Dear Kimberly-Clark Corporation

Factgirl
/msg factgirl @ Everything2
www.everything2.com
USA

Mr. Wayne Sanders, CEO
Kimberly-Clark Corporation
P.O. Box 2020
Neenha WI 54957-2020

Dear Mr. Sanders;

I am writing to express my dismay over changes you have recently made in your product Kleenex Brand Cottonelle Ultra Soft Bathroom Tissue. I have been a loyal customer since I got my very first apartment in 1989. Besides Cottonelle, I use Kleenex Personal Wipes, Kleenex Cold Care Facial Tissue and Kleenex Viva Towels. I used Huggies Supreme Diapers for both my son and daughter, as well as Huggies Supreme Wipes, Huggies Pull-Ups Training Pants and Huggies Little Swimmers Swim Diapers.

Last week, I signed for my usual grocery order and was excited to see my Kleenex Brand Cottonelle Ultra Soft Bathroom Tissue had arrived. I was having a cocktail party and wanted the rolls of tissue in each bathroom to be fresh. I hurried to our guest bathroom, removed the old half-roll, and opened your package. I was puzzled at what I found: the roll of tissue I removed was lighter, the inner core was flimsey, and the tissue itself was thin. I realized I must have recieved a defective package so I put it under the sink and used the old roll - needless to say I was extremely embarrassed and many of my guests left early.

Well, just today I signed for my groceries and hurried to open the Kleenex Brand Cottonelle Ultra Soft Bathroom Tissue and what did I find? My Cottonelle was again substandard. I realized more investigation was in order. I examined the outer packaging. There was a little ad in the upper left corner reading: NOW! with UltraSoft Ripples(tm) and the signature picture of a cotton plant had been replaced by a smiling baby holding a piece of toilet tissue. There was still 170 square feet, 4 rolls, 340 1-ply sheets per roll...my breath seized in my lungs.

I ran to my personal bath to get the packaging from an origional (pre-UltraSoft Ripples) and compared it to the new. My suspicions were confirmed: 170 square feet, 4 rolls, 340 2-ply sheets per roll. I was outraged. I turned the package over to see who I could telephone to register my opinion about this and my outrage turned to disgust:

Old Cottonelle                                 New Cottonelle
Our Softest bath tissue                    Now thick UltraSoft Ripples to leave you feeling clean and fresh
Strong, thick and absorbent             Extra thick, soft, strong and absorbent

So thats how it is. Not only are you going to LIE and say your puny 1-ply tissue is Extra thick, but you are going to send the message that Ripples make your tissue softer than your old "softest bath tissue" (let me assure you they do not). I booted up my computer to start a letter to Customer Service and just for kicks surfed on over to your website at www.kimberly-clark.com/what/family/. It was there I recieved the unkindest blow. I quote:

KLEENEX COTTONELLE
Kleenex Cottonelle toilet paper is innovatively designed with Cushy Ripples to help give you a clean, fresh feeling. With patented Cushy Ripples, it's easy to see why feeling clean is the bottom line with Kleenex Cottonelle toilet paper! And, like always, Kleenex Cottonelle is gentle on your skin and contains no dyes, perfumes or inks.

KLEENEX COTTONELLE UltraSoft
Kleenex Cottonelle UltraSoft is everything you ever wanted in a toilet paper all rolled into one. So much softer than regular toilet paper, Kleenex Cottonelle UltraSoft feels soft as a cloud - or a baby's bottom - and yet as strong as a bodybuilder's biceps and thick as a pillar of pillows! Leave it to Kleenex to bring you a toilet paper so strong, so thick -- and so much softer!

Shame on you Kimberly-Clark Corporation. Shame on you for trying to pass off your business-class Cushy Ripples as first class UltraSoft Ripples. Shame on you for trying to steal my money by turning 2-ply tssue into 1-ply. Shame on you for false advertising both on the back of your packaging and on your website (where is my cloud softness? where is my bodybuilder strength?). Shame on you for ruining my party.

You surely have changed the way I feel about toilet paper, Mr. Wayne Sanders, CEO of the Kimberly-Clark Corporation. Yours at least.

Good day sir,

Factgirl