The Case

This complaint is an interesting one in that it doesn't represent my dissatisfaction after using this company's product. No, instead, this focuses on the fact that I was lucky to use their product at all because their asinine packaging precluded me from opening the silly thing for over 20 minutes. When I finally did get it open, using the point end of a screwdriver no less, I had already inflicted two cuts and scraped my hand up. My personal injury lawyers will be investigating potential remedies for that portion of this issue.

Another interesting side note regarding the Elite chemical company .... Elite manufactures bleach and other chemical products for consumer use while their parent company, Ionics Inc. based in Watertown, MA, specializes in manufacturing water and wastewater treatment systems. My contacts at the Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Attorney General's office have reported to me that Elite was fined, just last year, in excess of $500,000 by the State for repeated environmental violations, centering around the company's "routine" dumping of hydrochloric acid and caustic hydroxide waste into the Springfield MA sewer system over a period of four years.

This place seems pretty sketchy to me ... I highly recommend you make a point of staying away!

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January 16, 2002

Elite New England
ATTN: Customer Service
West Avenue
Ludlow, MA 01056

To Whom It May Concern:

I recently purchased your Elite DryLine gas line anti-freeze, and wanted to write to you regarding your packaging of the product.

When I got the bottle home, I attempted to open it with very little success. The instructions for opening “Pry Off” which was printed on the cap were hardly very helpful, and did not come close to foreshadowing the difficulty I would have in opening the bottle. After over 20 minutes trying, and cutting my hand twice, I was able to get the cap off with a screwdriver.

This is hardly the experience I look to have when buying a product. I realize that there may be certain concerns with keeping this product away from children and thus not being too easy to open, but having to go through this, as a grown adult, was quite ridiculous.

I would highly recommend that you re-review your packaging specifications; I certainly will not be using your products again in the very near future until I see that I will be able to open them a little bit easier.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Michael W.