Post# 231 - Energizer: Why Did You Get Rid of the Little Power Indicator Thing?

This is part two of a two-part experiment.  Rival companies, the same complaint raised with each.  Will they reply in the same manner?  The issue is, back in the late 1990's, both Duracell and Energizer had a neat little power meter on the side of their batteries to show how much power is left.  The user would place his fingers on dots on either side of the meter, and some portion of the "power meter" would change color. It was a simple gadget, very helpful when encountering a drawerful of batteries.  Then, one day, it disappeared.  My letter to Duracell is here.

I sent this to Energizer 7/10/2010:
Dear Energizer,

As a sales rep for several battery powered, home-use products, can you imagine the embarrassment when my products don’t work, or work with very low power?

Back in the late 90’s, you had a great and useful feature on your batteries.  It was a tiny power indicator.  The consumer could touch two contacts on the battery (AAA, AA, etc.), and a little meter would show l how much power was left.  He or she could then gage whether a battery replacement was needed, based on upcoming use.

Why did you do away with this?  When did it become a bad thing to know how much power is left?  Is it better to leave us with our proverbial pants down, and end up with no power when we clearly need power?  Is the strategy to get suckers like me to replace our 50% or 75% charged batteries before an in-home demonstration, or bachelorette party, to avoid this embarrassment, because we can’t easily tell without a voltmeter from Radio Shack?  If so, that isn’t cool.

Let’s re-focus our attention on the customer on his or her needs, and maybe the bottom line will take care of itself.  If I don’t sell my wares, you certainly lose out on the battery sales that go along with it.

Power to the People!

Jerry

------------------------
Subject: RE: Energizer MAX Batteries
Date: Thursday, July 14, 2011, 1:16 PM

July  14, 2011
Case ID:  3267470

Dear Jerry,

Thank you for visiting Energizer's Web site and for your inquiry.  I am sorry to learn that our batteries did not meet your expectations; however, I am happy to assist you.

To compensate you for your time and inconvenience, I would like to send you a coupon to replace those batteries.  You should receive this in 7-10 business days.

Thank you for contacting Energizer. If you need further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Energizer Consumer Relations
1-800-383-7323
http://www.energizer.com/
-------------------------------
Subject: RE: Energizer MAX Batteries
Date: Thursday, July 14, 2011, 10:10 PM

Dear Energizer Consumer Relations, Your parents, Mr. and Mrs. Relations were cruel to name you like that.  It's nice to see such an unusual name either helped, or didn't stop you in your career though. Thank you for responding, and I appreciate your offer for batteries.  I hope from my note, you are able to tell what types of batteries I was complaining about.  You can probably tell from bar codes and credit cards, but the batteries were: AAA Multi pack (It was 16 pack) for the "Saturday Night Special" AA Multi pack (it was 36 pack) for the "Taiwanese Ticklers" C Multi pack (12 pack) for the "Jumping Jelly Rockets" D Multi pack (12 pack) for the "Incredibly Insane Inferno's" 9 Volt (6 Pack) for the Mighty Mega. Again, I appreciate it.    Separate topic, but does Energizer plan on putting the little power indicator thing back on the sides of the batteries?  Everybody liked it, and it was a good thing. Sincerely,   Jerry -------------------------   The following letter came in the mail, dated July 15th, along with a $5 coupon:   Dear Jerry,   Thank you for contacting us about the products that failed to provide satisfactory service.   We apologize for your inconvenience.  We are enclosing Energizer coupon(s) towards the value of replacement products.   Situations like this don't happen very often, but on rare occasions when a problem arises, we are very concerned.  We appreciate your taking time to make us aware of the problem you have encountered.  Customers like you help us maintain a high level of quality for our products.   Once again, thank you for bringing this situation to our attention.  We hope that you continue to think of Energizer when you purchase lighting products and batteries.   If you ever have any further questions, please contact us at 1-800-383-7323 or visit us on the internet at http://www.energizer.com/ .   Sincerely,   Energizer Consumer Affairs -----------------------------------

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Post# 230 - Duracell: Why'd You Do Away With That Little Power Indicator Thing

This is part one of a two-part experiment.  Rival companies, the same complaint raised with each.  Will they reply in the same manner?  The issue is, back in the late 1990's, both Duracell and Energizer had a neat little power meter on the side of their batteries to show how much power is left.  The user would place his or her fingers on dots on either side of the meter, and some portion of the "power meter" would change color. It was a simple gadget, very helpful when encountering a drawerful of batteries.  Then, one day, it disappeared.  My letter to Energizer is HERE.   I sent this to Duracell on 7/10/2010:
------------------------

Dear Duracell,

As a sales rep for several battery powered, home-use products, can you imagine the embarrassment when my products don’t work, or work with very low power?

Back in the late 90’s, you had a great and useful feature on your batteries.  It was a tiny power indicator.  The consumer could touch two contacts on the battery (AAA, AA, etc.), and a little meter would show l how much power was left.  He or she could then gage whether a battery replacement was needed, based on upcoming use.

Why did you do away with this?  When did it become a bad thing to know how much power is left?  Is it better to leave us with our proverbial pants down, and end up with no power when we clearly need power?  Is the strategy to get suckers like me to replace our 50% or 75% charged batteries before an in-home demonstration, or bachelorette party, to avoid this embarrassment, because we can’t easily tell without a voltmeter from Radio Shack?  If so, that isn’t cool.

Let’s re-focus our attention on the customer on his or her needs, and maybe the bottom line will take care of itself.  If I don’t sell my wares, you certainly lose out on the battery sales that go along with it.

Power to the People!

