What were your best and worse consumer experiences this week?

By Rita R. Robison

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: Help from the clerks at Rite Aid

My daughter, who lives in Spain, gave me a list of things to bring on my next trip.

Last time I did this exercise, I spent what seemed like hours looking for items I don’t usually buy – children’s Tylenol and hair bands, for example.

This time, I decided to ask the clerks to help me. I asked them about almost every item on the list. It went a lot faster, and I wasn’t frustrated like I was the last time I did the shopping spree.

My worst: Low-quality customer service when I attempted to buy a money order

When I went to a local Thriftway store to get a money order, the clerk was unhelpful and snippy.

I told her how much I wanted, and I slid my credit card through the machine. The machine asked for my pin number.

Explaining I didn’t know the pin number, she finally told me you need a debit card or cash to buy a money order. Since I seldom get one, I didn’t know that.

I dashed to my credit union to get cash, and then rushed back to the grocery store.

The same clerk waited on me. She was just as unfriendly as when I was there before.

I made it to FedEx in plenty of time to get the visa application sent.

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist