back-words... of consumer frustrations with a favored product...

*** Downy never did reply to me. perhaps they considered me to be a flake or worse? i think they could have at least addressed my product inquiry...

Sunday, November 2, 2008
of consumer frustrations with a favored product...
Who has a favorite product? Chances are that we all have at least one. Chances also are that at least one of our favorite products have become hard to find or even discontinued. If it starts to happen to you too many times you might feel a little frustrated as a result. The following is a letter I sent to Downy because I can no longer find a product they declare is not discontinued and should be found at any of my local stores. What transpires of this is yet to be known, but I thought I would share my experience thus far...

Citrus & Light™ Ultra Downy® with Febreze® Fresh Scent-
This is possibly one of the best products Downy has ever released. My family has used Downy for generations beginning with my grandmother. Now I use it, too. However, being a male, I prefer something a little more masculine which is why I prefer the Citrus & Light scent.

Unfortunately in recent months I cannot find it anywhere anymore- not at my usual grocery stores (Giant, Safeway, Harris Teeter) nor at places such as Target, KMart, or WalMart. I cannot even find a way to purchase it online. What is the situation? Your Q&A section does not specify Citrus & Light as being discontinued, only "compacted." The product line area of your site does not indicate anything is discontinued at all. I find the lack of continuity distressing.

About a month ago, I tried to acquire a coupon for Downy on your site, but it was for a specific line I had no interest in. Shouldn't I, the consumer, be allowed to choose which style of Downy I choose to apply a coupon toward? It's a little misleading to offer a coupon toward downy and then realize it is toward only one specific style or type.

The lack of continuity between shapes, sizes, and opaqueness of bottle is also disconcerting- it becomes difficult to search for things if they do not mark a basic commonality. Downy's effort to shake things up to look fresh, new, exciting, and different fails- and this is coming from a multi-generational family user. I'm sure opinions and concerns from a user with a background such as mine bares more heft. As I say, I love the product; I am just dismayed at how Downy has been handling things as of late.

Additionally, I do not see a point in making multi-lingual product labeling. As your company has specified, this product is for North American users- not South American, not Central American, nor others. While the Unites States in particular may be a massive multicultural melting pot, our national language is still English and we should encourage all new-comers to this great country to learn its national language if they haven't already. Downy should realize English is a major international language being learned and used world-wide, especially for business. With foreign countries actively searching and hiring native English-speaking teachers to teach the language, it would seem that Downy, a North American company, would choose to sell a North American product in North America in its native tongue, English. All the extra translations do is clutter up the packaging and aside from that Downy is pretty easy to use- one doesn't even need pictographs; one capful for one load and it can either be tossed in during the rinse or a Downy ball can be used, which is what I do.

The Downy ball really eliminates the hassle of an extra step in my laundry process, which saves me time to get other things done. Clearly I love the product and the convenience it adds to my life, so why why not make things easier for longterm users such as myself by making the bottles easier to buy, find, and read?

I really would like to buy some Citrus & Light™ Ultra Downy® with Febreze® Fresh Scent, but I just can't seem to find it anymore. I can't adequately describe what a frustrating experience that is. Surely many of the individuals who comprise Downy have endured similar situations with being unable to find favorite products.

Additionally of note, I am aware my little tirade may not be received with open arms, but is it not the desire of a company to please existing customers and not to lose them in the hopes of acquiring potentially new customers? If there are multiple departments within Downy as I suspect there are, it would be my wish to have my letter forwarded to as many of those departments as possible so that they may gain the perspective of an existing customer with a longterm multi-generational consumer commitment such as mine. Otherwise, it would seem my thoughts are merely in the rinse. Thank you for your time and consideration. I remain in hopes you can shed some light on where I can purchase more Citrus & Light™ Ultra Downy® with Febreze® Fresh Scent.

Sincerely,
Scott Cherry