Dear Prego,
As a retired astronaut who missed his only mission by one lousy windstorm, narrow misses drive me bonkers. Try training for eleven long years, politicking, sleeping every night in a tumbling dryer to combat claustrophobia. Try eating all of your food out of toothpaste tubes, just in case that phone rings, and you’re reinstated.
See, I was John Glenn’s alternate. He caught a bout of the whooping cough, and almost missed Friendship 7. I was all set to go—then the weather bozos called for a windstorm that delayed the launch. By the time the launch was rescheduled, Glenn was healthy and I was scratched. The phone did ring many years later—they asked me to go up into orbit. But the next day, John Glenn came home from Mardi Gras, and they picked him over me.
I deal with my anger by cooking. I love making spaghetti, and Prego is my sauce of choice. Look—the Prego jar drives me bonkers. It is quite wide, with a narrow opening. Those upper corners are next to impossible to access. The opening is too narrow for a spatula, and one that fits, it beheads itself on the way out. You almost need a hockey stick shape.
I’ve measured—there’s good half-ounce of sauce in each jar that I pay for, and don’t get to use. You do the math—25 years x 52 weeks (plus 6 leap days) x 2 jars a week, x ½ ounce. You owe me 1301 ounces of sauce, by my math—the same math used to safely slice through the atmosphere at the correct angle. You owe me fourteen spartulas—that’s how many have come apart upon removal from your poorly designed jar.
I demand a written explanation—what are we going to do to fix the jar? May I recommend the toothpaste tube? What are we going to do about the 1301 ounces of sauce that you owe me?
Where is my last half ounce of sauce, and the business end of my spatula? Check the jar—it’s in there.
Sincerely,
Jerry
------------------------------------------
From: campbellsoup@casupport.com
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2009 11:23:51 -0400
Subject: Ref #: 004402538A
Mr Jerry, we received your message and appreciate your taking the time to contact Campbell Soup Company. I'm sorry to hear that you are disappointed with the design of our packaging.
At Campbell, our number one priority is to delight our consumers. We try to develop products that are pleasing to most consumers. A significant amount of research and testing is conducted before any product improvement or change is introduced into the marketplace. Various package designs were developed and tested and those that most consumers preferred were chosen.
Thank you for sharing your comments. I have forwarded them to our design and development teams so they too may benefit from your insight.
Please accept the coupon we have sent to you via the mail with my apologies for any inconvenience you may have experienced. The coupon can be redeemed for any product in the Campbell family of brands including V8, Prego, Pace, and Pepperidge Farm.
Please contact the Consumer Response Center or visit Campbell's website if we can be of further assistance.
Thank you for visiting the Campbell Soup Company website.
Campbell Soup Company Web Team
LXR/cl
004402538A
From http://thehermanletters.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment