Each semester my DSC quality management class has a "conscientious consumerism" project as part of their class assignments. By mid-semester students are to select a service or product "problem" and write the company about the issue. Because manufacturing and service operations must continually monitor and use consumer feedback in planning, this information can help organizations better design operations to serve the consumer. As consumers, it is important for students to understand their obligation to voice concerns, and praise, to the companies they patronize. Their assignment was to contact the company (either with a letter, e-mail, or phone call) about their problem. The end-of-semester presentation was to present the time line of responses and include a copy of their final letter to the company president or CEO summarizing the project, and how the company handled the issue with suggestions for improvement. Students sent their final letter via certified, registered mail. This semester’s problems were varied.

Banking and payment complaints are on the rise. The bank of one student bank didn’t honor a stop draft on his checking account and charged an insufficient funds fee when the money was incorrectly withdrawn. Another entrepreneurial accounting student had a bank draft from her main account for her small business loan with a California lender. The company charged the draft to her payroll account by mistake and when funds were not in the account they added late charges. Her many calls to the company to correct the account received no response. She finally resorted to obtaining local financing and paid off the loan only to find her credit report reflected the company’s mistake. She’s worked for several months to repair her credit. She faxed me a copy of a letter from the bank three weeks after class ended. The firm apologized and finally reversed the accrued late charges. Another student’s credit was damaged. She paid her final cell phone bill when she moved from South Georgia but continued to get past due notices and the issue appeared on her credit report. Numerous phone calls and letters finally alerted the company to their mistake, but her credit report has not been corrected.

A car dealer didn’t notify a student about a warranty recall and she had the problem fixed at a garage and was finally reimbursed by the dealer. Another auto dealer didn’t correct my students blinking "check engine light" problem but did charge her for unnecessary and costly extra repairs. Another student rented a car and picked it up in the late evening and the next morning discovered it was extremely dirty and the seats were covered in dog hair.

Food problems were the most plentiful. A newer upscale ethnic restaurant didn’t bring one of the meals ordered for my student and her friend, another Atlanta restaurant wasn’t able to split the check for a large party and it caused an extra hour’s delay to handle the payments. This student e-mailed me three weeks after class ended to report the restaurant did mail her 14 gift cards for $25 each An ice cream shop was slow, service was poor, and the ice cream was melted. A popular fast food hamburger restaurant was the subject of three student complaints – one for inattentive employees at the drive through in the late evening and two on-going problems with an out-of-stock menu item. A student visited another popular fast food restaurant and ordered his chicken sandwich to go. He brought it back to the DSC student center and after taking the first bite, realized the sandwich was raw. A fellow student photographed the food. Another area restaurant’s lunch buffet was empty and not re-stocked for the 20 minutes my student waited before leaving for class. This same chain didn’t have a requested item 30 minutes before closing time because the employee had put away the food so he could leave early. A classmate visited the same restaurant and ordered a to-go meal only to find it old and stale when he got home. A pizza restaurant had poor service including a long wait in an almost empty restaurant, no cutlery or napkins, and then charged a 4-year old with a coupon for her "free" pizza. Correcting the bill also was an ordeal.