Recently I was looking into replacement skylights for my house and was recommended Velux. Found the web site and called them, told them I needed a brochure that included centimeters or millimeters. They told me they did not have such a brochure and could not supply one.
I said to the agent that they did not seem to be complying with Federal law, which law was that they asked? US Code Title 15, Chapter 6, Section 205b, the metric system of measurement is the preferred system of weights and measures for United States trade and commerce. Me buying products from you is commerce! This got the attention of the agent who asked for my name and number so someone could call me back. Later that day I got a call saying they had located a brochure with millimeter dimensions and would mail it to me if I gave my address.
Chris Guay of Proctor and Gamble says companies pay a lot of attention to customer feedback, so I take every opportunity to call toll free customer numbers to give my feedback to companies. I constantly call companies asking for metric inclusive literature mostly to no avail, I get the standard response that "we don't use metric in the US." It seems that quoting the law above may be beneficial to those of us who do want more metric data when we buy products. Companies go out of their way to avoid litigation, "warning contents hot" on cups of McDonalds coffee so old ladies cannot sue them when they spill the stuff. We might just get metric included if we insist that it is the law, even thought the law makes it voluntary, even though they have had about 25 years to voluntarily do it. If companies hear from enough of us, I believe it will have a ground swell effect.
If Jim Elwell (who I know reads this list) could put the above information in Metric Today, it will reach a wider audience.
Michael Payne
Potomac Falls VA 20165
