The Frugal Web: Letter Writing and Creative Frugality

I wrote about the surprise experience that I had with a CrockPot pot that had a hairline crack in it that worsened after one use. After emailing the company on 2/13 I called them on 2/18 and spoke with a pleasant agent named Amber who informed me that Crockpot has a 1 year warranty on most of their products and since I was under that warranty they would be sending out a brand new pot at no charge! And I thought I was going to have to fight them about it; I had pictures on the ready and everything.

Stoneware $15.00 1 $0.00
Subtotal =			$0.00
S & H =			$0.00
Estimated Tax =			$0.00
Order Total =			$0.00

And finally, on 2/13 I also emailed the Science Diet dog food company about two things: 1. I have an 8yr dog that has no teeth and has to eat wet dog food all the time, but the company never has coupons for wet food, always dry dog food. 2. Why do they only have two flavors for senior wet food?
There response was made that following Monday:
"As a consumer products company, we are always pleased to know what consumers have to say about our products, and we thank you for your communication. In fact, other consumers who have contacted us have mentioned the same or similar idea in the past. At this time, we are unable to discuss future product or marketing plans. Nevertheless, we are always happy to hear from consumers who take this kind of interest in our products.

We also have available for mature adult dogs Hill's® Science Diet® Mature Adult Active Longevity™ Gourmet Turkey Entrée Dog Food Canned.

Your loyalty means a lot to us. A Hill's® Science Diet® Welcome Package, including a $3.50 off coupon, will be mailed to you.

We appreciate that you took the time to contact us. If you have any further questions or comments, please feel free to call our Consumer Affairs Department toll free at 1-800-445-5777 or visit our website at HillsPet.com ."

Throughout it all, it has been a pleasant experience in dealing with companies today and I spent no money on stamps and only a few minutes in correspondence. There are a couple other companies I have been meaning to giving my opinion to and maybe get some more coupons in return.


Have you had good or bad experiences with certain companies in responding?

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Did you know that the Festival of Frugality is still going on strong into it's 4th year? I wanted to let you know that they still have some wonderful link to creative frugality, even into it's 217th edition over at SimplyForties. Check it out!

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Also I wanted to pull out a couple tips I found from LifeHacker's Tip Box:
HouseWarming Gifts - "If you're searching for the perfect housewarming gift, don't overlook the usefulness of an emergency kit specific to the region where you live. A couple of years ago my boyfriend moved down here to Florida from Colorado. As a housewarming present, I made him a hurricane kit with..."
Special Orders at a Restaurant to Save Money - "When customizing at restaurants, specify "Only " instead of what you don't want. Sometimes, it skips extra charges and usually ensures your order is just like you want it. At McDonald's, I order burgers with "Only mayo and onions". If I tell them to "Add mayo", I'll be charged $0.25 for it."

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I love history and I found this article from Modern Mechanix of interest as someone who likes to collect old money.
Making Your Money Last Longer (Jan, 1929) 

"The advent and popularization of the automobile, strange to say, increased the wear and tear to which dollar bills were exposed so that their life was shortened one-half. The remarkable prosperity of these United States has also increased the ordinary use of paper currency. Before the automobile, our one dollar greenbacks and silver currency were serviceable for 12 months’ use. The full moon of the motor age cut this life cycle in half."