I’m going to tell you 2 recent tales that happened in my life which underscores the problems in corporate America. For extra emphasis, I’m adding a recent segment of the Bill Moyers Journal. If you haven’t seen the Bill Moyers Journal you are missing some of the best reporting and journalism anywhere. Bill Moyers speaks with John Bogle. Mr. Bogle isn’t some commie pinko who wants everyone to live in communes. Instead, he is the creator and chairman of the highly successful Vanguard Group investment company.
When I was growing up Sears was the place to get appliances and tools. They sold their products at a good price and they gave great service. Every town had a Sears of some sort. Smaller towns would have catalog stores. Anyway, something happened to Sears over the last 30 – 40 years. They lost their way. They had a big push into the the clothing market with beautiful fashion models designing clothes for them but in the long run that really didn’t work out. Sears has lost a lot of their appliance market to stores like Best Buy and Lowe’s. Anyway, we bought a refrigerator last Saturday the 17th. We wanted the refrigerator as soon as possible. One week. One week deliver? That’s crazy. I can order something from E-Bay or Amazon and get it the next day but I can’t get a refrigerator for a week?
Next, these corporate morons give you a 4 hour window for deliver. So, since most families have 2 people working, someone has to take off for 4 hours and wait. It is a waste of our time and money. So, the refrigerator arrives on Saturday. There is much rejoicing until a huge dent is found on the top right corner. Although the refrig was packaged in thin Styrofoam it wasn’t protected. We sent the refrigerator back. We called Sears. We wanted delivery later on that day of a dent-free refrigerator. Not. After an hour on the phone with multiple transfers and hang ups, we are told that someone would call us today, Sunday. The bottom-line is that we haven’t gotten our refrigerator. Sears has our money and we have nothing but a promise of a dent-free refrigerator this coming Wednesday. We saw a better deal on the exact same refrigerator at Best Buy with next day delivery in the paper today. We are tempted to go buy that one but getting our money back would be a bear.
Another corporation that proves we need more oversight is an assisted living place in North Dallas. One of my best friends had his father there. The place was a wonderful facility 10 years ago. Great atmosphere. Attentive staff the works. It was expensive but worth it. Well, over the last year or two, the only thing that is the same is the exterior. Who knows who bought it? The bottom-line is that good personnel have left. The trash have stayed. Residents are now getting mediocre care. This weekend my friend moved his father to another facility 5 – 10 miles north of the old one. Hopefully, this will be better. If there are any citizens who deserve our best (besides our veterans) it is our elderly. They have been productive members of society. Their only crime has been that they have out lived their failing bodies.
No really. A player from the St. Louis Rams has files a $100 million lawsuit against the New England Patriots over the 2002 Super Bowl. You remember that just before this last Super Bowl (a couple of weeks ago) a new revelation appeared. The New England Patriots were accused of spying against the St. Louis Rams. This of course fits nicely with the fact that the New England Patriots are found to be videotaping the New York Jets very early in the season. Willie Gary, former Rams player, filed a $100 million lawsuit in the US District Court in New Orleans.