I spent the morning organizing my box of vintage trims. In doing so I ran across these two orphaned labels from the 1940s or 50s. I put them in my stack of things to file away and happened to turn the Trimtex over to see if there were any dates printed on it.

No dates, but I was surprised to find the following guarantee:

Unconditionally Guaranteed

This product is unconditionally guaranteed for color fastness and perfect workmanship. If it is not satisfactory, the cost of your labor and the materials on which this product is used, will be refunded by the manufacturer.

I was shocked! And quite remarkably, the Wright's label has a similar guarantee. I pulled out a more recent package,from the late 60s or early 1970s, and of course, the guarantee was not on it. It's really amazing how quickly attitudes changed toward expecting quality products. Today we'd never expect a guarantee of such a sweeping nature.

And even when things are guaranteed, it takes a miracle for one to collect. I've been trying since late March to collect a $53 payment from H&R Block for a mistake they made on my 2007 tax return. Their guarantee states that if they make a mistake, they pay any interest or penalty the IRS charges me. But I'm not holding my breath (and I'm not ever using H&R Block again).

I want to roll back the hands of time and return to an era where companies prided themselves on the quality and durability of their products. Where guarantees were more than mere soundbites and a manufacturer's (or business') word truly meant something.

Best of luck to you in retrieving the money you are owed. Don't give up, sometimes perseverance is the only way to get companies these days to live up to their supposed promises of good service.

Wishing you a beautiful weekend,
♥ Jessica

Thanks Jessica. It looks as there has been a breakthough in the H&R case. Ten phone calls later, and they have finally agreed to fine my claim! And I thought it had been filed in March!!!