QOD

Filed in National by on May 14, 2009

Have you boycotted any products or companies in the past 90 days?

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  1. MJ says:
    May 14, 2009 at 8:44 am

    No, but will be in the future.

  2. G Rex says:
    May 14, 2009 at 8:48 am

    Mexicans, ’cause dey all got teh pig SARS!

  3. Rebecca says:
    May 14, 2009 at 8:49 am

    I’ve been boycotting Walmart for years, does that count?

  4. edisonkitty says:
    May 14, 2009 at 8:53 am

    We stopped buying Hershey anything when they shut down the PA factory and went to Mexico.

  5. anon says:
    May 14, 2009 at 8:57 am

    Not so much boycotting, as being frugal and refusing to be a sucker. For example…

    Sticking with my current cable plan instead of taking the teaser rates for the new services.

    No big-screen TV, because nowadays that means paying an extra monthly fee for HD service.

    Keeping phone and Internet services on separate providers instead of bundling.

    Use open-source software; won’t buy any electronic gadget that is tied to Microsoft Windows for its basic functioning. Just spent a morning configuring some free tools to avoid buying Visio.

    Won’t buy any gadget with an “iPod dock.”

    No game consoles, because we don’t need to sit on our asses in front of a screen more than we already do.

    Getting ready to cancel my land line telephone.

  6. cassandra_m says:
    May 14, 2009 at 9:01 am

    I’m with Rebecca — I never shop at Walmart (well, just once really, in Anchorage).

    And I never donate anything to the Salvation Army — they openly discriminate against gays and lesbians and (at least in NY) have been requiring employees in the social services group to pledge allegiance to the SA’s religious mission.

  7. Donsquishydishimaharishi says:
    May 14, 2009 at 9:07 am

    I too make an outright attempt to not shop at Wmart. I have purchased 3 items there in 5 years. And I’m not proud of that either.

    I’m ashamed to say I haven’t left B of A. I have car loans, money market account and a credit card. However, when the car loans are done I will make more of an effort to bank with smaller banks.

    So done with them

  8. pandora says:
    May 14, 2009 at 9:12 am

    Count me as one who won’t shop at Walmart. And while I don’t boycott chain restaurants (TGIFridays, Sullivans, etc) I avoid them, preferring to give my money to an individually owned restaurant – besides the food’s a lot better!

  9. Von Cracker says:
    May 14, 2009 at 9:25 am

    Kelloggs and Walmart.

  10. Unstable Isotope says:
    May 14, 2009 at 9:30 am

    Walmart as well.

    I also try to avoid companies with a known wingnut running them, if I can.

  11. G Rex says:
    May 14, 2009 at 9:32 am

    Wait a minute, Salvation Army you say? Sounds like a dangerous right wing militia! Does Janet Napolitano know about this?

  12. liberalgeek says:
    May 14, 2009 at 9:47 am

    I am not nearly as anti-Walmart as some. They have made strives that I commend them for, such as their aggressive marketing of CFL’s and their response (which was better than FEMAs) to Katrina.

    I have continued my boycott of Faux News and have extended it to ABC’s news coverage.

    And let me answer for a few other people. Mike Matthews has boycotted DelawareLiberal commenting, as has Liz Allen. I want their voices to be heard in this thread, even if it is only an echo…

  13. Joanne Christian says:
    May 14, 2009 at 9:53 am

    U.S. Air at every opportunity.

  14. jason330 says:
    May 14, 2009 at 9:56 am

    I’ve sworn off Trump Casinos because “Celebrity Apprentice” was fixed.

  15. nemski says:
    May 14, 2009 at 9:58 am

    All right-wing blogs in Delaware (that includes Matthews).

