Maybe we should all be pleased that Apple did not make it as one of the 20 most hated companies in the US. I read the whole thing. I thought it was a great summary.
Deidre > On Feb 1, 2018, at 9:36 PM, Brandon Olivares <programmer2...@gmail.com> wrote: > > It may have been tongue-in-cheek, but I agree it's super off-topic. > > > Anything is possible, > Brandon Olivares > Law of Attraction Coach - www.CoCreationCoaching.org > > Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cocreationcoaching > Twitter: https://twitter.com/coachcocreation > > > > >> On Feb 1, 2018, at 8:06 PM, Christopher Chaltain <chalt...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Wow, talk about bait and switch! I was expecting to see Apple listed as one >> of the 20 most hated companies when in fact it was just mentioned as a >> company that uses Foxconn manufactured components. Not only was that pretty >> misleading hype to get me to read this article, it's also really stretching >> the on topicness of this post! This was all said tongue in cheek! >> >> >> I'm wondering how many people will respond without reading the article >> claiming how unfair it is that Apple gets on such a list. >> >> >> I was also expecting to see Samsung on the list due to it's Note 7 fiasco. >> >> >>> On 02/01/2018 06:33 PM, M. Taylor wrote: >>> Hello All, >>> >>> Because Apple is mentioned, I am posting the following article. >>> >>> Mark >>> >>> America's Top 20 most-hated companies, USA Today >>> By Samuel Stebbins, Evan Comen, Michael B. Sauter and Charles Stockdale, >>> 24/7 Wall Street, >>> >>> A company can live or die by its reputation. >>> Year after year, the vast majority of familiar companies and brands maintain >>> - or build - their bond with the American consumer by offering dependable >>> products and services and by cultivating a clean image. >>> >>> Maintaining the public's confidence is not a foregone conclusion. A single >>> misstep - such as a price hike or tone-deaf tweet - can be enough to keep >>> corporate public relations departments scrambling. >>> >>> In other cases, corporate blunders rise above the threshold of an honest >>> mistake. Public perceptions of an internal scandal, a toxic work >>> environment, lax security, or unethical business practices can be enough to >>> garner disdain from a large segment of American consumers - and in recent >>> months there was no shortage of such revelations in the business world. >>> >>> Reviewing a range of information, including major news events from the last >>> year, customer survey results from the American Customer Satisfaction Index, >>> employee reviews on Glassdoor, as well as our own annual customer >>> satisfaction survey, 24/7 Wall St. identified America's most hated >>> companies. >>> >>> Many companies on this list are struggling with discrete incidents that may >>> be remedied with time and + strategic public relations campaigns. For >>> others, problems appear much more deeply ingrained within the company's >>> culture or business model. >>> >>> 20. >>> The Weinstein Company >>> Once the darling of the American independent film movement in the 1990s, and >>> the producer or distributor of over 80 Oscar-winning films, Harvey Weinstein >>> is now one of the mosted hated public figures in the United States. >>> Weinstein has been engulfed in controversy since an October 2017 New York >>> Times expose revealed multiple accounts of sexual abuse committed by the >>> disgraced movie mogul. Since the story was published, dozens of other sexual >>> assault victims have spoken out against Weinstein. >>> Much of the public outrage over the growing scandal has been directed at The >>> Weinstein Company's leadership, which may have been complicit in Weinstein's >>> actions. One complaint filed with the U.S. District Court in the Southern >>> District of New York alleges that the company knowingly enabled the criminal >>> behavior of its co-founder Weinstein. The board of TWC fired Weinstein three >>> days after the Times' expose, after several board members had stepped down >>> themselves. The Weinstein Company will likely be forced to completely >>> rebrand or dissolve as a corporate entity. >>> >>> 19. >>> United Airlines >>> The video of a passenger being forcibly removed from his seat on an >>> overbooked United Airlines flight went viral last year, sparking outrage >>> across the country and triggering a public relations crisis for the >>> Chicago-based company. United's handling of the incident only made matters >>> worse as many perceived CEO Oscar Munoz's apology as half hearted and >>> dismissive. >>> United's stock dropped 4% in the days following the incident, wiping as much >>> as $1 billion off the company's market value. The company has since made >>> considerable efforts to regain investor and customer confidence. Munoz >>> announced measures that include increased monetary incentives to leave an >>> overbooked flight, reduced overbooking, additional employee training, and >>> reduced paperwork for lost luggage reimbursement. Still, the company ranks >>> near the bottom among airlines for customer service. United Airlines scored >>> a 70 out of 100 on the 2017 American Customer Satisfaction Index, well below >>> the average score of 75 among U.S.