Complaint Review: MJ&Steff -

I'm not going to comment more on my review, demand letters and stuff. This would inevitably involve disclosing more of my personal information. So I'll just stop there.   In my view, review sites like RipOff Report is not there for customers to state their position and support it with evidence. It's what they would do at the court.   Rather, review sites are there so people can freely express their opinions, express raw emotions (or get their frustrations/anger off their chest), and inform or warn others along the way.

Personally, I think the reason why review sites became much popular over the years is that writing review gives consumers a sense of closure and writing it publically gives them a sense of feeling listened to. It really helps them move on with life. (Of course, now I learned about people like you who by the name of PUBLIC question the intent of the reviewers.)   Reviews are inherently one-side story. This applies to the both the worst and the best rating spectrum of reviews. If you really want to listen to the both sides of the story, you should go to court and attend hearings.

You know it's open to the public. It's a place where you get to listen to the both sides of the story backed by evidence with assistance from professional help (aka attorneys).   Secondly, you phrased my view towards customers as "ideals". Not sure if that's the appropriate expression. I developed my views, as I said in previous comments, through customer service roles I had in my life. One of the things I learned is that to have a sane conversation with a customer, you need to let him express raw emotions (aka f-words) first. Customers will continue to say whatever the f*ck they want. You just can't stop that. I learned from my jobs how to professionally respond to customers' raw emotions which often comes with f-words.   I'm not gonna go into the further details, but as someone who has been in the both sides of the table, I learned the value of customers expressing their raw opinions.  

I know you will disagree with me. On my end, I have a lot more to say as well. But I'll just stop here. I'll just say that overall theme of your argument is valid, and you helped me identify my thoughts toward review sites and the overall business-consumer dynamics. I think we're just approaching this matter from different point of view.   Feel free to comment but I'm not gonna comment any more.   Happy New Year, and Happy (in your case to consumers) Ripoff Reporting.

The attitude you are putting forward that as a customer you can say whatever you want is quite concerning. With your continued narratives it is becoming clear that the response that person gave was probably not only understandable but probably quite reserved as to what it could have been.

As to your grocery store example, nice attempt at misdirection. Again based on your postings you didn't just exchange "Demand Letter" for "Orange Juice". Likely you took it to a personal level disparaging her and belittling her because she was not a "real" attorney.

I am sure you would expect the same nice response from the cashier letting them be your punching bag.  If instead, you said something like "50% more is robbery, that must be why you are working as a minimum wage cashier. You can't get a REAL job because you probably were in prison and no legitimate company would hire a criminal".

Sorry, but contrary to your ideals as a customer, you DO have some obligations.

Consumers on the other hand are not necessarily acting in the eyes of public, so they have right which information they disclose to the public.

- And the PUBLIC can question what you said.  You could have easily redacted anything "personal" in your email to her that would have protected your privacy, but still showed what you wrote.

Why should I disclose the name of the attorney?

- For the same reason I said in the beginning. If you found someone that cheap giving them a positive mention would give them more business than they know what to do with.

By the way where does the $80 demand letter come from?

- Sorry I misread your amounts, I should have said a "$60" demand letter. But one has to ask if you are paying for the Pre-Paid legal as you state, why would you even go to a company outside of that program?

I appreciate your feedback that I need to be more respecful towards businesses I would be dealing with as a customer. Usually, that's what I tried to do.

- Based on your responses anyone reading this would likely have the same doubts about your usual intentions.

In my view, this company's response to my inquiry was not professional and not acceptable. Hence deserves this review.

- You may be right. But with your one-sided report and obvious "anything goes" attitude there are serious doubts about this.

Anyway, as I said previously I doubt you will change but at least you may take some of these comments as thoughts in how you act as a  customer in the future...Good Luck

This is a PUBLIC Web Site, you made it the PUBLIC's business by posting here.

In making my post public, my goal is to warn other consumers who are potentially thinking of using this company's service, so that if they did end up using this company's service, they are prepared for what to put up with when things go wrong.

I'm not necessarily here to argue with another "consumer". But I guess, unlike the rest of us, you come here to rant against consumers?

If you want to talk "RipOff" perhaps you should search out some of those Pre-Paid services on this site.

I was doing business with this company at the time not the Pre-Paid services, and I had "RipOff" experience with it so that's what I left this review. Problem?

Which, even though you haven't posted anything, I can guarantee YOU did NOT say.

I certainly could have said what you wrote. But again that was not my obligation as a consumer. Read below.

What you have basically proven with your response is your attitude toward "Customer Service" is that as a customer you can say whatever you want, and the business is just expected to "take it" because you are a customer.

I didn't say business should just "take it". You're totally getting it wrong here. As I pointed out in the previous comment, she had the right to defend her pricing. She can disagree with me. But the way she went about doing it was extremely unprofessional. That's not the way one should respond it.

Customer service does not have to agree with whatever the customers say, but people who engage in customer service have duty to act and respond professionally to customer's responses.