  16. RSmitty says:
    May 14, 2009 at 10:04 am

    PNC bank. Terrible experience with them and their fees and their magical formula to post a Sunday transaction ahead of a Saturday transaction, not just once, but continually…it came from this horrible situation of digging out of the financial quagmire of my wife’s accident of three years ago. On my own fault, I overlooked an auto-payment of $594.something more than once. Three of those times, that ACH fell on a Sunday. On those three times, I also happened to use the check card (with PIN, so a POS txn, not the VISA-CCard txn) on a Saturday: groceries, gas, etc. Nothing extravegant. The combination of all caused an overdraft. Had they done they widely accepted FIFO accounting method, all of the several Saturday txns would have cleared the posting cycle first and the one Sunday pending txn would have overdrafted with one fee. In this bizarre combination, they always manage to clear that particular Sunday txn causing the several smaller PIN-based txns to overdraft at a clip of $39 a piece for fees. They have NEVER, NEVER allowed a request to reverse that fee. When I ask why they don’t do FIFO, they tell me they have to allow the “guaranteed” txn (ACH) clear first. I asked them then what the hell a PIN txn is, then, since that also is a non-reversable transaction (BTW, an ACH is reversable, a PIN is not, so they bullshitted this all the way). All they could say was it was not the first to clear. Whatever. 7 times $39 of free money vs one-times-$39.
    PNC = Prefers No Customers.

  17. RSmitty says:
    May 14, 2009 at 10:05 am

    All right-wing blogs in Delaware (that includes Matthews).
    Too bad, you’ve been missing some of my better rants as of late.

  18. RSmitty says:
    May 14, 2009 at 10:09 am

    I’d like to tell you of Joanne’s unspoken boycott:
    Any soda not labelled “Tab.” It’s widely believed to be because none of those other posers have that lemony-fresh effervesent tickle to the nose and ever-joyful taste.

  19. Brian Shields says:
    May 14, 2009 at 10:12 am

    Nope. Can’t think of anything.

    umm… I don’t buy anything, really. I try to buy organic when I can, if it is available.

    I boycott politicians who don’t represent their constituents.

    I used to be brand loyal to Pepsi, but I quit drinking sodas that aren’t in glass bottles. Been buying all my sodas in Spanish tiendas, buy less, taste better.

    If I had the money to be able to afford to do so, I would buy sustainable, organic, and stuff made with renewable energy.

  20. anon says:
    May 14, 2009 at 10:15 am

    RSmitty.. I had the same problem at my bank… (overdraft fees incurred when by rights, they should have declined the transaction).

    This is akin to the supposedly outlawed practice of “pyramiding late fees” except with overdrafts instead.

    I got to the point where I stopped using my ATM card altogether and just carried cash.

    Funny story… at the time I was self-employed, and my personal checking account was kept rather low for tax reasons… but I had plenty of money in my business account at the same bank.

    So I would go to the bank and hassle the teller about the stupid multiple overdraft charges. Then when I was done I would deposit my latest checks into the business account, and when he pulled up the account and saw the balance, his script forced him to try to sell me additional loans and services on the spot… comedy ensued as I climbed up on my high horse and told him off.

  21. Joanne Christian says:
    May 14, 2009 at 10:29 am

    Smitty-you are so right w/ PNC–and won’t do any business loans/work w/ them. But, I gotta say they can turn around equity, lines of credit, and second loans with lightening speed and low rates.
    They have tried to regain the business side back, claiming it was a transitional time for PNC etc., etc., etc., but holy cow this was business too, and time is money!!! I do applaud the customer service since then.

  22. Joanne Christian says:
    May 14, 2009 at 10:42 am

    TAB? When Coke kicked it to the curb 30 years ago, as Diet Coke was introduced, you bet the boycott was on–and really still is. Never buy it outright as stock item, and only as a default drink in restaurants, when I’m all watered up. But few here, if any, can appreciate my diet soda struggles…..siggghhhh
    Believe it or not–DietRite Cola is an OK product, ahead of Diet Coke, but I have to say Coke Zero is making an impression–but hit or miss availability.

  23. cassandra_m says:
    May 14, 2009 at 10:49 am

    I like Coke Zero Cherry alot. I also Fresca (which came back!) Black Cherry.

