March 2, 1999

Consumer Dialogue Team
Tom's of Maine
Lafayette Center
P.O. Box 710
Kennebunk, ME 04043-0710

Dear Customer Service Representative,

In September of 1998 I wrote to your company about my experiences with Tom's of Maine and I was thrilled to receive a nice response from you as well as some sample products. I had some additional questions and wrote to you again in November of 1998. I never got a response to this letter. It's been almost 4 months now! According to the pamphlet you sent me: "We care about what you think and continue to learn from you. Please write to us; we promise to write you back." I am quite dismayed that I have never received a reply. (I have enclosed my past letters for your records) I must admit that my faith in your company's sincerity has been greatly shaken by these events. I mean, I wrote to you because you encouraged it, and now you have failed to write me back even though you promised to. And.... and that kind of hurts.

But you are not the only one to blame here. I realize that I was a little out of line in my last letter when I asked Sharon for a date. It was very inappropriate of me and I'd like to apologize for that. I had eaten several Ho-Hos and had drunk several Diet Mountain Dews prior to writing that letter and I think the sugar rush got the best of me. I think the distance would've been too much for Sharon and I to handle anyway and I'm fine with us being "just friends" now. In fact, I'm proud to say that I am now in a relationship. I met this wonderful middle-eastern girl online and we have really hit it off. I think she's just the best and I think she thinks the same of me. It's hard to tell. (this is pending the arrival of my Sanskrit keyboard)

So I guess I'm really writing to say that I'm sorry for some of the things I said in my letter (I meant no harm) but that I'm still really disappointed that no one ever got back to me. I hope you can restore my faith in your company and answer the following for me:

• I plan on brushing my teeth on January 1, 2000. Are your products Y2K compliant.
• You sell an unscented deodorant? What would be the point of this product? Please explain!
• A train leaves Cleveland at 3:00 going 60 mph. At the same time a train leaves Chicago at 75mph. Both are headed to San Francisco. What do you think of Leonardo DiCaprio?

Thank you Tom's of Maine for being a company that not only stands behind its promises but also cares about its customers. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Please do not send me more Tom's of Maine informational materials!

Regards,

Rudy Schumann