The “Ningnong” Who Wants Replacement Parts
This customer communication from a model train company would make a fun class discussion or activity. The company focuses more on what they won’t do than how they can help.
In the “Limited Warranty” section of product documentation, they try to be funny, and I admire that, but it doesn’t land well. Projecting 44 years into the future, when a customer might want to get repairs covered under warranty, the writer suggests that the customer should retreat to a bunker instead. Are we at that point where a pending apocalypse is funny?
I also understand that a company can get whacky requests. This one apparently has customers seeking replacement parts for lesser quality items purchased elsewhere. But are these “ningnongs” likely to read the company’s warranty information? They seem confused about their audience—and calling them ningnongs might not inspire them to become customers.
By far the overarching issue with this section is the company’s focus on the negative rather than the positive—the situations in which you can’t get your train fixed instead of what they can do for you. Even the bit about parts coming loose in shipping is strange. Why not help customers out by telling them the simple fix and apologizing because products shouldn’t fall apart in transit, should they? This situation seems like a good opportunity for a customer to call, make a connection, and perhaps order more parts.
Students may rewrite this section and compare their revisions. Obvious changes like removing ALL CAPS will immediately improve this missive. Students might want to rephrase “Limited Warranty,” but this is standard language that protects the company. Still, the rest of it doesn’t need to sound like a bad-news message.