I've been having a lot of horrible experiences lately with computer
component and electronics companies I've always thought were quality.
I don't know if that's due to changing corporate attitudes and
practices or just a statistical bad run, but I want to be really
cautious from now on.
Example: on impulse I bought a Sony Mega Bass Walkman srf-m85v, in a
store. (This was an exception, as I almost never buy anything without
researching it first.) It works about as well as I imagine crystal
radios used to work back around 1900. In other words, it was, for all
practical purposes, unusable. Honestly, it's just horrible. I then
looked up the reviews at Amazon and everyone (except for one person)
had the same reaction. It sounds hard to believe, but I don't think
Sony ever tested this model even once.
Returning it under warranty would be pointless, as they'd just send me
back another garbage unit. So I sent Sony a detailed letter (a
*series* of letters, in the end, actually, up to the CEO), clearly
explaining everything that was wrong with it, and including the Amazon
reviews. It may sound strange, but I thought I was doing both of us a
favor, since a product this bad can't be good for their bottom line in
the long run. I sincerely thought they'd send me another model, one
that worked. But they made crystal clear that they would stick to the
terms of the warranty, and didn't give a rat's ass about anything
else.
This is not the Sony I thought I knew. In my life I've probably
bought -- or been responsible for others buying -- well over 100 Sony
products. That ends now, over a product that couldn't have cost them
much more than $10 to replace, and I'd like to share the experience
with others. Trouble is, that model is no longer made (for obvious
reasons, I think), so posting a product review -- if I even still can
-- would be rather pointless.
Are there good sites where people can review and rank companies and
brand names, rather than just products?
- Tom
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