Blowing the lid off a scandal
I hate Radio Shack. In fact, I was going to title this post "I hate Radio Shack," but then I realized I was onto something much larger here. So before I blow the lid off this huge scandal, I'll provide the background. (If you're impatient, please feel free to skip the next few paragraphs about Radio Shack.)
But anyway, what started it was buying a cassette recorder for my wife. In the town where I work, Radio Shack is sort of the only game in town for buying such things, and I was really too lazy to go into the city and too impatient to use mail order. I already disliked Radio Shack because of their inferior products and their pushy sales people, but convenience won out. I bought a recorder there.
It sucked. It worked for a day or so and then quit. I took it back and got a replacement. That one sucked too. I finally gave up on that model and went for the more expensive one. Mind you, my vintage Radio Shack cassette recorder from 1972, with its enormous white plastic buttons the size of piano keys, would have worked just fine for what she wanted, but they don't sell anything so simple anymore. Everything has a jillion different hi-tech features like voice activation and speed garbling that
- I don't give a shit about, and
- don't work
But again, I didn't have many options, so I took the more expensive model. Unfortunately, it was a couple of weeks before my wife got around to trying it out, and guess what? This one didn't work at all.
So screw it, I'm going to Best Buy at this point, but I did decide to try to get my money back from Radio Shack.
But then, guess what? I finally dug the receipt out of my wallet... and it's illegible. Practically all the ink had worn off. I could tell from the back of the receipt that it was from Radio Shack, but beyond that I couldn't tell a damn thing. Check it out.
I hadn't had the receipt in my wallet that long. I've kept other things -- ticket stubs, coupons, magazine clippings -- much longer, and they're still legible. So why did this receipt just go poof and disappear?
It wasn't just that one, either! Check out this receipt I pulled out of my wallet from Barnes & Noble:
Even though it's hard to make out from this photo, I was finally able to discern the name of the store on this one, although it's impossible to decipher what I actually bought.
And this one's my all-time favorite. I can tell it used to be a receipt at some point, but now it looks for all intent and purposes like a blank piece of paper:
Wake up, people! Stores are giving us receipts written in disappearing ink! Don't stand for it anymore! And until we do get things changed, perhaps you'd better save those receipts in hermetically sealed little envelopes, like the kind they have for philatelists.
Comments
Did you pay by check or credit card? CC statement or canceled check might be enough to do the trick, along with a little "squeaky wheel syndrome."
Posted by: BorgQueen | August 12, 2005 10:20 PM
That's disturbing. It could also be the semi-glossy paper that they use, too. Ink may not sink into it as easily.
Posted by: Roger | August 13, 2005 09:10 AM
I save all of my gas receipts for my taxes. Last year when I pulled them out of the envelope, they were all blank. What gives!?
Posted by: Nick @ HBR | August 13, 2005 12:26 PM
Have you heard of thermal paper you idiot! The receipt is just that. keep it away from heat next time. you thought it was ink. didnt you make your self look stupid!
Posted by: It Is Me | August 14, 2005 10:01 PM
Your the idiot. Thermal paper turns black from heat or even a warm finger print. It doesnt fade to blank. Who looks stupid now?
Posted by: planetnewbs | October 6, 2006 02:34 PM
Your both stupid. Thermal paper doesnt hold ink because it was never printed with ink. The paper sits in pressure for long enough, the thermal compounds in the paper break down and the receipt dissappears...
Posted by: Some Guy | October 23, 2006 02:13 PM
Yeah I work at a Radioshack and our receipts suck ass. I've had countless customers come back with their receipts barely readable. You could spit on it and the ink would run.
Posted by: Mike | November 12, 2007 11:56 PM
Yeah I work at a Radioshack and our receipts suck balls. I've had countless customers come back with their receipts barely readable.
Posted by: Mike | November 12, 2007 11:57 PM
radio shack must be on corporate welfare (getting money from our tax dollars) or they couldnt afford to be turning away business with their rude and sometimes anti-social customer service. last time i spoke with a radio shack customer service and didnt catch an 800 number the representative wouldnt even repeat the number to me,assuring me he gave me the right number. in other words i do not deserve the courtesy of having the number repeated just to make sure i got it right because you cannot question a god. these guys sound like cops. repeating phrases and numbers is just common phone and radio courtesy.
i was inquring about a digital converter,but i bought it somewhere else. there is evidence that "rat shack"i mean radio shack intentionally sells overpriced defective junk (i guess they were taught that by dell computer company).
just exactly who are these little snotty punks who work at radio shack? what is their malfunction? they sure must not fear losing their job or they would not bite the hand that feeds them so much. it was this punks job to repeat that number to me. im not here to serve radio shack. if radio shack offers a customer support number to the public its they who should serve me.
if we consider radio shack to be an extension of the fascist government here than radio shack people are just typical government employees,lazy and rude,not worrying about losing their pay check because they have no competition and have to commit murder in order to be fired.
maltreatment by customers does not justify taking stuff out on a customer who has been only polite throughout the whole conversation and who has done nothing to you. this is all i meet. punks with chips on their shoulders with hostility to the customer. take your hostility out on the corrupt management and do your job. mistreatment by management is no excuse for directing hostility at customers.
Posted by: mark | August 25, 2008 08:38 AM
Is there any thing else in the world you can find to bitch about. Give me a break. Thermal paper no ink warm areas it diappears. RadioShack has never gotten or tried to ask for goverment money. As far as there employees being lazy and rude How did you treat the minium wage workers?? Like they were your servent there to kiss your ass. Let me see
In my 20 some years I hve walked into best buy, circiut city, walmart, target and got the same service based on my attitude with employees. They are not lazy or they would not have a job.
Posted by: virgil | May 17, 2009 09:53 AM