I see nothing wring with your use of twitter to get a manufacturer to stand by a product, no matter if it was 1300.00 or 13.00. More and more manufacturers are paying attention to twitter and other social media. Let's hope they soon learn to fix the problem before it gets this bad!
245. Biz said:
WOW. I am speechless. And tearing up a little. And proud to be from Michigan.
246. Petri Dish said:
Kickin' ass and taking names, one broken appliance at a time! do you think this will work for the carpet douche who installed my carpet incorrectly? To The Twitter.......here! here!
247. Rose said:
My girl-crush on you has grown by leaps and bounds with this post! You are my new consumer hero!
248. Jennifer said:
I've read your blog for a while....never once commented until now. Amazing story and good for you for not getting pushed around!!!! You used your celebrity to resolve a situation and some AMAZING good came out of it!!!
I'll keep reading for sure!!!
249. Sara Joy said:
Yay capitalism! Yay dooce!
Thanks for using your powers for good. I follow, and that won't change. I'm still struggling to see how anything you did is any different from what most of us would do...haters are wierd.
250. Kristen said:
I know it must have been hard for you, but it was sort of fun watching all the hater's come out to play on Twitter yesterday. I'm pretty sure most of them are jealous. It's all very middle school.
Using your power for good = amazing.
Giving credit to MommyMelee for her great idea = gracious.
Making a corporation own up = stellar.
Having a working dryer = priceless. ;)
Recently I dogged out Bliss Spa for giving a coupon for a "great deal" of a free brow wax when you purchase a $185 facial, cause really? $185 for a facial? That's supposed to be affordable? Not even an hour later I have a new follower...BlissSpa. They didn't write me, but at least I know I was heard.
251. vakadesign said:
That's it. I'm not reading you anymore because you gave that washing machine to a homeless shelter and not PETA. Those poor models run around almost naked for the animals' sake, and all because they don't have clean clothes. Now they never will, and it's all your fault. =)
Glad you got your washer fixed! I can't even imagine the frustration of being washerless with a newborn super pooper for so long!
252. Ameya said:
Yay for helping shelters!! Sorry you had to go through all that poop-trauma, but at least the ended justifies it. Goode for whirlpool corp and I hope that just maybe they'll rethink some of their customer service policies (we can hope.. cuz really... twitter will get everyone if they don't).. and retrain that dumb guy who had to come to your house 43,000 times. I doubt maytag wants such an inept repair duder rep'ing them!
253. Amanda said:
You are my effing hero. I am so glad you got a new washer, and fabulous that you got that washer and dryer donated, your idea or not. That is the power of Twitter, and the power of #26! Keep up the awesome work, you are an inspiration
254. lindser said:
I don't think you were a bully. You paid for machine and a warranty. It broke. You needed it fixed. So you made damn sure they fixed it. Good on you. What else were you going to do? Sit back and hope the poop turned into fertilizer? No you took action - I would have done the same thing. And Marlo is adorable! Congrats.
255. Diana G said:
I'm so envious of your ability to get these faceless corporations to listen to you that I can just barely stand it. If I had been in your situation, I woulda bitched more and louder and sooner, because you CAN. And someone will hear it!!
I swear to god, if there were any money in it, I would stop everything and become a full-time consumer advocate, just to make sure that any and everyone can get the satisfaction that you got. Because we ALL should. Fuckin a, woman, you just lived out one of my dreams.
WAY TO GO, DOOCE!!! POWER TO THE PEOPLE!! WE WILL TWITTER OUR WAY TO THE REVOLUTION!
:-)
256. CookFamily said:
Typically, I read your posts, I smile. When I'm lucky I laugh out loud. Today, you took care of business and I was with your every step of the way. You go girl!
257. Heather said:
You are the awesome.
Well done.