Let's say you go to a grocery store, you find an orange juice in the store to be 50% more expensive than other stores. And for whatever reason this infuriated you and you go to a cashier and say something like "Are you guys seriously f**king charging that price for a goddamn orange juice?" The last thing the cashier should say back to you is "Yes, you f**king motherf**ker. We're charging that price for the motherf**king orange juice. Got a Problem? Go somewhere else." Instead, Store staffs should say, "Oh, I'm sorry you feel that way. Let me look this up for you. Yup, unfortunately, that's the price we're charging now. We see store A and B have much lower price than we do. So if you want to grab the juice, please visit there."

What you are arguing in your comments is that the former response in this example above is acceptable.

There is a reason empathy is emphasized in customer service. Again, empathy is not sympathy.

Customers can say whatever they want. It often means they have frustrations towards or felt wronged by the company they are dealing with. I rarely, if not ever, came across where customers posted negative reviews or "say whatever they want" because they have some sort of malicious intent towards companies and businesses. It was almost always because they felt they were wronged by the business.

Your one-sided concern over privacy is quite amusing. Of course, she knows what you wrote. That's why she responded the way she did.

What's so amusing? Did it not happen to you before? Business is doing business publically. Consumers on the other hand are not necessarily acting in the eyes of public, so they have right which information they disclose to the public. I disclosed only her response because no matter what that's NOT the type of response I should've got as a client.

By the way, you never did post the name of the attorney you found to write your $80 demand letter.

Why should I disclose the name of the attorney? Especially to you? By the way where does the $80 demand letter come from?

I appreciate your feedback that I need to be more respecful towards businesses I would be dealing with as a customer. Usually, that's what I tried to do. But the fact is, we consumers react emotionally when we feel frustrations and especially when we think we were wronged by business.

Job of customer service is to professionally address customer's frustration, or feeling wronged. Review sites like Ripoff Report is there to enable consumers to share their frustrations (and hopefully) learn from each other's experience.

In my view, this company's response to my inquiry was not professional and not acceptable. Hence deserves this review.

First, it's none of your business.

- This is a PUBLIC Web Site, you made it the PUBLIC's business by posting here.

Second, yes, I did find a lawyer written demand letter for that amount. search prepaid legal plan. Look up the court's self-help page.

- Great, for the low cost of $15-$25+/month you found someone to write you a letter for $80. And for the cost of $0 you could do it yourself. I guess you weren't exactly a Math Major.  If you want to talk "RipOff" perhaps you should search out some of those Pre-Paid services on this site.

Third, as a consumer I don't have obligation to post my communication for privacy reasons.

- Your one-sided concern over privacy is quite amusing. Of course, she knows what you wrote.  That's why she responded the way she did.

She could have easily said something like "unfortunately I can't take your project, but you can look up As and Bs on Google for your demand letter needs. Thank you for your inquiry, I hope I can assist you with another project in the future. Warm Regards, "

- And you could have said something like "As a long-time customer, I feel that your rate is a bit high. Can we work something out that could reduce the cost as I would like to continue to do business with you?" Which, even though you haven't posted anything, I can guarantee YOU did NOT say.

They really helped me develop the right type of integrity in this area. I really thank them now.

- They apparently never taught you how to act AS a customer.

What you have basically proven with your response is your attitude toward "Customer Service" is that as a customer you can say whatever you want, and the business is just expected to "take it" because you are a customer. By the way, you never did post the name of the attorney you found to write your $80 demand letter.

While I doubt you will change, perhaps at some time you will take a step back and think about how you interact as a customer.

First, it's none of your business. Second, yes, I did find a lawyer written demand letter for that amount. search prepaid legal plan. Look up the court's self-help page. Third, as a consumer I don't have obligation to post my communication for privacy reasons. She knows what I wrote.

Was her response appropriate and understandable? No. By saying no, I acknowledge that she has right to defend her pricing, but the way she went about doing that was absolutely inappropriate and unprofessional.

She could have easily said something like "unfortunately I can't take your project, but you can look up As and Bs on Google for your demand letter needs. Thank you for your inquiry, I hope I can assist you with another project in the future. Warm Regards, "

Robert, I don't know what you do for living or even had customer service experience before, but it appears her type of response is perfectly reasonable for you. Something you can put up with if you were in my position. I have customer service experience, and this is not how you would respond to your client, even the ones you choose not to do business with in the future.

You know what, as I'm writing this to you I was reminded of all my bosses in my past jobs who taught me value and the importance of customer service. They really helped me develop the right type of integrity in this area. I really thank them now.

Neither you nor I, nor anybody else who's engaged in customer service roles, (yes, whether you're lawyers, writers, dentists, etc. if you're engaging in communication with your clients, you're assuming customer service roles) should treat the customers the way she treated me in her email. Period.

When you find an attorney to write you a demand letter for $80 please post their name here. They will have more business than they know what to do with. I really have no idea where you got your "market rate" from, perhaps you got in your way-back machine. Even "lawyer mills" who do these things in bulk are going to charge you a minimum of around $200, if it really isn't a "simple" letter you could be paying $1000 or more.

By your own narrative, it can be almost guaranteed that the attitude you got back was directly related to the attitude you gave her when you "challenged" her on her fee. It is very interesting how you only posted her response, not your "challenge". Was her response appropriate, possibly.  Was it understandable...Yes.

This is not how you would respond to your client,

- Based on her response I don't think she wants you as a client any longer.