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Welcome to CrappyCompanies.com! 

I have created this website to give consumers a forum for disseminating information about companies - large or small - that tend to abuse or just don't give a crap about their customers. 

If you have a story you would like to nominate for consideration for this site please feel free to e-mail webmaster@crappycompanies.com

I am especially interested in complaints about COX COMMUNICATIONS, QWEST, AT&T, SPRINT PCS, credit card company rip-offs, bank screw-ups,  and large chain stores consistently overcharging and/or not honoring sales, rebates, etc.  

I am a great fan of the newsgroup: alt.consumers.experiences and since the articles there expire and essentially vaporize within a few days I feel that a more permanent forum such as this is desirable. I also intend to let companies have an opportunity to respond and am most willing to post both sides of the story.

BELLSOUTH.NET is presently (11/16/2006 - 2:31AM) permitting their network to be used by some FELONS to perpetrate a PFISHING expedition to lure unsuspecting consumers to give up their PayPal IDs and passwords. 
I started calling BellSouth's Network Operations Center about 2AM last night (11/15/06) gave them all the info and they REFUSED to do anything to stop these spamming scammers. you can try the URL yourself - but DON'T put in any info...... http://adsl-070-154-067-128.sip.chs.bellsouth.net/PayPal-New/index.html
This is an ongoing problem with a lot of Internet Service Providers (ISPs). When some FELONS decide to put up scamming websites in the early evening or the beginning of a weekend the ISPs just want you to "send an e-mail to abuse@...." where thousands of people are e-mailing pissy spam complaints and such. 

When people like me take the time and trouble to make long distance phone calls to say 
"Hey, ISP, you need to take IMMEDIATE action to stop these FELONS" 
they will say something like "well the abuse department isn't a 24/7 operation..." 
to which I say "WHY THE FUCK NOT?" If the FELONS are operating 24 hours then the ISP should staff their ANTI-FRAUD department with dedicated personnel able to shut them down at a moment's notice  24/7 when someone that cares calls the ISP and notifies them! 

PLEASE - keep in mind that this is not ONLY BellSouth.net, but many many major ISPs. This is something that we the people need to start bitching about in a big way. When we point out these FELONS the ISP should not only immediately turn them off, but they should take it upon themselves to notify the FBI and/or SECRET SERVICE and have these FELONS prosecuted. They should not sit by complacently and let the FELONS keep on scamming. My feeling is that once they are notified, if they don't immediately shut down the website or internet access the ISP's officers should be able to be PROSECUTED  as ACCESSORIES to the crime. 

EVER READY GLASS 3/15/06 - This company brings customer NO-service to a new low. Adding injury to insult. 

LONG WONG'S CANTINA - 10-9/2005 - 5:08PM placed order for food to be delivered to my house. The girl on the phone says 30-40 minutes.  7:15PM still no food, guess its time to go out to dinner - some OTHER place. Long Wongs - 7502 W Thomas Rd 7 - Phoenix,  (623) 247-5310

Motel 6 - 1/4/2005 - yet again Grrr or should we say Brrrrrrr?  35°F rooms?

AMENWORLD.COM - european hosting company that apparently doesn't care about their customers PFISHING and pretending to be Ebay - impossible to contact their offices or their security department.... 

MCDONALDS - OMG - I never thought.... well OK then... a couple times... 
I live like 3 blocks from a corporately owned and operated McDonalds.... 
I can't believe that when I order a "sausage muffin with no egg please." that
they repeatedly and continually put EGGS on my sausage muffin. 
Not only that, but when I complain about it their manager, instead of fixing 
the problem would rather throw money out the window at me.  I guess its 
because they're McAssholes. I have gone to their website and made complaints
My girlfriend has gone to their McWebsite and made complaints. They seem}
to be able to understand McEnglish both at the store and through their corporate chain. 

According to the lettering on the  sign on their front door they are more welcoming to spanish speaking people
than english speaking people with "bienvenidos" being much larger than "welcome". 

