Subject: Bad customer service

From: [email-masked]
Date: 5 Dec 1996 00:14:04 GMT

To whom it may concern

                             I'd like to share the ongoing and yet to be
resolved saga of ordering goods from a renewable resource company known as
UtilityFree.  Roughly two months ago I called UtilityFree via their tech
line (non 800 service) and inquired as to the costs of obtaining the
materials needed to recondition a set of nickel cadmium pocket plate
cells.  After five minutes or so of question and answer the person
representing UtilityFree said that he'd get back to me with the total cost
of goods which would include potassium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, float
oil and a handbook on reconditioning.  Weeks passed.   I called again this
time on their 800# and the person who answered, Pam, assured me that she
would pass the message on to John D'Angelo who originally took the order. 
After several days with no response I called back and finally talked with
John concerning the order.  John informed me that he had written the
information down in a notebook which he had since lost and once again took
down the make and capacity of the cells that I wanted to recondition and
would call back with a quote on the cost of materials.  During the next 10
days I called at least three times.  Twice Pam answered and assured me
that she would pass the message on to John and on the third call I finally
talked with John who once again assured me that he would call back with a
final quote as I wanted to send a money order for the full amount.  Over
the next week I visited relatives back east and returned to find a message
>from  John informing me of the total cost.  I sent a money order off with a
brief note on the envelope that contained my street address (being in the
boonies we don't receive mail delivery) and an explaination concerning the
proper zip code to use which is shared with another city down in the
valley.  It's a rural kinda thing.  After another week went by I called
and left yet another message with Pam who asked for and took down my
street address once again.  I called again a week later asking the status
of the order and was told by Pam that they had been waiting on a shipment
to arrive and that my order would be out that day.  Five days later I
called and was put thru to John who once again took down my street address
and explained that the reason the order had not been shipped was that they
were uncertain as to where to ship it.  Pam left a message the next day
asking me to call and verify the address.  I did this and was told that it
would be shipped that day. 
Five days later the two packages, one containing 2 lbs of lithium
hydroxide (white powder in heavy plastic bag) surrounded by "peanuts" and
another box containing 20 lbs of potassium hydroxide flake packaged the
same as the other.  Both had xerox copies of the hazardous material data
sheets attached along with a hazardous/corrosive label.  After carefully
unpacking both boxes and scanning the invoice I noticed that the
reconditioning booklet was not with the order and that the float oil was
not on the invoice or in the boxes.  In addition, the invoice lists
separate hazardous material charges @
$15.00 for each box, $10.00 handling/packing charges for each box and the
$10.62 charge for the UPS freight which brought the shipping and handling
charge total to $60.62.
I have since contacted Pam twice concerning the missing items and was told
that she would pass the message on to John.  As of his date, 12/4/96 I
have yet to hear from John concerning the missing float oil and booklet. 
I hold little hope.

Folks......beware.  
In all my 40+ years I have never worked so hard for so little. 
UtilityFree is doing a disservice not only to its customers but to the
renewable resource industry as well.  I have worked extensively in
customer service and am constantly appalled at their total lack of respect
and concern for developing a repeat client based business.  I am astounded
that they are still in business.

 There are many good renewable resource suppliers out there to deal with. 
I have had excellent results from Alternative Energy Engineering,
Backwoods Solar, Real Goods, and Jade Mountain.  Unfortunately none of
them advertised in their catalogs that they carried the materials for
reconditioning nicad cells.  If any one out there knows of another source
for my reconditioning needs, please post a reply to [email-masked]