A man riding on the old Erie Railroad spots a bug crawling across his Pullman bed. Irate, he writes a letter complaining to the railroad. He receives a letter from the president of the railroad apologizing and stating that this has never happened in the history of the railroad. Unfortunately, accidentally clipped to the letter is a note that the president had only intended for his secretary to see. These days, what the consumer mostly gets is neglect.
Firestone sells apparently defective tires but refuses to acknowledge responsibility.
Then, to make amends, it announces that it plans to cut down on the number of regular flights. Fewer flights to fewer places, but it beats sitting on the runway for 12 hours. Consumers feel as if they have no power. The power to move industry resides on Wall Street, whose analysts can diminish a company's value overnight, and in Washington, where regulators can change the size and profitability of a company without batting an eye. In the shadow of these behemoths, the consumer is reduced to a tiny figure crying in the wilderness.