What is it with companies that don’t take responsibility for faulty merchandise? I recently bought a toaster from a reputable company. It’s a good toaster and I’m happy with it. I decided to gift it to my daughter-in-law when she told me that her toaster oven had caught fire.

I bought in online and had it shipped to her house directly. When it arrived, it was in pieces. Not in its entirety, but parts of the window and where the cord meets the base were broken off. She took photos but didn’t tell me immediately because I was in hospital.

It’s now two months since I placed the order, six weeks since she received the item. I called the company, and their first response was “we shipped it in pristine condition.” OK, maybe. But it didn’t arrive as such.

Now they want photos, which fortunately my daughter-in-law took and are date-stamped. I am hopeful that they will simply send her a new one and she can toss the other one because it’s not fixable.

But why do they have to make us, their clientele, feel as though we’re the bad guys? As though we’re doing something dodgy and mischievous. All they’ve managed to do is lose me as a future customer – and I was a repeat customer!

Toasted

I agree that there is a way of conducting a conversation in which the problem can be solved without pointing fingers, placing blame, or making anyone feel badly. Some people – business or otherwise – are naturally more combative, while others are naturally more calm, understanding and amenable. But in the service industry, I strongly believe that the “face” of the company should be kind and helpful right off the bat.

And you’re right, when it comes to goods and services, there are plenty of everything on the market. If a company doesn’t treat you well, it’s easy to find another just as comparable. So, it behooves them more to be kind, understanding and helpful as opposed to aggressive, defensive and blaming.

Hopefully, your DIL will get a replacement toaster, and you’ll never have to deal with that company again.

What is it with teenagers? And are the boys the same as the girls? My daughter, 16 and in grade 10, refuses to wear a jacket when it’s -10 degrees outside! She freaks out if I even suggest she put one on! And there’s no way on this earth that you could get her to mess up her hair with a hat. She’s literally willing to get frostbite on her ears as long as her hair is perfect. She doesn’t even own gloves, so that’s a moot point.

I understand that she goes from the house to the car(pool), and from the car into school. But what about when she tells me she “ran” to Starbucks at lunch? In what? Her hoodie?

And the biggest joke of all is that come summer, when it’s too hot to wear more than a tank top and flip flops, she’ll be sporting that same hoodie (over her bikini).

I don’t get it! Does this generation of teenagers have flipped inner temperature gauges?

Inappropriate outerwear

From my understanding, yes – the teenage boys are the same as the girls. No jackets, no hats, no gloves. I honestly don’t know how they don’t freeze. Yesterday I saw a group of boys on lunch break from a private school near my home. They were wearing their uniforms…. And no jackets! Three were in just their shirts, while two had on their blazers, and one had a school sweater. All were in loafers trying not to slip on the ice.

These are our future leaders. Haha!

FEEDBACK Regarding the snoring partner (Nov. 25):

Reader – “There may also be health issues at play here.  Maybe a ‘sleep test’ would be helpful.  Snoring is often a sign of ‘sleep apnea.’

“Regarding the ‘other end,’ this may also be a signal of something serious in his digestive track. What exactly is the alcohol triggering?  Based on the description, it seems like some things are more than just little annoyances.  Could these be early indicators for issues that may become more dominant and prominent as aging progresses?

“There may also be an aversion to alcohol itself.  Could he be stressing his body and his body is trying to send back signals?  And if he continues, something more serious could develop.

“I think a trip to the doctor may be warranted. Plus, there is still the nighttime activities that he is missing out on.”