Readers’ peeves are courtesy, clerks and tiny type

In response to our invitation for readers to share their pet beefs (or is it “beeves”?), Nancy Gray of Mount Desert writes, “Here is my beef: businesses who neither keep appointments or call to cancel. Here’s an example: consumer calls business to schedule an appointment; date and time is scheduled; consumer rearranges his-her busy schedule to be home, work area is prepared for the convenience of the ‘repair person’ who neither shows up nor calls to cancel.

“What happened to common courtesy? Three times in as many months this has happened to me. First it was a carpenter to repair a leaking skylight. When he didn’t show or call the first time I called him to reschedule. No show or call the second time. So much for that business!

“Next was the plumber: appointment made to repair a leaking pipe at my Dad’s house. Another no show, no call. Frustration and anger has really set in by this time!

“Third happening: appointment made with gas company for the connection of a gas stove. Stove ready, hole for gas line drilled and I sit home and wait – once again no show or no phone call. The above three will not get my vote again.

“Does that explain why we have so many ‘do it yourselfers’? Perhaps this also explains improper utility installations and deadly fires. Perhaps this also explains why so many businesses fail. I may be just one little frog in a big pond, but lots of little frogs are what keep business afloat! Thank you for allowing me to vent my beef.”

Deb Dufton of Hampden writes, “Here’s my beef! After completing a purchase, while receiving change and-or the receipt, clerks often now say “There you go!’ as though he-she has just done me a favor! Time was when a clerk said ‘thank you’ indicating that the management, at least, valued your patronage. Now it seems that the customer is in a position of thanking the clerk for being bothered to serve you.

“Isn’t something wrong here – or have I just not kept pace with the times?”

You’re right Deb, there is something wrong. Common courtesy is not a curriculum item in most schools, is too often not a part of upbringing, and is not well-monitored in many stores.

And here’s one from the staff at the Maine Center for the Public Interest. As typefaces, font sizes, and manufacturing imprinting technologies become more sophisticated, the size or visibility of important instructions can become more difficult to read. This is true for anyone who does not have perfect vision, especially for older Americans and the visually impaired.

If only making the buttons on a TV, VCR, cellphone or appliance difficult to read, type size is a bother. But when household chemicals, over-the-counter drugs and prescription medications are involved, not being able to clearly read doses, directions and ingredients can be downright dangerous. The typefaces are becoming so small on many of these items that even people with strong vision must squint to read the text or numbers.

Perhaps it’s time for manufacturers to agree on a universal standard when it comes to critical information or to at least recognize that being able to cram an encyclopedia onto a napkin is nice, but it is also important that consumers be able to read the information.

To share your “beef,” write to Consumer Forum or e-mail “beef@consumerprotect.org” and include the words “here’s my beef” on the envelope or in the subject line. In either case, please be sure to include your full name and mailing address.

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast COMBAT/The Maine Center for the Public Interest, Maine’s membership-funded nonprofit consumer organization. For help or to request individual or business membership information write: Consumer Forum, Bangor Daily News, PO Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329.