I try my hardest to avoid Nestle products. They own a million brands, so they make it very difficult. Just look at this list. It's obscene. They might as well own the world.
But if you know anything about this company––and their disdain for anything and anyone who might try to stop them from bottling all the water on the planet and selling it for a profit––then you likely understand the disgust I feel about them and their shoddy business practices. Oh, and don't get me started on the infant formula scandal.
People told us all about the businesses they refuse to deal with after Redditor redoutlaw23 asked the online community,
"What will you boycott until you die?"
"Honestly..."
"Honestly, I'm boycotting booking through any third-party booking sites, period. My bad experience was with a different company (although thanks to acquisitions, they are now part of Expedia), but the #1 thing it taught me was that booking through anyone but the hotel/airline means a customer service nightmare in the event that something goes wrong."
This is precisely why I only book something directly through the hotel or airline. I do not want to deal with the customer service snafu. It will––in the event something goes wrong––always be terrible.
"They have terrible customer service..."
"Harvey Norman. They have terrible customer service and they took a whole lot of Australian government money that they didn't deserve and are refusing to give it back."
"I basically lost..."
"When I was really young, like 12 or 13, the very first bank account I ever had was at a local bank. I saved for ages and had maybe $50 average in the account. Local bank gets bought by a larger bank. Still no issue with my balance fluctuating on the low end. Finally, we end with Bank of America acquiring the bank.
I basically lost all my accounts to fees. My father was incensed and we went in and argued our case for a while. The account was brought over from two banks ago, none had fees and they hadn't told us, etc. No go... so I haven't touched them since."
The predatory behavior banks exhibit with no care for anyone is revolting. I could tell you some stories about Wells Fargo that would make your hair curl.
"Thanks to some whistleblowers..."
"State Farm. Thanks to some whistleblowers, they got busted committing fraud against their customers and the federal government after Hurricane Katrina. They told their claims adjusters to classify damage as flood damage, rather than wind damage, so that they could reject the claim and tell customers to file a federal flood insurance claim."
"They're terrible companies..."
"Multi-level-marketing schemes. They're terrible companies that attract s***** and sometimes desperate people, and train them on how to profit off of their friends and families. They destroy lives and I refuse to support them."
Know a few people who got involved in them and have never left. It's sad. They're drowning in debt but refuse to accept the reality: they've been duped.
"I have been boycotting..."
"I have been boycotting Carnival cruise line ever since I found out they are dumping plastic into the Bahamas. They even admitted to it and received a 20 million dollar fine."
"If you've ever dealt..."
"Sirius XM radio. If you've ever dealt with the customer service when trying to cancel your subscription, you'll understand why."
They make it impossible to cancel. They are the gym of radio services.
People Who Made A Lot Of Money From Something Totally Random | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
"They are horrible to small businesses..."
"Yelp. They are horrible to small businesses and require them to pay a fortune for ads to bury any negative reviews. If the business doesn't spend on ads, they bury the positive reviews. Yelp also seems to attract the worst critics."
"I think the Keurig..."
"K-Cups. I think the Kuerig is a good product, but the disposable k-cups are so wasteful. I have a Kuerig, but I use a reusable pod that you can put ground coffee into."
"Screw the Oscars."
"The Oscars. Screw the Oscars. That Hollywood event has absolutely no business telling anyone what cinema is. 2017 Boss Baby got nominated for best-animated feature, but Your Name didn't? Excuse me? Wtf?"
You'd think just being a decent company would be enough (I am more than happy to patronize businesses with souls) but the pursuit of the almighty dollar can really make some business owners throw their principles out the window.
Have some stories of your own? Feel free to tell us all about them in the comments below!
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
@thetnholler/Bluesky
@wensilver/Bluesky