258. Sara Casey said:
Heather- I followed the Maytag drama and I want to tell you that now reading the story I want to STAND UP and APPLAUD you for using your voice to make something happen. If only I had had that voice when a very popular satellite tv company stole money out of my checking account and nearly ruined my credit, all fraudulently and illegally. I tried using all the avenues I could to get some justice, the BBB, FCC, FTC and NO ONE would help us. We ended up having to pay because we were trying to buy a house at the time and could not afford the mar on our credit. This happened again to us with a well known security company, and again we ended up paying. MY POINT is that you demanded better treatment and customer service (which has gone so by the wayside) and you got it! I am happy for you, I totally understand the frustration of being at the mercy of a giant corporation who doesn't care. I am so glad you will have clean laundry from now on! The true bullies are the companies who treat their customers like crap and make money off of our struggles. And the added bonus of helping the shelter is wonderful!
Kudos to you!
259. Emily said:
way to go, girl. i had a customer service fuck-up this week myself, and am proud of you for getting through to the other side.
260. kate said:
Heather, I have never written a comment on your blog, even though I follow it everyday. Just wanted to take this moment to say that I think you are great. Not a bully. Great. I love reading the blog. Your stories are fantastic. On bad work days, I really, really appreciate having the chance to sit down at lunch, read a blog post, and actually laugh. Makes a difference in my day, many days. :) Thanks!
261. Laurel said:
Heather, my husband and I are in awe over how many people are giving you shit for venting your anger on twitter. WTH happened to free speech? Is it just free speech UNLESS it might possibly impinge on some company's profit margin?
The market is supposed to regulate itself this way, based on reviews of the product and or service that a company offers. If they offer a bad product/service, then they should sell less. That's how the market works, right?
With your experiences with these two companies, even though you are a celebrity, I think I'd be much more inclined to go with Bosch. That was probably their intention in offering a free machine to you, for the implied endorsement, but then following up on donating the washer and dryer to a charity is good business, in my opinion. If that drives their sales up, good for the market. If they are then shown to have an inferior product or service team, then that'll be made known at some point as well, and the market will again regulate itself.
That, my friends, is the way a free market system should work.
262. Miranda M from KS said:
I love you. You and your story-telling abilities and your honesty and your common sense and everything. By the time I type this, it'll be Comment # Infinity, and so I don't know if it'll matter or not. But I just wanted to say that you didn't get an UNFOLLOW from me today and probably never will.
263. Terra said:
You are awesome. This was one of your best posts ever. It actually gave me shivers when I read the outcome. Goose bumps all over my arms. Bravo!
264. delia said:
At least you now have a place to go to do laundry when your Maytag breaks again
265. Snarkmeister said:
Love (eleventy-million)
Seriously, this is the best use of recent technology that I can think of. And the fact that you scored a new washer & dryer for a local shelter is beyond amazing. Go Dooce! Wielding the power of #26 for the good of humanity!
266. the mighty jimboq said:
that is a fanfuckingtastic story.
bully? hardly. but hey, i've actually met you and know you aren't a bully. leta might have been, but i know how to bribe toddlers. i have a few with my last name around too. ;-)
what i love about this story is how it illustrates what these new tools and new networks and new voices can do for real people. you happen to have grown a big voice and have built a big network and know exactly how to use the new tools. that doesn't make you a bully. it makes you smart. it makes you powerful.
you go girl.
and kudos to both bosch and maytag for stepping up. as a cog in the big corporate machine, it makes me happy when the borg pays attention.
267. Kristin Nagy said:
THANK YOU FOR TAKING CHARGE. You are right, we should not let corporations take advantage of the public in that way. A little kick in the ass won't hurt a corporation like Maytag.
You did an awesome job telling the story and I think you handled it perfectly. Amazing the power of social networks like Twitter!
268. Jillp said:
You rock!!
269. Charlotte said:
You know, for making fun of Germans, you did approach the repair cycle in a pretty German way--only that you were too nice at the beginning. My tribe jumps straight into the shouting and threatening to blow things up. Kinda.
The shelter donation by Bosch? AWESOME.
This, BTW, is coming from a German "vooh-mann".
