Consumerist: Happiness

Money Can Apparently Buy Happiness

Carey — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Feeling down? Money might help, according to Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers. The Wharton economists released a paper arguing that countries with higher gross domestic products have happier citizens. The study shatters the conventional wisdom known as the Easterlin Paradox, which holds that GDP and happiness are largely unrelated.

Prof Wolfers said he and Prof Stevenson had reached their dissenting conclusion partly owing to improved international statistics, covering more countries - poor as well as rich - and a greater number of happiness surveys that had been conducted over the past three decades.
The paper will be discussed next week at the spring economic conference of Brookings, the think-tank, and is likely to provoke lively debate.

Prof Easterlin, who has seen a draft of the paper, said he believed that as far as he was concerned his paradox still stood.

While commending his younger critics for "serious research", he said they needed to focus more on what was happening within specific countries, rather than "throwing all of these countries together".

A quick glance at the IMF's GDP rankings show a few glaring contradictions. China ranks two notches higher than France in GDP, not happiness, and everyone's favorite Middle Eastern playground, Iran, falls just two slots behind Denmark. And, of course, everyone is sadder than the United States. Um, maybe this Easterlin fellow was right after all.

Money can buy you happiness, say researchers [Financial Times]
List of countries by GDP [Wikipedia]

Pepsi Loves You And Sends You Replacement Mountain Dew

Meg Marco — Fri, 18 May 2007 13:13:50 EDT

Adam got two stale Mountain Dews from a vending machine, so he called Pepsi to express his displeasure. Pepsi response made Adam so happy he wrote to us to express his joy. Did Pepsi do anything "above and beyond?" No, not really. They were simply nice to Adam, and did what they said they'd do.
The result is a customer happy enough to write a mean old website about it.

Adam writes:

So I purchased a Mountain Dew out of my office's Pepsi Co. stocked vending machine, and I noticed that the date had expired. I thought nothing of it, so I slammed the Dew and it tasted only slightly flat. I couple weeks later, I purchased a second bottle of Dewey goodness, and this bottle date had already passed as well. So I called Pepsi Co. told them the situation, the woman on the phone was very pleasant and apologetic, and she said that she'd send me out a replacement right away. Less than a week later, (before I even had time to recycle the previous bottle) I received a coupon for one free 6 or 8 pack of any can or bottle product from Pepsi. I was amazed at their turn-around time. Good job Pepsi, thanks for the fresh Dew!

-Adam

That's just so cute. —MEGHANN MARCO
(Photo: Maulleigh)

Zappos Has Otherworldy Customer Service

Meg Marco — Thu, 17 May 2007 12:39:05 EDT

Over at Freakonomics they're swooning over Zappos.com's excellent customer service, and indeed the post reads like some sort of shopping fantasy:

My wife had ordered a pair of sandals from Zappos. When they arrived, she found that they didn't fit. She tried to order the right size, but Zappos was sold out of her size. So here's what the company offered: she could return the sandals (for free), Zappos would refund the purchase price and they'd send her a $25 coupon toward her next purchase.

But wait — there's more! Zappos also offered to try to locate a pair of the sandals in her size from another vendor. (Hah! Sure, they will!) Fifteen minutes later, the company called my wife and told her they'd found her sandals, in her size, at another online merchant — "and," the Zappos clerk told her, "they're even cheaper at this other site!"

Wow. That's... wonderful. —MEGHANN MARCO

Customer Service Heaven [Freakonomics]

Holiday Shopper Survey: Netflix Top, CDW Bottom

Ben Popken — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 14:19:53 EST

A survey of 10,000+ consumers ranked the best and worst shopping sites during the the 2006 holiday season.

Netflix, Amazon, and LL Bean emerged flush and aglow, while CompUSA, Costco and CDW scraped the bottom of the felch bucket.

Full results inside...

— BEN POPKEN

Holiday Shopping: Netflix, Amazon, LL Bean, QVC Lead Top E-Tailers [Business Wire]

KitchenAid is Awesome; Replaces 4 Year Old Mixer

Meg Marco — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 11:55:06 EST

Robin recently had a terrible experience with a broken Roomba and the unhelpful people at iRobot, so she was shocked and amazed by the helpful customer service of KitchenAid. From her email:

"Recently, while grinding meat, the KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer that my husband and I received as a wedding present in 2002 came to a screeching halt - complete with burning smell and ear-deafening noise. The mixer had the phone number listed it so I figured, what the hell. I called them, bracing myself for a repair estimate that would cost almost as much as a replacement mixer."

KitchenAid offered to send her an estimate kit for $30, and she agreed.

"Thirty bucks seemed like a reasonable fee to pay to have someone tell me what was wrong with my dead mixer so I rattled off my credit card number and, being the skeptic I am, started pricing new mixers.

A few days later I received a box with detailed instructions for packing up my mixer, a pre-paid shipping decal and styrofoam molded perfectly to the shape of our mixer. Everything fit perfectly in the box—we sealed it up, sent it off and hoped for the best. So far so good—painless and easy."

Today KitchenAid called with good news and bad news. The bad news was that her mixer was totally trashed and could not be repaired. The good news was, Robin was getting a replacement mixer free of charge.

"I was so excited I almost cried—so instead I did the next best thing: I emailed you guys so you could spread the news about my newfound appreciation and love for KitchenAid. From start to finish, my experience has been pleasurable—kind people, informative representative and a better-than expected outcome. I couldn't ask for more. "

Good job, KitchenAid! We have nothing snarky to say. —MEGHANN MARCO

Read Robin's email inside.

