Companies that you badly

[lovely_darlingprettybaby]

Treat you badly and not honest anymore
You cannot trust anyone
You cannot rely on people and their honesty in providing a service or good help.

 

[Luca]

I try to avoid using Amazon whenever possible. I don't even have the app on my phone anymore.
Besides the obvious ethical issues with the company, their customer service is terrible and so is their return policy. Plus most of their products nowadays seem to be cheap knockoffs (like the kind of stuff you could get on Wish), and when you type very specific phrases into the search bar, a lot of the search results are irrelevant and make no sense.

You're better off buying stuff at Target, Kohl's, Ikea, or Walmart (or whatever your country's equivalents are), if you want reliable electronics, appliances, and furniture, and clothing that will last a while.
If you want to buy from small businesses, Etsy is a great alternative, although it can get pricey. I understand that not everyone can afford to shop ethically though.
And if you don't mind buying used products, you can get a lot of decent stuff on thrifting apps. I just wouldn't necessarily recommend getting electronics there, unless you're very tech-literate and know what you're looking for.

Probably gonna ruffle some feathers complaining about Amazon, but I just don't like it, for a multitude of reasons.

 

[Kisa the tea]

There's so many I can think of but I second Amazon. Too many low quality products that they push to the top of the pages.

 

[lovely_darlingprettybaby]

I try to avoid using Amazon whenever possible. I don't even have the app on my phone anymore.
Besides the obvious ethical issues with the company, their customer service is terrible and so is their return policy. Plus most of their products nowadays seem to be cheap knockoffs (like the kind of stuff you could get on Wish), and when you type very specific phrases into the search bar, a lot of the search results are irrelevant and make no sense.

You're better off buying stuff at Target, Kohl's, Ikea, or Walmart (or whatever your country's equivalents are), if you want reliable electronics, appliances, and furniture, and clothing that will last a while.
If you want to buy from small businesses, Etsy is a great alternative, although it can get pricey. I understand that not everyone can afford to shop ethically though.
And if you don't mind buying used products, you can get a lot of decent stuff on thrifting apps. I just wouldn't necessarily recommend getting electronics there, unless you're very tech-literate and know what you're looking for.

Probably gonna ruffle some feathers complaining about Amazon, but I just don't like it, for a multitude of reasons.

I do not like it either and I stopped buying there though some of their stuff was ok and cheap.
But I do not buy there anymore
Etsy is great except for a small issue they have which I will not talk about on here. But the creative people and small businesses I have found very kind and so many unique things
And...I agree ethical is very expensive often and out of a lot of peoples price limits.

 

[Misery]

Probably gonna ruffle some feathers complaining about Amazon, but I just don't like it, for a multitude of reasons.

The really aggravating thing about Amazon is that depending on where you are, you can sorta get kinda forced into it, which is... irritating.

I dont exactly like using them either, but where I'm at (absolute middle of nowhere), the nearest store is quite a drive from here (even moreso now that SOME FLIPPIN' GENIUS decided to put a roundabout in THE road that goes over there, and that wont be done for awhile) and it's basically just a Meijer, and a Walmart. One of the really "bleh" sorts of Walmarts, too. That store chain is weird, it's like, they have some good locations, and then they have other locations that make you want to stab something after you've been in them for 10 seconds. The one near here is one of those. There's also a Best Buy but it's tiny and clearly neglected. BB doesnt have much of a presence around this region from what I've seen. The Meijer is the store I actually use, but that's really about groceries and the pharmacy. Yeah they technically have an electronics section, but... "technically".

The even more irritating thing is that we used to have basically the best electronics store ever, the Fry's, sorta nearby... holy heck I loved that place. And then the pandemic happened, that entire chain collapsed. So now? Ya want electronics, you're probably going through Amazon around here, 'cause the Best Buy probably doesnt have whatever you're after. Bah.

With all of that... yeah the Amazon trucks are a constant presence around here.

I dont like ordering from them either and will usually only do so if I cant find an alternative. Fortunately my main hobby is all done digitally (gaming) so I need not buy from those guys for that. I use Steam.

Ya know what I miss? Proper shopping malls. Like how they were in the 90s.

 

[Luca]

The really aggravating thing about Amazon is that depending on where you are, you can sorta get kinda forced into it, which is... irritating.

I dont exactly like using them either, but where I'm at (absolute middle of nowhere), the nearest store is quite a drive from here (even moreso now that SOME FLIPPIN' GENIUS decided to put a roundabout in THE road that goes over there, and that wont be done for awhile) and it's basically just a Meijer, and a Walmart. One of the really "bleh" sorts of Walmarts, too. That store chain is weird, it's like, they have some good locations, and then they have other locations that make you want to stab something after you've been in them for 10 seconds. The one near here is one of those. There's also a Best Buy but it's tiny and clearly neglected. BB doesnt have much of a presence around this region from what I've seen. The Meijer is the store I actually use, but that's really about groceries and the pharmacy. Yeah they technically have an electronics section, but... "technically".

