Deb Frey: Corporations today are under enormous pressure to produce money for their investors. The systems that we have in place tend to reward people who are willing to push the envelope and test the outer limits of what’s legal.

Much of what is being done to shore up the corporate balance sheets is being done at the customer’s expense. They push the customer pain threshold to the point where what they are doing can only be considered “customer abuse”.

Many of these are companies that we trust with our money, our ideas, and our future wellbeing. Not only are their dealings tantamount to stealing, but their actions are greatly eroding consumer trust in corporate America.

So that’s where we come in.

I work as a researcher for the DaVinci Institute, a futurist think tank based in Louisville, Colorado. My project is to uncover cases of customer abuse and begin compiling industry data and statistics.

Our theory is that specific industries with exceptionally high customer abuse indexes are industries that are ripe for some new player to come in and cut out the legs from under the “old guard”.

I am asking that you send me your customer abuse stories. Specifically, I am asking that you tell me WHO was involved, WHAT the situation was, WHEN it occurred, WHERE it happened, and HOW it turned out.

Industries that are currently on our watch list include: Banks, Credit Card Companies, HMO’s, Telephone Companies, Cell Phone Companies, Car Dealerships, Hospitals, Cable and Satellite Dish Companies, Hotels, Collection Agencies and the IRS.

But don’t let this list limit your thinking. If you have a clear cut case of customer abuse, please send it to deb(at)davinciinstitute(dot)com.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Deb Frey