270. ElleTark said:
Everyone who says "you should have known better" is a complete ass. YES, ASS. First of all, twitter is all about the dissemination of ideas, opinions and EVENTS. Second of all, if that was happening to them, sleep deprived or not, they would have been equally pissed, so they should go sit in their glass houses and shut up.
I'm so glad you and Jon and kids are no longer mired in a poop-swamp. We have a Maytag which works great, so please believe that there are some NORMAL-MINDED people who were not instantly enraged by your tweeting. I would have done the same thing.
So in short: don't listen to the "vackos."
271. Sarah said:
OMG, that's awesome!
This is the perfect ending to my ideal love story that involves some of my fave things...Dooce, Bosch and Twitter...yes it's a sad life I live :) (other than you, Heather...my love for Dooce isn't sad...you get what I mean :) )
But I seriously have dreams over a new Bosch washer/dyer - see, they make them for small spaces and well, my little humble (did I mention small?!) abode can't fit a larger w&d INSIDE, so I am stuck with going out into the elements/jungle/scorpion infested laundry area outside - yes I once killed a scorpion that was eyeing me as I loaded my clothes into the washing machine. I didn't even knwo we had scorions here in Hawaii...are you kiddign me?! I stabbed it with a knife and left it to hang (and hopefully die) so that my husband could return from work to take it down...how's that for a "welcome home honey"? No martinis for the hubster after a long days work, no just a dead scorpion stuck to a wall with a steak knife through it. Anyhow, I'd love a Bosch W&D so that I could wash my clothes in peace :)
Way to go all three of you and @MommyMelee!
272. Llama Momma said:
You rock, Heather. That is all.
273. Ashley said:
Congrats on getting your washing machine fixed and donating the bosch appliances. Way to use your "power" to do good! You are like a superhero today!
274. Rachel said:
Dear Heather,
I was going to write this as an email to you yesterday, but I'd prefer that others see it too.
First off, in regards to the name-calling stuff from today and yesterday's posts, I'd just like to say that it is incredibly annoying and hurtful. I'm a small-time blogger and I am attacked constantly, and every time it happens it ruins my day. My husband's all like, "Why do you care? It's a random asshole on the Internet who you don't even know. Wtf?" But most of the attacks are very personal, and it doesn't matter where they're coming from.
Along those lines, about that whole hobbit debacle which I researched yesterday, you shouldn't feel bad about what happened. The problem with blogging is JUST that: since it is all "virtual" no one seems to understand that the people behind the blog or the website ARE real people, very much so, and throwing virtual rocks at those people from behind a virtual wall is just about as loserly as you can possibly get.
Finally--about Twitter. I feel the same rage against those people giving you crap as I do against people opposed to health care reform, in that they so clearly lack good information and common sense but NOTHING I say will change their narrow minded little minds. Look. Twitter is a COMMUNICATION tool. It is intended to be used to COMMUNICATE. So when you used it to communicate and not only ultimately solved your problem but had a miraculous good deed come out of it, that's called EXCELLENT COMMUNICATION. It's not bullying, it's COMMUNICATING. Imagine the wonders you could work on the US health care industry! (Well, maybe not, but we can dream). Corruption and inefficiency thrive on a lack of communication and a lack of information. (Trust me, I lived in Brazil, where both are pretty big problems.)
So awhile back, when I Twittered USCIS, the US immigration service, I hardly expected a response. After all, despite spending $2000 on processing fees, hours and hours on paperwork, and tearful, anxious nights wondering if my husband would be allowed to emigrate and become a permanent resident, they still would not afford me the luxury of allowing me to speak to a human being by phone or email. It is simply not possible and they do not allow it unless you have a major emergency, and even then, I'm skeptical. Because trust me, I've tried everything. In any event, I Twittered a simple question over to them and they responded to me, TWICE, in less than 24 hours (see for yourself @USCIS). This was not only a blessing because I actually finally got an answer to my question, but because they showed in a small way that they care. Just a tiny little bit.
It's called communicating. It's what you're doing right now by leaving a comment, people. It's a beautiful thing.