    Thanks for the info re: PNC. I want to change my bank and PNC was at the top of the list.

  24. Brian Shields says:
    May 14, 2009 at 10:49 am

    I occasionally see Tab in Food Lion. Don’t know if it was there for 30 years, though.

  25. Joanne Christian says:
    May 14, 2009 at 10:59 am

    cass-I just set one of the kids up at WSFS for personal banking in the last year–way nice so far.

    Again, I still keep personal at PNC, because incredible speed to access, process, increases, adjustments, equity, loans, AND great rates, rather than re-start each and everytime w/ some mortgage company. Great service to that end, and always a great rate (20 yr. customer), but the business branch was hellatious, and I was skittish to retry. Good Luck.

  26. RSmitty says:
    May 14, 2009 at 10:59 am

    I like Coke Zero Cherry alot. I also Fresca (which came back!) Black Cherry.

    My wife and I love Coke Cherry Zero, too.

    Can’t do Fresca, although I do miss it. I have to take Lipitor daily (ah…the life of a former junk food junkie) and the grapefruit extract in all Fresca lines causes an interaction issue which presents itself as bad stomach pains. Talk about a crazy cause-and-effect, but ’tis true. One of the warnings with Lipitor is to NOT ingest any form of grapefruit and that is 100% real grapefruit extract in Fresca.

  27. RSmitty says:
    May 14, 2009 at 11:02 am

    On PNC, they were my first and only checking/savings bank since my mother helped me open one when I was 10 years old (Bank of Delaware then). It was only this year, some 29 years later, that they lost me forever. It had nothing to do with tellers or location-employees. This was over-the-phone service and the obvious scripting they (and their supervisors for that matter) have to follow. Eff ’em. They lost me to WSFS. Better I go with a Delaware-local business, anyway. PNC is Pittsburgh-based.

  28. h. says:
    May 14, 2009 at 11:12 am

    I boycotted the Girl Scout cookies because they don’t support teh gays. Fuck those future neo-con wives. And I don’t mind tellin’ them why when they ask…… and the cookies really aren’t good for you.

    PNC sucks as well.

  29. Donsquishydishimaharishi says:
    May 14, 2009 at 11:45 am

    comedy ensued as I climbed up on my high horse and told him off.

    how can one climb on a high horse when they stoop to tell them off?

  30. Concerned David says:
    May 14, 2009 at 2:14 pm

    Yes, I have but I won’t tell you which because you might go out and support them. Planned Parenthood national sponsors and PFLAG sponsors are at the top of my list. My boycott of Circuit City for its anti-worker firing of every non management worker who made over 10 an hour is over for obvious reasons.

    More importantly, I have made a positive effort to buy North American esp. USA made products. The more local the better.

  31. Nosy says:
    May 14, 2009 at 2:18 pm

    Same issue with PNC and like you Smitty, I also started as a child with a savings account at Bank of Delaware. I figured out that what they do is pay the most expensive item first leaving a low balance so that most or all of the remaining transactions bounce. They don’t go in order of when they hit the account — they do it from highest to lowest amounts.

    I deposited my paycheck (drawn off of a PNC acct too) on a Thursday. Spent money Friday, Saturday and Sunday (and paid mad bills online Friday). MONDAY they bounced the check. I made a deposit on Thursday into the business checking – the same day I deposited my paycheck into my account. They would have known on Friday if there was insufficient funds in the business account but they didn’t bounce it until Monday causing almost $700 in bounced check fees!

    I called the 800 number and literally cried and bitched to the woman on the other end to no avail. Then, my boss called down to the PNC branch in Chesapeake City and a manager there got every single overdraft fee wiped off of my account and paid all of my bills that came through!

    If she hadn’t done that I was going to get a new paycheck cut and immediately open an account at another bank. I didn’t have to that time but I will if anything similar happens again!

  32. Perry says:
    May 14, 2009 at 2:33 pm

    Nosy, you need overdraft protection!

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