To stay off hated companies list, don’t overpromise or underdeliver

This month the financial website 24/7 Wall St. published its list of America’s 20 Most Hated Companies, based on consumer surveys and other metrics. There were some no-brainers on the list — Weinstein Companies (formerly headed by accused sexual predator Harvey Weinstein) and the Trump Organization.

Two airlines made the list — United and Spirit — as did cable/internet firms such as Comcast.

The most hated of all was Equifax, the credit monitoring firm that not only exposed more than 140 million Americans’ personal data to hackers last year but then bungled its public response to the breach, not reporting it immediately and then trying to charge consumers for future protection.

None of Detroit’s auto companies made the list, nor did the nation’s newspapers or grocery chains or even the legal profession. All of those have remained in consumers’ good graces — or at least better graces than the “hated” companies.

So what’s the common theme? Overwhelmingly, the firms that made the mosthated list have tended to promise one thing but deliver another. Slick marketing promotions cannot overcome the reality of lousy service, high prices and indifference to the public welfare.

United Airlines used to advertise itself as the “friendly skies.” Overcrowded planes, rising prices, schedule delays and the notorious video of guards dragging a passenger off an overbooked flight gave the lie to that marketing slogan.

In similar fashion, Spirit Airlines offers vacationers “no-frills” flights to Sunbelt resorts.

Uber, the ride hailing service, made the list not least because a video went viral of its then-ceo Travis Kalanick arguing with one of his drivers. The company also faces allegations of a culture of sexual harassment. And of course Uber continues to battle with various cities over its disregard for regulations.

Fox Entertainment Group, the parent of Fox News Channel, saw some of its biggest names depart recently amid charges of sexual harassment — franchise personalities like Bill O’reilly and the late Fox News CEO and founder Roger Ailes, who resigned in 2016. And Fox, of course, angers many Americans with its hard-right political slant.

Banking giant Wells Fargo landed on the list for allowing bank employees to create millions of fake accounts in the name of consumers without their permission to juice its metrics.

There were some surprises on the list. The National Football League landed on it despite running what arguably are some of the most popular sporting events in the nation. But the NFL’S long denial of the link between head injuries and brain damage has eroded the league’s image. And players kneeling during the national anthem and the league’s clumsy response drew criticism from both sides of the political spectrum.

Facebook, too, made the list. Facebook’s tone-deaf manipulation of its members’ news feeds, the site’s vulnerability to hacking by Russians during the 2016 election and the site’s general image of being the Big Brother of American life all engender consumer scorn.