Much love,
Rachel
275. watercolor said:
Yeah baby!!! I *love* this story!!!! The beauty and glory of today's social media is the ability to get the word out FAST about both crappy AND good things!!! Go Heather!!!!!!!!
I shake my head at those who called you names. How sad for them. ANY new washing machine ought to damn well work! And expecting it and demanding it does not make one a bully. Good for you!!
I proudly read and follow you!!!!
276. Leslie in Toronto said:
Well, damn you #26 .... you made me cry. I will neither unfollow you nor delete you from my blogroll. Instead I will praise you and @blurb and @MommyMelee for your spirit and kindness. You ROCK.
277. Kara said:
Long time reader, first time comment.
I just want to say that there are a lot of people in this world who worry about strangers and the actions of strangers way more than they should.
Heather, you handle these people so much better than I ever could...EVER!!
I think you used what was available to you, and it worked! Yay :) By the way, the girls are both beautiful!
278. Emily said:
I never understood the "bully" comments, nor do I understand Jane's mom up there saying that you were "unjustified" and "should have known better" - like literally, do not understand, please explain it to me. I have WAY less than 1MM followers, and yet I've complained about service on Twitter and gotten results before. Does that make me a bully? Or is it just that because your tweets are seen by so many, you are no longer allowed to express your opinion in the hope of getting something done right because you might encourage all of us little sheep to actually stop buying Maytag, thus single-handedly bringing about the destruction of the livelihoods of all its employees? And even if it's the latter, if they're so awful, wouldn't that be a good thing, so that companies with better service can grow and hire those ex-Maytag employees AND actually treat their customers well?
279. natalia said:
now how do we fix healthcare?
280. Jessica said:
Nothing irritates me more than a condescending tone. I had an issue with American Express a couple of months after my son was born, and the first phone call ended with me yelling and hanging up the phone. I have no patience when I am sleep deprived, so I give you a lot of credit. I also Tweeted it but then felt bad and took it down. But you're right, we should speak up when we're having an issue with customer service, because good customer service barely exists anymore. We don't expect miracles, we just want people to be a little compassionate when we have a problem. We just wanted to be treated with respect, whether we're famous internet personalities or not.
PS: Awesome work hooking that shelter up. Big kudos to you and MommyMelee. :)
281. Leslie Ruth said:
I think this just might be my most favorite post.
If being a bully looks like what you did, then I'd gladly be one.
Well done, you!
282. Carrie said:
This whole incident is very interesting coming after the Motrin Moms thing and the #Nikonhatesbabies. It's all new ground, a private citizen who is not representing the media, but with your kind of audience. Thank you for breaking this ground and for addressing head-on the question of appropriate uses for this power and the "bullying" accusations.
283. Anonymous said:
BOO-YAH is right!
I think a good, swift "HOW YOU LIKE ME NOW?!" is in order.
284. Julia said:
So this is only slightly related, but one of my babies was one of those crazy voluminous pooping types and switching to cloth diapers (specifically Fuzzi Bunz) totally fixed our problem. It is more hassle, of course, with the laundry and all (which would be a total nightmare, if you didn't have, ahem, a working washer) but doing diaper laundry was totally better than doing all the laundry of poop everywhere on her clothes, our clothes, cleaning it off furniture, etc. The cloth diapers somehow just hold in the crazy yellow poo better than disposables. Anyway, just a thought...
285. Brian said:
People complain about the problems with the airlines on Twitter, why can't you do the same for your washing machine? Oh, that's right, you are "Number 26...THE BULLY."
The truth is, there is no difference. Terrible service is terrible service...and you waited, what 2 weeks before posting? Wow!! You must be sleep deprived, I think you actually waited too long. :)
Unfortunately, the Maytag of today isn't like the one from 30-40 years ago, regardless of what the review sites state. (I've heard this info from both salespeople and repairmen alike.) In fact, I've heard Maytag horror stories from other people, with an eerie sense of similarities. You are not alone.
But, when it's all said and done, you had some really great material to draw from. :)
Funny Post!