Jerry

---------------------
Subject: Thanks for contacting Duracell. [ ref:00D7JViV.5007HkoqP:ref ]
Date: Wednesday, July 13, 2011, 10:38 AM

Dear Jerry,

Thanks for contacting Duracell.

I’m sorry you’re disappointed not been able to find a Duracell battery tester anymore. Unfortunately, Duracell has discontinued make battery tester and they are no longer available.  Generally, decisions to start or stop making products are based on consumer demand, so feedback like yours is extremely valuable. Please be assured I'm sharing your information with the rest of our team.

Since I don’t have a recommendation for you at this time, you can do a basic internet search to locate a battery tester online as there may still be some retailers who have this product in stock.

Thanks again for taking the time contacting us.

Veron S.
Duracell Team

----------------------

Subject: Re: Thanks for contacting Duracell. [ ref:00D7JViV.5007HkoqP:ref ]
Date: Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Veron,

Thanks for following up.  I appreciate your efforts.  I'm not sure we're talking about the same thing- based on what you're telling me, we can't be.

This was a tiny feature on each battery- a means to tell how much charge was left. 

You're saying consumer demand dictates these things.  That implies, in this case, that people essentially stopped buying Duracell batteries because they did not like having a means to check the remaining life, right there on the side of the battery.  It wasn't intrusive- if they didn't like the feature, they could ignore it.  It didn't take up any space. 

In short, it was a grand tip of the cap to the yankee ingenuity of our forefathers.  I guess Eli Whitney can be glad that some focus group didn't wreck his cotton gin contraption.

Thanks again.

Sincerely,

Jerry
------------------------

Subject: Thanks for contacting Duracell. [ ref:00D7JViV.5007HkoqP:ref ]
Date: Wednesday, July 13, 2011, 4:28 PM

Hi Jerry,

Thanks for responding, however we do have batteries that comes with the Powercheck on them that you can test to see how much power is left in the batteries, these batteries are the Duracell Ultra Advance Powercheck.

Thanks again for writing.

Veron S.
Duracell Team
------------------------

Subject: Re: Thanks for contacting Duracell. [ ref:00D7JViV.5007HkoqP:ref ]
Date: Wednesday, July 13, 2011, 9:17 PM

Hi Veron, I see that now.  Some quick research shows that for over $1 per AAA battery, I can get a battery that lasts 30% longer, and the PowerCheck feature.  I'm able to get the standard (30% less power) battery for roughly 40 cents per battery. The powercheck used to be on normal batteries, batteries for the everyman.  Those were the days. Thanks, Jerry -------------------

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Post # 131 - Blackberry and the Adventures of Jacqueline and the Apostrophe - 3/25/2010

Dear Blackberry,


I love my girlfriend. She’s way, way out of my league. For our six month anniversary, I bought us matching Blackberry Storm 2’s. I love the features—the WIFI connectivity, the great reception, and the 3.2 mega-pixel camera. Furthermore, it feels “good” in my hands. When I touch it, it feels so sleek. I feel like I’m cheating on Jacqueline.

Sometimes I have a feeling she’s cheating on me. Her work friends hate me. The one guy, Todd, calls me the Apostrophe. Not even sure what that means. He’s a cheese ball.

Our day begins with Jacqueline and me both leaving for work at 7:30 AM. We stop at Starbucks, where she gets her latte. No coffee for me, thank you. I wait in the car and make sure Barry the Barista doesn’t ask her out. Then, she goes to the potato chip factory, and I go to the shoe store, after I make sure she’s arrived safe and sound

I arrive at work at 8:00 AM and immediately call her. I keep her on the phone as long as our batteries last. Jacqueline’s battery always seems to cut out right before lunch. From my car in her parking lot, I see her and Todd leave for lunch in her car.

Do you produce a longer-life battery? Ideally, we need eight hour batteries. Then, I can call her at 8:00 AM and only worry about 4:00 on.

I’d better go—it’s been a half hour since I talked to her. Can you let me know about the longer life battery? Also, is there a call block function for that cheese ball Todd?

Jerry
--------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 23:43:40 -0400

From: help@blackberry.net
Subject: Re: Battery Question ; RQST00009005955

Hello Jerry,

Thank you for contacting BlackBerry Customer Support.

For accessories for your BlackBerry smartphone, such as extended life batteries, please contact your BlackBerry service provider. If your provider does not carry the accessories you require, you may purchase BlackBerry accessories from our BlackBerry Accessories Store:

http://www.shopblackberry.com

To explore possibly blocking some callers from a BlackBerry smartphone we suggest the following support options:

You may have the option to receive fee-based support directly from Research In Motion, the manufacturer and experts for the BlackBerry solution. If you would like to learn more about this option, please dial the appropriate telephone number below and enter option 3 in the phone menu to be routed to BlackBerry Customer Care.

If your organization has subscribed to BlackBerry Technical Support Services, please contact your IT department and have one of your named callers contact BlackBerry Technical Support.

Note: BlackBerry Technical Support Services is an annual subscription program providing software maintenance and technical support services for your BlackBerry solution. Named callers are personnel within your organization who are authorized to contact our support staff. For more information on BlackBerry Technical Support Services, please visit:

http://www.blackberry.com/support/tsupport/

All BlackBerry smartphone users have free access to the BlackBerry Technical Solution Center. The BlackBerry Technical Solution Center provides a repository of support information, documentation and frequently asked questions, with enhanced search capabilities so you can easily search for and find the BlackBerry support information you need. Please visit:

http://na.blackberry.com/eng/support/

If the options above do not suit your needs you may also contact your service provider who may have other options available.

Thank you again for contacting us Jerry. Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Samuel
BlackBerry Customer Support
Research In Motion Limited
----------------------------

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