Thursday, February 17, 2005

That's what I like about the Web

...web sites devoted to exposing the manufacturers of crummy overpriced appliances. A little Web research (including Epinions) saved us from buying an expensive Neptune washer from Maytag. The company had ignored customer complaints about mildew to the point that a class-action lawsuit was underway.

Here's a woman who's put together a resource page for consumers afflicted by malfunctioning Kenmore Calypsos, compounded by Sears' so-called "customer service."

At Macworld San Francisco this year (and at the subsequent Blog Business Summit in Seattle) Steve Brobak told a fabulous storyabout using a blog to get back at a hotel that advertised "free wireless Internet" but then charged him for it. After they refused to adjust his bill, he blogged about their deception. Then he spent $5 to buy a Google AdSense ad warning people about the hotel's deceptive practices and linked it to the blog entry. Each time someone Googled the offending hotel they got, alongside their search results, Brobak's ad. Not surprisingly, it took only a day or two for the hotel to hear about it, contact him, and agree to fix their misleading advertising.

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