-based airline companies. >>> >>> 18. >>> Facebook >>> Since the 2016 presidential election, Facebook has been scrutinized by >>> lawmakers and media outlets for acting as a medium for fake ads and news >>> designed to be incendiary and divisive. While initially downplaying its >>> role, in mid-2017 Facebook's chief security officer made public that the >>> company was paid some $100,000 for ads connected to 470 inauthentic Facebook >>> pages that were likely operated out of Russia. A Facebook official also >>> noted that the vast majority of these ads appeared aimed at amplifying >>> political and social divisions - often specifically targeting Muslims and >>> the Black Lives Matter movement. In a reversal of his position from one year >>> prior, in September 2017 Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg pledged to make it >>> much harder for such manipulation to occur on the social media platform. >>> Currently, American consumers are relatively dissatisfied with Facebook. The >>> company has a score of 68 out of 100 on the ACSI scale, nearly the lowest of >>> any social media platform and well below the industry average of 73. >>> >>> 17. >>> -CenturyLink >>> Telecom company CenturyLink is one of the largest internet and telephone >>> service providers in the United States. It is also one of the most widely >>> disliked in an industry of companies with poor reputations. The company's >>> ACSI score of 59 for its internet service is among the worst of any company >>> in any industry. In the customer service poll commissioned with Zogby, >>> nearly 43% of respondents reported a negative customer service experience, >>> one of the largest shares of any major company. >>> In addition to low customer satisfaction, CenturyLink receives a subpar >>> rating from employees - less than half of all workers submitting reviews on >>> Glassdoor would recommend the company to a friend. Employee satisfaction may >>> fall even further in near future. In early January 2018, the company >>> announced it was suspending merit-based raises for all employees. >>> >>> 16. >>> Monsanto >>> Few companies have garnered as much public ire as Monsanto, or for as long. >>> Over the past century, the company has been behind some unambiguously >>> harmful chemical products, including DDT, PCBs, and Agent Orange - a >>> herbicide used extensively in Vietnam that has been blamed for 400,000 >>> deaths and half a million birth defects. The use of DDT and PCBs was banned >>> in the 1970s. Many also take issue with the company's production of >>> genetically modified organism seeds, or GMOs. >>> Capping off a long rap sheet of chemical products that have posed grave >>> public health threats, Monsanto is the subject of a class-action lawsuit >>> alleging that exposure to the company's popular weed killer, Roundup, caused >>> cancer in hundreds of consumers. While the National Cancer Institute >>> recently announced that the product is not conclusively carcinogenic, >>> California is fighting to require cancer warnings to be printed on the weed >>> killer. >>> >>> 15. >>> Comcast >>> The industries in which Comcast works - internet service, subscription >>> television service, and fixed-line telephone service - are hotbeds for >>> customer dissatisfaction. Yet Comcast does even worse than its competitors. >>> On the American Customer Satisfaction Index, consumers rate Comcast just 60 >>> out of 100 for its internet service, 58 out of 100 for its subscription >>> television service, and 65 out of 100 for its fixed-line telephone service - >>> lower than the industry averages of 64, 64, and 70, respectively. >>> Comcast's poor standing is not a recent development. The company was rated >>> America's most hated last year, based on similar metrics. Some 47% of >>> customers who responded to 24/7 Wall St. and Zogby's customer satisfaction >>> survey reported a negative experience with the company - the largest share >>> among all companies considered. The company was forced to pay a $2.3 million >>> fine in 2016 over allegations that it charged customers for unauthorized >>> services and equipment. >>> >>> 14. >>> Uber >>> Few companies had a worse year in 2017 than ride sharing app Uber. An essay >>> published by former Uber employee Susan Fowler in mid-February detailed a >>> prevailing culture of sexism and sexual harassment at the company. Less than >>> a month later, a video of then company CEO Travis Kalanick getting into an >>> argument an Uber driver surfaced, prompting him to make a public apology. >>> Uber also faced a number of lawsuits in 2017, including one filed by >>> Alphabet, Google's parent company, for alleged theft of intellectual >>> property related to self-driving car technology. As a result of the myriad >>> of lawsuits and investigations into sexual harassment, 13 company executives >>> resigned in the first half of 2017 alone, including the June departure of >>> Kalanick. >>> The company's trouble's did not end with Kalanick's departure. A Wall Street >>> Journal article published in September revealed the company is the subject >>> of an FBI investigation for illegally interfering with rival company Lyft. >>> Later that month, the