Which consumer happenings cheered you this week and which ones made you want to scream or weep?
Here are my best and worst consumer experiences this week:
My best consumer experience: Mailing my Christmas packages
Today was the deadline I set to get my packages mailed to family members.
I managed to tear myself away from e-mail, Twitter, my blogs, and Facebook by noon. At 3 p.m., I had my packages wrapped and the boxes addressed. However, I they weren’t sealed because I ran out of tape.
I had 1 hour before the post office closed. I didn’t want to use FedEx because I thought my charges last year for mailing Christmas packages with them was too high.
I debated what to do about the tape. If you buy it at the post office, you need to go to the front of the post office to buy supplies. Then, when you return to the line, many people are ahead of you.
I stopped at Safeway to get the tape. A customer helped me find it right away, and the brand was on sale. Using the express lane, I was able to get out of the store quickly.
When I arrived at the Olympia post office, all the parking spaces were full. I waited for about 10 minutes and was lucky to get a spot.
When I staggered up to the post office with my five packages, I couldn’t reach the automatic door device because I was balancing my packages, one of them large, and holding them steady with my chin. Luckily, a woman opened the door for me. I let her go ahead of me because she was so nice.
As the line moved forward, I taped all my packages. I was done by the time I was called to the counter.
The postal clerk was pleasant. When I wished him a happy holiday season as I was leaving, he was nice, although he was tired.
All in all, a good consumer experience when it could have been dreadful.
My worst consumer experience: Squabbling with Alaska Airlines about seating
I have respiratory problems and sitting in the front of the plane by the window helps me to have a better flight.
I spent 45 minutes, 15 of it on hold, arguing with an Alaska Airlines clerk about seating.
She told me I could ask at the airport desk about the seat I needed. That doesn’t work nine times out of 10.
The irritating thing was I looked on Alaska’s Web site at the seating for the flight, which is a month away. Many good seats were available. However, it appears that these rows of desirable seats are for airline employees and preferred flier club members.
My ticket is with American Airlines, so I have the seats I need for three legs of my flight. Unfortunately, the last flight is with Alaska Airlines.
I’m going to write to the CEO of Alaska Airlines about this. I’ll keep you posted.
