Let’s make consumer protection again.
Despite the past four years of inflation, the rise of technology in all aspects of life has left ordinary consumers increasingly vulnerable. The abusive denigration of consumers as de facto store employees is common in the proliferation of self-checkouts. If technology replaces people, doesn’t that mean lower wages, benefits, and associated human costs? Yet prices remain high. Companies forced to raise wages would simply raise prices to compensate. What can consumers do about this? We can refuse to comply: consumers don’t work in stores! Of course, business bigwigs will say, hiring people adds costs that they would pass on – but they’ve already done that – prices have already become exorbitant despite the technology.
Another glaring affront to consumers is widespread gift card scams, which companies fail to prevent (keep gift cards behind the counter, like cigarettes!) and, worse, fail to prevent them. remedy in the store. Working-class people cannot afford to wait for corporate executives to deliberate on what to do.
Local store managers should be empowered to compensate defrauded customers on the spot. KOHL’s in West Jordan sold me such a card. I called the number on the card: I spoke to an agent in a foreign country who I barely understand. I spoke to the store manager; he gave me another number to call and offered calming words. Sound familiar? Finally, after over two hours of calling, transferring and dropping calls, another agent told me that the issue needed to be resolved with my bank, since the gift card had been paid for with a credit card.
Big box stores like KOHL should have better policies to manage the sale of their gift cards, including protective packaging; they should be subject to government regulation.
Automated customer help lines and customer service agents are just part of a technology-dependent system aimed at discouraging customers from demanding real human solutions.
Technology without humanity is a perversion of society, open to fraud and abuse. Let’s make consumer protection again!
Teresa Stillo Ramirez, Taylorsville