company lost its license to operate in London due to a >>> lack of corporate responsibility. >>> >>> 13. >>> Sears Holdings >>> Over one-third of respondents in a Zogby's poll conducted in partnership >>> with 24/7 Wall St. reported a negative customer experience with Sears, one >>> of the largest shares of any company. Sears also has one of the lowest >>> customer satisfaction scores of any department store in the ACSI. Consumers >>> rate Sears just 77 out of 100, lower than any department store other than >>> Ross and Walmart. Sears' falling sales are another indication of the >>> company's declining popularity among consumers. The company reported $22.1 >>> billion in sales in fiscal 2017, less than half its $53.0 billion revenue in >>> 2007. The number of Sears and Kmart stores - both owned by Sears Holdings - >>> in the United States fell from 3,467 to less than 1,300 over that time, and >>> the company plans to close over 100 more stores through the spring of 2018. >>> More: Workplace fatalities: 25 most dangerous jobs in America >>> Declining revenue and imminent store closures likely do little to boost >>> employee morale. Only 33% of Kmart employees and 28% of Sears employees >>> would recommend the job to a friend, according to Glassdoor reviews. >>> >>> 12. >>> The Trump Organization >>> Donald Trump is the least popular president in the history of the United >>> States - at least at this point in his presidency. Trump's approval rating >>> sat at only 35% at the end of December. Before Trump, the lowest approval >>> rating of any president one year into his term was Ronald Reagan's 49%. For >>> many of the majority of Americans who disapprove of the president, anything >>> bearing the Trump name is equally disliked. >>> The commander in chief is also the former head of The Trump Organization, a >>> conglomerate controlling golf courses, a hotel chain, international real >>> estate investment, and a winery. The company is now under the microscope of >>> Democratic lawmakers. Earlier this year, 17 Democratic members of the >>> Oversight and Government Reform Committee signed a letter addressed to the >>> panel's Republican chairman urging the organization to further investigate >>> potential conflicts of interest between Trump's corporate interests and his >>> obligations as a public servant. >>> >>> 11. >>> Wells Fargo >>> Following revelations that bank employees created millions of fake accounts >>> without customers' knowledge in an effort to meet quotas handed down from >>> the top, John Stumpf stepped down as Wells Fargo's CEO in 2016. The >>> company's problems related to the scandal did not stop there. In mid-2017, >>> the bank revealed that the fraud was more pervasive than initially thought, >>> and that employees may have created as many as 3.5 million accounts, up from >>> the 2.1 million reported in 2016. >>> Compounding the public relations crisis, the bank was also found to have >>> charged over half a million customers for car insurance they did not ask for >>> and did not need. As many as 20,000 of those customers may have had their >>> vehicles impounded for defaulting on the unnecessary insurance charges. >>> Further, in October 2017 news broke that the bank charged over 100,000 >>> customers late fees on mortgage payments when the delays were in fact the >>> fault of the bank. Wells Fargo ranks as the worst American bank with a >>> rating of just 74 out of 100 on the American Customer Satisfaction Index - >>> well below the 81 industry average. >>> >>> 10. >>> Cigna >>> Few industries are as widely detested as the insurance industry, and >>> American consumers appear to dislike health insurance giant Cigna the most. >>> In a Zogby poll commissioned by 24/7 Wall St., some 34% of respondents >>> reported a negative customer experience with Cigna - the largest share of >>> any other company in the industry. Additionally, the company scored only 66 >>> out of 100 on the American Customer Satisfaction Index, well below every >>> other American health insurance company. >>> Allegations of fraud do not help the company's public image. In recent >>> years, Cigna has been the subject of multiple lawsuits alleging the company >>> artificially inflated medical costs, causing some customers to pay as much >>> as 10 times the true cost of their medical services. Even many of the >>> company's own employees are dissatisfied. Negative employee reviews on >>> Glassdoor regularly cite inadequate health insurance benefits. >>> >>> 9. >>> Spirit Airlines >>> Because flying can often be stressful, many airlines attempt to make the >>> experience as comfortable as possible for their customers. Spirit Airlines >>> follows a different philosophy, aiming to strip air travel down to its >>> basics by ensuring no frills, inexpensive flights. >>> This business model, however, is not always appreciated. Spirit has the >>> absolute lowest customer satisfaction score among airlines, according to the >>> ACSI, with a rating of 61 out of 100, compared to the industry average of >>> 75. Additionally, 44.4% of respondents in the customer service poll >>> commissioned with Zogby reported a negative experience with the company. >>> This is the third largest share among