IKOBO.com money transfer "service" treats all of their customers as thieves and criminals. 
I gave them the benefit of the doubt for a LONG time until....
Check out: http://crappycompanies.com/ikobo.html

KINKOS (Sioux Falls SD)  Apparently doesn't know the meaning of OPEN 24 HOURS!  
I stopped in the next day and told them about FALSE & MISLEADING ADVERTISING (after spending $$$) 
Then one of their employees sends me an e-mail calling me an asshat of all things....
Check out: http://crappycompanies.com/kinkos.html

HEWLETT PACKARD (HP)  (7/22/2003)
Software is supposed to be user friendly, intuitive, helpful, intelligent, and oh, did I say USER FRIENDLY? The larger question is why does HP choose to hide things in the "Hacker's menu" that only HP and the people they choose to tell can find?
11/02/2003 - UPDATE - no help yet from HP and still clicking on 2 pop up windows claiming "low on ink" and "new cartrige has been installed" every time I print a page.
The complete story on this in http://crappycompanies.com/hp.html

QWEST
QWEST really SUCKS! I have QWEST DSL service in my shop, but yesterday the 2ND DSL modem that quest gave me has died. I'm in PHOENIX the 6th largest (so I'm told) metropolitan area in the U.S. The FUCKING ASSHOLES at QWEST tell me that (a) there is nowhere that I can go get a replacement DSL modem anywhere in the Phoenix metro area and that it will take them 5-7 days to have their supplier mail one to me. In the mean time I can't accept any credit / debit cards in my store, I can't look up parts and such online to help customers so there is little or no reason for me to go open my retail store because QWEST REALLY SUCKS! One of QWEST'S ASSHOLES told me "you can go to any store and buy an ADSL modem" only they could NOT tell me of any store that sold them and I am unable to locate any local store that has one. The Arizona Corporations Commission says "we don't regulate DSL or the internet" so talking to state regulators is like pissing into the wind. QWEST is also HIDING their executive offices behind a toll free number that only does voice mail and when you push "0" for a real live human despite their recording "please hold - someone will be with you shortly" you realize its just another FUCKING QWEST LIE when you then get something like "Enter the 10 digit number of the person you're calling..."   The bottom line is that I'm better off being at home than opening my shop because I can't get a DSL modem in the PHOENIX market. 

LESLIE LOCKE & HOME DEPOT
Leslie Locke is the manufacturer, Home Depot and others are retailers of products that Leslie Locke calls "Steel Security Door". I call them Security Gates as they go outside the door of your home or business. Their "class 1" security door / gate can, when locked with a 1" deadbolt, be opened in approximately 1/2 second simply by yanking on the center vertical bar. Please see http://locksmithcharley.com/leslielockegates.html for more information including the video clip that was aired on ABC26 news in New Orleans. 

 OLD REPUBLIC HOME WARRANTY CO.  
Old Republic has one of those advertising while on (sometimes terminal) hold features. They use it to more or less continually pat themselves on the back trying to convince everyone on hold that they are getting excellent and immediate service while frequently getting little or no service whatsoever. The whole story of "Old Repugnant" is at: http://crappycompanies.com/oldrepublic.html

WELLS FARGO BANK - GRRRRRRRRR!!!!!
WELLS FARGO BANK ate up the bank I went to after WELLS FARGO pissed me off enough to close my Wells account, Marquette of Watertown SD. 
WELLS FARGO BANK says "keep using your checks, deposit slips, etc...". I have been using my "marquette" checks and deposit slips as instructed by WELLS FARGO BANK.  Today (11/9/2002) I paid a contractor with a check that said "Marquette Bank" on it with a VALID WELLS FARGO ACCOUNT NUMBER and a "manager" Joe (?) Mello at 602-433-9869 refused to cash this VALID WELLS FARGO check causing my contractor a great deal of hardship and causing me a great headache.  Wells Fargo Bank really needs to examine their "higher level" of customer NO-service. 
 