286. Brenda said:
Farking amazing! You go!!!
You should hear how pissed I get over things that don't cost $1300. If I had a million followers on twitter I would totally use it. Gebhardt would have taken toooo long.
I am delighted this worked out so well. I hope Maytag learned something from this.
287. amy said:
you fuckin rock!
288. Shane said:
I love this story so much that it hurts a little.
Now if we could just get all customer service representatives to treat the public as if they have 1 million followers on Twitter.
289. Vee said:
I can't believe people dare call you a bully. I'll never get it.
You were more than patient. Why should you have to wait so many days? Why should you keep quiet? Thanks again for not baking down.
Now, go sleep.
290. Rachel said:
I completely understand! I've been there before and I'm pretty sure I was far worse and an extreme bitch! As a customer (especially when we spend a large amount of money on something), I think we deserve to have a product that works or at least customer service who will go above and beyond to get it fixed. I say amen sister!
291. Nicole H said:
I don't comment here, because what do I have to say that hasn't already been said? But, hah, there are very few comments. So Jane's Mom, this is for you. Why exactly was Heather unjustified in her rant? Because it brought attention to a dumb corporate policy? Because the Power Of Teh Twitter got her a fixed machine? Because it got a shelter a new washing machine?
Big companies have dumb policies. And they don't change unless customers complain. And a customer, with a bigger voice than many, complained. And something was done.
I have no delusions of grandeur here. Maytag may still be douchebags when it comes to this 3 "fixing" appointments, but it's brought attention to an issue. And this, my dear, is what Twitter is about. Many of the big things that have happened on Twitter? Have happened when those with big followings say something. Solving a Maytag issue might not chalk up to, say, raising money for malaria nets, BUT HEY, it's proof of the power of her following, and maybe it'll be harnessed for something bigger.
No one lost out except a company that did not value their customers as much as they probably should. And the company righted their wacked out wrong.
So, what needed to be justified here?
292. Ken said:
Wonderful work as always. Now can you use the Power of the Twitters to do something about these damn squirrels in my yard? I have run out of darts.
293. Allison said:
I respect both you and Linda, and I agreed with Linda on this one. But I'm really glad we got to hear the whole story and I can definitely see where you're coming from. Thanks, Heather. I'll still be reading and following you.
294. Stella said:
Isn't that what Twitter is for? I mean, seriously, do we really read it to discover what our BFFs (or total strangers for that matter) eat for breakfast? No. I think you used Twitter exactly the way it was meant to be used. Nicely done.
295. Sarah S. said:
This is exactly why I read your blog, Heather. I guess it helps that I'm not a headless German Mormon pioneer who doesn't vaccinate her kids.
I love the idea of using Twitter to hold corporations accountable--especially since they monitor web chatter about themselves. I don't think it's bullying at all to say "I had experience A with company B." It's delightful that now, when a company says, essentially, "No, puny consumer, we will not honor our obligations to you. Whatcha gonna do about that?" consumers can say "Tell the whole Internet what you did."
296. Amanda said:
I think you handled this exceptionally. The B stands for "balls" right? Because that's clearly what you have to put up with the verbal abuse you receive everyday!
297. Anonymous said:
Best. Post. Ever. FOLLOW! Way to go!
298. cindy_coy said:
I <3 bullies. You did good Heather.
299. Tess said:
I agree with you that if Diane Sawyer wants to scream on her personal page about whatever she wants so be it. I did not think Oprah should have been punnished for her beef statement, nor you for this. That "with great power comes great responsibility" rhetoric Sundry and others were comming at you with is nonsense. I follow you, and never once thought you were calling for a complete boycott, just being yourself. I think the Internet would be a scary place if some were aloud to express themselves freely, and not others. One million followers or not. Keep screaming!
300. Duchess said:
The B also stands for Bomb, as in da-Bomb-diggity. Because that is what you are. Fuck the haters, it's not your fault that the only time that they can work up the gumption to be the squeaky wheel is when you are getting oiled and they are pissed that they aren't.
Mad love to you Dooce!