all the companies considered. >>> >>> 8. >>> Vice Media >>> Known as a cutting-edge - and deliberately edgy - media organization largely >>> aimed at the millennial market, Vice has been a disruptive force in the >>> world of digital news content. Like a number of other better-established >>> competing news organizations, including NBC and Fox, Vice has recently been >>> embroiled in a public relations crisis due to allegations of systemic sexual >>> harassment. >>> A New York Times investigation published in late December 2017 uncovered >>> multiple settlements in sexual harassment lawsuits dating back to 2003. The >>> accounts detailed a toxic culture of sexism and sexual harassment, permitted >>> and often carried out by senior members at the company. During the course of >>> the Times' investigation and amid the company's own probe into the >>> allegations, Vice fired three employees. The sexual misconduct outlined in >>> the Times expose also led to the suspension of two senior executives - >>> president Andrew Creighton and chief digital officer Mike Germano. >>> >>> 7. >>> Sprint >>> Some 44% of respondents in Zogby's poll conducted in partnership with 24/7 >>> Wall St. reported a negative customer experience with Sprint - the fifth >>> largest share among the 150 companies included in the survey. This is a >>> higher share than all other mobile telephone companies surveyed such as >>> AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. >>> Poor customer experiences are likely due in part to lackluster service. >>> According to wireless network performance insight company RootMetrics, >>> Sprint ranks behind all of its competitors in speed and data, and second to >>> last in calling, texting, and overall reliability. The company's customer >>> service may be improving, however. According to data from the American >>> Customer Satisfaction Index, satisfaction with Sprint has increased 4% from >>> 2016 to 2017. >>> >>> 6. >>> Foxconn Technology Group >>> While the name Foxconn may not be as familiar as some of the other names on >>> this list, the company is responsible for manufacturing and assembling >>> consumer electronics for some of the biggest brands in the world, including >>> Apple and Nintendo. The company captured the world's attention in the last >>> decade with a series of employee suicides and suicide attempts that were >>> apparently driven by poor working and living conditions on the company's >>> compound in Shenzhen, China. In what most considered to be a tone-deaf >>> response to the suicides, which were mostly carried out by workers throwing >>> themselves from the building where they worked, the company installed safety >>> nets. >>> The company has recently made headlines once again in the United States. >>> Currently, homeowners in Wisconsin are suing the company for improperly >>> using eminent domain - the power to take private property for public use - >>> to build a complex in Mount Pleasant. Foxconn wants to build the complex in >>> an area where multiple homeowners will lose their land. By some estimates, >>> the new complex will cost taxpayers and state and local governments $4.5 >>> billion in road improvements and tax incentives for the company. >>> >>> 5. >>> Electronic Arts >>> Electronic Arts, or EA, has been making highly successful video games for >>> decades. EA has produced dozens of wildly successful franchises, including >>> "The Sims," "Battlefield," and "Need for Speed," and the annually-sold, >>> fervently-purchased sports titles, Madden and FIFA. While it has helped >>> shape the face of gaming, EA has also unfortunately earned a reputation as >>> the industry's evil empire. There are many examples of EA buying up smaller >>> studios or operations for a specific game and then either stripping the game >>> of its originality or running the studio into the ground. >>> The company added to its infamy recently during the early release days of >>> the latest installment of another of its big franchises, "Star Wars >>> Battlefront II." EA released an early access version of the game, and >>> immediately drew widespread ire from gamers, who discovered that unlocking >>> some of the more popular characters required over 40 hours of gameplay or >>> spending hundreds on in-game purchases. The public outcry surrounding the >>> perceived greed led the studio to temporarily suspend in-game purchases. >>> >>> 4. >>> University of Phoenix >>> The University of Phoenix is perhaps the most well-known for-profit college >>> in the country. In recent years, the school's parent company, Apollo >>> Education Group - as well as a number of other for-profit colleges - has >>> been the subject of a series of state and federal investigations that allege >>> the company used for their aggressive and deceptive recruiting, advertising, >>> and financial aid practices. After alleging that the University of Phoenix >>> preyed upon veterans with little chance of graduating in order to receive >>> federal aid money, the Department of Defense briefly barred the school from >>> recruiting on military bases. >>> Negative perceptions of the University of Phoenix may be one factor >>> contributing to the decline in enrollment at the school. In 2012 