The even more irritating thing is that we used to have basically the best electronics store ever, the Fry's, sorta nearby... holy heck I loved that place. And then the pandemic happened, that entire chain collapsed. So now? Ya want electronics, you're probably going through Amazon around here, 'cause the Best Buy probably doesnt have whatever you're after. Bah.

With all of that... yeah the Amazon trucks are a constant presence around here.

I dont like ordering from them either and will usually only do so if I cant find an alternative. Fortunately my main hobby is all done digitally (gaming) so I need not buy from those guys for that. I use Steam.

Ya know what I miss? Proper shopping malls. Like how they were in the 90s.

Yeah, I totally agree with all this. Especially about malls. I loved malls when I was growing up but they’re not the same anymore.

I’ve heard Meijer mentioned on here before but we don’t have it where I live. Is it like Target?

 

[Misery]

Yeah, I totally agree with all this. Especially about malls. I loved malls when I was growing up but they’re not the same anymore.

I’ve heard Meijer mentioned on here before but we don’t have it where I live. Is it like Target?

It's actually more similar to Walmart in terms of what they have and how it's set up, with a heavy emphasis on the grocery section and the bakery and such. Extensive pet section as well, an electronics section that always seems to be a ghost town, and they sell some clothes, but you can see as soon as you walk in that it's not really the focus of the store even though they position it in the center for some reason.

And then a variety of other sections that I don't interact with.

What I've seen of the Target stores in the region have always seemed more... focused? More about non-grocery things. Like the Target I'm aware of has a grocery section but it's tiny, clearly not what the place is really for. I dont know if that's how the rest of the chain is? Those are really far from my house so I've not been to them very much.

 

[Luca]

What I've seen of the Target stores in the region have always seemed more... focused? More about non-grocery things. Like the Target I'm aware of has a grocery section but it's tiny, clearly not what the place is really for. I dont know if that's how the rest of the chain is? Those are really far from my house so I've not been to them very much.

The Target stores in Massachusetts have mostly frozen food and snacks/candy, as opposed to what you would find in a typical grocery store.

Not the best place to go grocery shopping but they do have way better clothes and furniture than Walmart does.

The biggest grocery chains here are Whole Foods (which is everywhere) and the regional-exclusive ones are Stop & Shop, Big Y, and Shaw’s.
We used to have Hannaford here too but the only ones I’ve seen in recent years were in Maine.

The Targets and Walmarts here don’t have the best pet sections so I prefer Tractor Supply for that.

On the subject of companies we don’t like, I used to teach dog training classes at Petco and they don’t treat their employees very well.

 

[Progster]

I'm having no end of problems with an online (and physical) store at the moment. I ordered a DAC (digital to analog converter) online over two months ago, and I'm still waiting for it. In the meantime, they keep promising to ship it, but then nothing arrives, and with no adequate, plausible explanation. They also told me a couple of times that they sent me it by courier, but then I get no tracking number so they obviously haven't sent it. It's a lie, basically. I do NOT like being lied to, and I wrote an email to tell them so and ask for my money back.

Finally got an admission out of them that there was a problem with the order - the item was in another country and had to be shipped to them in order for them to ship it to me, but it had been damaged, so they had to send it back and ask for a new one, then it was August when people are on holiday and so slow service... I'm angry with them not because of the delay, but because of their dishonesty.

 

[Rogue Princess]

It feels like quality of services have dropped so much and there are so many incompetent people in the service industry.

Getting my electricity transferred to my new flat was a nightmare. Thank goodness I have a support worker who helps me make phone calls and organise these things. I'd be lost without her

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

I refuse to shop at Walmart. their employees are the largest single group receiving government assistance. Each and every Walmart in states costs the taxpayers between $500,000 to $1,000,000. That amounts to subsidies to Walton family profits.

 

[Mary Terry]

I refuse to shop at Walmart. their employees are the largest single group receiving government assistance. Each and every Walmart in states costs the taxpayers between $500,000 to $1,000,000. That amounts to subsidies to Walton family profits.

I don't like Walmart, either. The last time I shopped at one, I witnessed a large man stuffing packages of ribeye steaks into his baggy pants. I told the staff and pointed out the man to the store manager who told me that they don't bother with shoplifters. Fine. I don't bother with Walmart anymore, either. They increase the prices to cover the lost revenue from theft.

I also don't use Amazon unless it is the last resort. I may look at Amazon's website to find something I want, but I then contact the manufacturer directly to order the item. Amazon is the death of Main Street, USA's small businesses and retailers.

 

[AndyFBlues]

Whenever possible, I like to shop at local businesses rather than buy online. I feel better about supporting local jobs.

Whether local or online, I try to avoid outfits that have a reputation for exploitive treatments of their workers. If a business engages in environmentally responsible practices, that's a plus. While it is not always affordable to do so all of the time, I try when I can.

If I'm treated badly somewhere, depending on what it is, I might give them a second chance. If the problem persists, then I just don't go back.

As consumers, we have power over companies and how they behave. Even small purchases, if there are enough of them, eventually add up.