Life as a Customer

Life as a Customer

A number of businesses have apparently decided that they don't want my business.

It appears that Google would prefer that I use Apple smartphones. Android 8, months into distribution is a mess. Poor feature decisions and apparent bugs keep making me wish for a return to Android 7. And the future direction (stupid features, more bugs, more change for the sake of change) is not to my tastes. Now, can I get my MP3s from Linux to an iPhone? Will Apple offend me more than Google? Or should I just go back to a flip phone?

I drove a Volvo S40 (compact based on the Ford Focus, from when Ford owned Volvo) for many years, happily. But no more small Volvo sedan for the US. I switched to Toyota.

Volkswagen - no more Scirocco in the US. Honda - no more CRX. Acura - no more Integra.

Near the end of a long trip in the Volvo, I stopped in a Shell gas station and tried to fill my gas tank. The pump produced no gasoline, so I went next door to Chevron and filled it. The next day my car started hesitating and was very low on power. Coincidence? I don't think so. I called and wrote letters to Shell and Chevron. They both refused to do any serious investigation or make any compensation. I spent about $800 for a new gas tank. I haven't purchased gasoline from Shell or Chevron since and I don't expect that I ever will.

Asics, New Balance, Nike, Saucony - all of these companies have a very bad habit of making a good shoe then replacing it with a vastly inferior shoe. They have all lost my business.

I wore Lee regular cut jeans for many years, maybe thirty. Then they changed the cut. No more Lee jeans.

I wanted a sofa with an external wood frame (like a futon) with a flat (not tilted) seat, replaceable cushions. And no folding mechanism - this always compromises rigidity. The wood frame is to reduce volume - the sofa sits in the middle of the small room and I don't want it to look huge. What did I find - NOTHING. Everyone sells the same designs. I gave up and made the sofa that I wanted. Along the way I smashed my arthritic toe by dropping the frame on it - missed the joint by about a half inch. And ruined three pairs of pants with varnish/stain.

I bought a BMW 328i, 2000. I was very happy with it for a couple of months. Then someone bashed the wing mirror. While replacing it the moisture barrier in the door was replaced improperly. The interior carpet became damp, without me noticing it. Then it started to smell of mildew. I finally noticed the water and took it in to be serviced. I think they fixed it. But a couple of years later, the window lift mechanism broke - they all eventually broke in this model. Again the moisture barrier replacement failed to keep out water. Repeated attempts at sealing were a failure. I blame BMW. Cars should be designed to be repaired. BMW - never again.