DISH NETWORK (Echostar) Yesterday (11/7/2002) my girlfriend called me wanting to know who messed up the satellite remote and why and how to fix it. Well I didn't and I had no clue what was going on. When I got home from work I fussed and fussed with the stupid remote and for several hours got only busy signals on the telephone. When I finally got through it was after 11PM (mountain time - 1AM Eastern time) and got some BULLSHIT excuses about some "issues with receivers" specifically that they had downloaded some kind of "upgrade" and many of their receivers wouldn't work. The guy I talked to at 11:30PM told me that he was going to send a signal to my receiver but since they had so many people in front of me it may take several hours for it to go through. As of noon the next day (11/8/2002) they had no idea when it might work. Numerous requests failed to get an adequate answer nor a manager in charge. from the "customer NON-service" number. Well personally I don't put up with the customer NON-service SHIT and I take it to the top. I was able to ascertain the CEO's telephone number and I don't mind sharing! If any of y'all have problems with DISH NETWORK you can call Charlie Ergan's office at 303-723-1000 or their executive customer service department (toll free) at 866-443-5162 and tell Teresa or Sean Roddy there how piss-poor their customer service really is. 
(I almost forgot) I have encountered a few times a screen that says "this channel requires a 2nd dish to be installed - call us and we'll install it at no additional charge. Well I called - told them to come install it - months ago - I've never seen a 2nd dish nor heard anything back from them - more piss-poor customer service. 

ATTENTION TRAVELERS:  (MAIDS - "UNTIMELY INTRUSION")
I have done a lot of traveling and have stayed in MOTEL 6, DAYS INN, BEST (worst?) WESTERN, and many others and invariably several hours before check-out time the housekeeping staff will either beat on the door OR simply BURST INTO THE ROOM because it fits THEIR schedule.

My position is very simple. When I rent a room I OWN that room until check out time for the purpose of "QUIET ENJOYMENT". Any intrusion by the hotel/motel's staff prior to (a) check out time OR (b) the guest
actually checking out and leaving is at best an "untimely intrusion" and at worst a CRIMINAL "disturbing the peace" violation. 

I would like to hear from everyone out there who has had a similar experience as I would like to gather enough people nationwide who have had these experiences with hotels / motels nationwide so that we can gather enough experiences to support a federal class action suit against all of the major hotel/motel chains nationwide and seek a
permanent injunction which would ORDER all of the hotels/motels to train their managers and housekeepers that NO ONE is to beat on a door or attempt entry into a room until after checking with the front desk and making
sure that the guest has checked out.

This week's case in point: BEST WESTERN RIVER VALLEY INN - Junction TX - My girlfriend, her son, and I checked in about 1:30AM in route from New Orleans to Phoenix. Check out time was Noon. Sometime around 8:00AM or 8:30AM there is loud beating on the door and a scream of "HOUSEKEEPING". We were NOT planning on awakening until 10AM  or 11AM but now our sleep cycle was irreparably harmed. The Flyer they leave in the room says "We are proud to have you as our guest. We wish you a pleasant and restful stay. If we can be of any further service, please call the Front Desk." The only problem is that how can anyone have a restful stay if you wake them up after 5-6 hours of sleep? And what good does "please call the Front Desk" do when (a) there is no answer and (b) the lobby is LOCKED with a sign saying "if you need assistance go see the housekeeper."? Absolutely NONE. 

Well, I gave them a chance... I called customer service... the hotel does NOT want to issue a credit so I guess that means they want to eat the chargeback fees when I tell my bank not to honor their charge to my card. 

DAYS INN - KENNER LA - continues to engage in a pattern of CONSUMER FRAUD / BAIT & SWITCH.
 They continually advertise on a large billboard they have a $39.00 rate. Of the 6-10 times I've checked with them about getting a room at that rate "Oh, we don't have any of THOSE rooms". (The bait and switch sets in because its always "Well we do have a room available for $$$_____ [always more])  Well this trip was one step worse. I found a coupon in a travel book for that specific property. I called them up and inquired "do you have rooms available for tonight? (Monday 6/3/2002) and they responded "yes". I then informed them I have a coupon from the travel book and the person stated "We're not accepting any coupons." I inquired "Why not?"  response "because the manager said so". 

