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.
United Airlines cancels flights without notice. When weather grounds a flight, the airline holds you hostage on the runway with soft drinks and packets of peanuts to sustain you. Then, to make amends, it announces that it plans to cut down on the number of regular flights. Consumers feel as if they have no power. The power to move industry is 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.