the >>> university announced it would be closing 115 locations and laying off 800 >>> employees - approximately 5% of its workforce. Between 2010 and 2017, >>> student enrollment fell by 70%. The downsizing is likely doing little to >>> boost employee morale. According to data obtained from Glassdoor, only 32% >>> of University of Phoenix employees would recommend working at the school to >>> a friend. >>> >>> 3. >>> NFL >>> Despite growing concerns and evidence, it has taken the NFL more than two >>> decades to finally acknowledge the link between head injuries and their >>> long-term effects - and to initiate concussion protocol policy. The NFL's >>> conduct in this matter has garnered significant criticism from the American >>> public. The growing politicization during games this season gave even more >>> Americans a reason to dislike the organization. President Donald Trump >>> tweeted in September 2017 that the league should fire or suspend players who >>> kneel during the national anthem - a trend that started in 2016 by now >>> unsigned quarterback Colin Kaepernick to raise awareness of racial >>> inequality in the United States. The act of kneeling is itself >>> controversial, garnering support from some who claim it is a protected form >>> of free speech in support of a righteous cause, while others claim it is >>> disrespectful to the flag. >>> Though it remains the most popular professional sports league in the United >>> States, the NFL's viewership dipped considerably in 2017, due in part to >>> boycott movements driven by the kneeling controversy. Nationally televised >>> games in the current season averaged only 15.1 million viewers, down from >>> 16.6 million last season. >>> >>> 2. >>> Fox Entertainment Group >>> Fox Entertainment Group is the parent company of Fox News Channel, one of >>> the most popular cable channels in the United States - and also one of the >>> most divisive. The network has a blatant right-wing slant, and politically >>> conservative Americans overwhelmingly comprise its viewer base. As a result, >>> the media outlet is either ignored or disdained by a large share of >>> Americans with left-leaning political beliefs. >>> This past year, Fox may have estranged even more Americans. The company - >>> like many others on this list - was embroiled in scandal in 2017. >>> Revelations that Bill O'Reilly - then anchor of "The O'Reilly Factor," which >>> was once the most popular news show on cable - had settled multiple sexual >>> harassment allegations to the tune of $13 million led to the show's >>> cancellation. Similar allegations of sexual misconduct led the late Fox News >>> CEO and founder Roger Ailes to resign in 2016. >>> >>> 1. >>> Equifax >>> Consumer credit reporting agency Equifax became the target of one of the >>> largest data breaches of all time last year. Between mid-May and July 2017, >>> criminal hackers infiltrated the company's servers and accessed personal >>> data - including driver's license numbers, Social Security numbers, and >>> birthdays - of more than 145 million Americans, potentially exposing them to >>> the threat of identity theft. >>> Perhaps even more troubling than the security flaws exposed in the hack >>> itself was the way the company handled it. Despite discovering the breach on >>> July 29th, the company waited a month and half to make a public >>> announcement. The public was further outraged when the company forced >>> consumers to agree not to join a class-action lawsuit in order to see if >>> their information was hacked. Lawmakers have yet to take action to reduce >>> the likelihood of such incidents from happening again. >>> >>> Detailed findings and methodology >>> >>> To identify the most hated companies in America, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a >>> variety of metrics on customer service, employee satisfaction, and financial >>> performance. We considered consumer surveys from a number of sources, >>> including the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) and a Zogby >>> Analytics poll created in partnership with 24/7 Wall St. We also reviewed >>> employee satisfaction based on worker opinion scores on Glassdoor - this is >>> not a Glassdoor commissioned report. We also accounted for current events >>> that have impacted the public's perception of companies. For more on how >>> this list was determined, click here. >>> 24/7 Wall Street is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and >>> commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY. >>> Originally Published 6:05 a.m. PST Feb. 1, 2018 >>> Updated 52 minutes ago >>> >>> Original Article at: >>> https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2018/02/01/bad-reputation-amer >>> icas-top-20-most-hated-companies/1058718001/ >>> >>> >>> >> >> -- >> Christopher (CJ) >> Chaltain at Gmail >> >> -- >> The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone list. >> >> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if >> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or >> moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. >> >> Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: >> mk...@ucla.edu. 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