I  have previously contacted the Customer Service department for DAYS INN (Aberdeen So. Dakota) and their executive offices who both informed me that they are essentially IMPOTENT in these matters because (similar to Best Western and I'll bet a lot of other "chain" hotels) "Each property is independently owned and managed - we have no control over their operations - they can use our name, but....." etc. ad. nauseum... 

In my humble opinion, this kind of situation is nothing less than corporate BULLSHIT - "OK, lets catch all the cash we can, but deny any liability or any kind of control...." I would be willing to bet that DAYS INN and BEST WESTERN has a "code of conduct" or similar clause in the contract that lets individual properties use their name(s) and simply has to enforce it. My guess is that they CHOOSE not to do so. 
SHAME SHAME on the hotel industry. 

LAWMAN ARMOR aka UNBRAKEABLE aka UNBREAKABLE aka AUTOLOCK.COM - This company sells a product that locks the brake pedal or clutch pedal of an auto or truck so that it cannot be depressed. They provide 3 keys with the unit. One of the customers in my locksmith shop brought in one of these with the key broken off. After extracting the key I told the customer that I would be happy to try to make her some more keys. When I contacted the company I was informed by Mr. Christopher Bonner mailto:chrsbonner@aol.com that there were no key blanks available, apparently no keys available, and they were unwilling to replace my customer's unit or otherwise help my customer. He also accused me of having "ulterior motives" when I mentioned the potential inclusion of his company on this website.  The worst part of this whole mess is that this unit COULD be made much more secure than it is (I could defeat this unit in 15 minutes or less) by spending a few more pennies in the manufacturing process. The product is heavily advertised on TV and looks like this:  Unfortunately for this manufacturer when I called (expecting cooperation) I was also contemplating ordering some of these units for sale in my shop but I am certainly not going to sell my customers a locking product for which no keys would be available in the future. 

MERCEDES BENZ - I would have never thought it possible to include this company on this website but apparently MBZ wants to make it difficult for their customers and IMPOSSIBLE for locksmiths to help their customers. Last night (4/8/2002)  I had to remove a malfunctioning ignition lock cylinder from a 1985 (second hand) MBZ. Since it was already keyed differently from the rest of the car it is apparent that someone already had to replace the ignition lock cylinder in it once.  Today I called the dealer to order a new lock cylinder for the customer and ran up against a brick wall. "The customer must come to the dealer and present ID and proof of ownership..." etc. ad. nauseum.  It is painfully obvious that MBZ wishes to DISABLE locksmiths from helping owners of MBZ automobiles.    GENERAL MOTORS on the other hand ENABLES locksmiths to assist their customers and owners of 2nd hand GM automobiles by providing key code information to locksmiths by telephone 24/7.  Thank goodness there are aftermarket locks and pinning kits available that DO ENABLE locksmiths to assist their customers because MERCEDES BENZ doesn't give a shit!     **8/2002 update - my customer DID follow the MBZ process and got a new lock and key. only one problem - the new key she got with the lock worked the car doors and such just fine - BUT - her existing keys for the car would not work the new ignition so she had several USELESS $30 Mercedes keys - ain't that some SHIT?  because MERCEDES BENZ doesn't give a shit!

John's Family Car Care, Inc. - Phoenix - Click here for more info

6/7/2002 - Today's CRAPPY COMPANY of DIShonorable mention is PAPAJOHNs pizza. I called at 1PM and ordered my pizza. Gave them my name, address, etc. was told 45 min... At 2PM I called to find out where my pizza was... after being put on hold while the manager allegedly talked to the driver the manager came back and told me that I had given an address that I had never heard of... 41?? N 7?th   when I clearly and distinctly gave my address as 40?? N 84th .......   The manager told me that he would send another pizza in ANOTHER 45 min...     When I called back about 3PM he gave me ANOTHER  bunch of run-around and BULLSHIT - suffice it to say FUCK papajohns - let me call DOMINO or PIZZA HUT or someone that CARES! 

Thanks and have a GREAT DAY!
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