Coming off of a very, very bad experience with the iRobot people (in which they informed me that they do not perform repairs (at all) on Roombas that are out of the 1-year warranty but instead will sell you a refurbished Roomba (if you package up your old, broken Roomba and send it to them) for $5 less than you can purchase a new one.) I had a great experience with KitchenAid that I thought you should know about.

Recently, while grinding meat, the KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer that my husband and I received as a wedding present in 2002 came to a screeching halt - complete with burning smell and ear-deafening noise. The mixer had the phone number listed it so I figured, what the hell. I called them, bracing myself for a repair estimate that would cost almost as much as a replacement mixer.

After giving the rep my mixer serial and model numbers, she informed me that for $30 they'd send me a kit in which I could pack up my mixer and send it to them - once they received it, they would call me with an estimate. Thirty bucks seemed like a reasonable fee to pay to have someone tell me what was wrong with my dead mixer so I rattled off my credit card number and, being the skeptic I am, started pricing new mixers.

A few days later I received a box with detailed instructions for packing up my mixer, a pre-paid shipping decal and styrofoam molded perfectly to the shape of our mixer. Everything fit perfectly in the box - we sealed it up, sent it off and hoped for the best. So far so good - painless and easy.

Today (a few weeks later) I received a call from KitchenAid. "I'm calling about your mixer," the rep began. "We have good news and bad news - I'm going to start with the bad. Your (hauck?) gear is frozen and your mixer cannot be repaired."

My heart dropped and I envisioned another Roomba-type scenario in which they would inform me that they'd sell me a refurbished mixer at close to the retail price of a new one.

"The good news is that we're replacing your mixer - free of charge."

I was so excited I almost cried - so instead I did the next best thing: I emailed you guys so you could spread the news about my newfound appreciation and love for KitchenAid. From start to finish, my experience has been pleasurable - kind people, informative representative and a better-than expected outcome. I couldn't ask for more.

Want my advice about how to spend that money you've got burning a hole in your pocket and need to buy Mom something for Christmas? Get a KitchenAid mixer and skip the Roomba.

-Robin

Bed, Bath and Beyond Will Let You Return, Like, Anything

Meg Marco — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 14:27:50 EDT

Reader John bought a Eureka vacuum cleaner from Bed Bath and Beyond in March. When the vacuum stopped working in August, John called Eureka. They asked that he get the vacuum repaired himself. John took said appliance to a local Brooklyn hole-in-the-wall repair place where it was "repaired" and by "repaired" we mean "stored for several days and returned." From John's email:

"He kept asking "did you check the hose? there's probably something in the hose" there wasn't, we get the "repaired" vacuum back... still broken. I called him back and he repeats the same "something in the hose" story and I decide its time just to buy a new vacuum."

That's when John's wife hears that Bed, Bath and Beyond had a "liberal" return policy:

"I walk in with the credit card I bought the vacuum on and after a relatively short wait in line... done. They'd credited me the full amount back to my credit card no suspicious glares, long interrogations or CSR's with attitude. So I was in and out with a credit and a new vacuum in about a half hour (most of that was waiting in Manhattan sized lines). The checkout guy was even nice and funny..."

Conglatulations to you Bed, Bath and Beyond. Your gracious acceptance of a broken, obviously well-used vacuum has earned you the love of a consumer and a tip of the hat from Consumerist. We feel warm. We feel fuzzy. We think we're going to return that broken coffee pot. Read the rest of John's adventure after the jump.

Hey Consumerist, Just wanted to drop you a "yay big box store" email. I'm not a big fan of said big box stores in general, but Bed Bath and Beyond wins points for its liberal return policy (as long as you follow the rules). Last March I bought a Eureka Mighty Mite vacuum at the Bed Bath and Beyond in Manhattan, all was well until about a month ago. The Mighty Mite up and went dead on us, so being past the usual 90 day warrantee for defects I went to the manual to see what to do. Eureka specifically asks that if there are problems take it to an authorized service center instead of returning it to the company. So I hit the web and find the local repair center. I take it to the repair center, its a very small old school brooklyn repair shop where I'm not sure they did anything to it. He kept asking "did you check the hose? there's probably something in the hose" there wasn't, we get the "repaired" vacuum back... still broken. I called him back and he repeats the same "something in the hose" story and I decide its time just to buy a new vacuum. I kind of want to rat the place out because they definitely prefer up selling to repairs but that's not what this letter is about.
Then my wife finds out that Bed Bath and Beyond has a liberal return policy. We have all the parts, we have the receipt, so off to BB&B I got. I walk in with the credit card I bought the vacuum on and after a relatively short wait in line... done. They'd credited me the full amount back to my credit card no suspicious glares, long interrogations or CSR's with attitude. So I was in and out with a credit and a new vacuum in about a half hour (most of that was waiting in Manhattan sized lines). The checkout guy was even nice and funny...

So hats off to Bed Bath and Beyond they've earned me as a loyal customer for a good long while.
Thanks

The Therapeutic Power of Moderate Lottery Winnings

consumerist.com — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 09:00:58 EDT

Whenever anyone says that money can't buy happiness, I immediately assume they secretly gamble and hypocritically buy up stacks of lottery tickets, hoping for that big score. They regularly use lingo like "quick pick" and "trifecta wheel."

It turns out that (gasp!) money does indeed buy happiness. But not too much money. New research, to be published in the Journal of Health Economics, suggests that there is a sweet spot: "Medium-sized lottery wins ranging from about $2,000 to $225,000 had a long-term sustained impact in the overall happiness of the winners."

That's a rather wide range to consider "medium." I guess my credit card bill qualifies as Chase's moderate windfall.

But getting the ginormous checks apparently don't boost happiness. Nonetheless, I wouldn't mind giving it a spin.

How big a lottery prize returns happiness? [UPI]