Stanley Tape Measure (February 20, 1999)

Stanley Tool Company Customer Service 1000 Stanley Drive New Britain, CT 06053

Dear Stanley,
Forgive me for mistakenly thinking your Contractor Grade tape measure would be superior for use by the do-it-yourselfer. Obviously I am not qualified to operate this powerful piece of equipment. The first time it broke, I had the tape out to twenty of its twenty-five feet. When I released it, the tape reeled toward me at such a tremendous velocity I dropped it before the end tab could bite me. The force of the retracting tape tore the end-tab right off . Boy, was I relieved to find that Stanley, cognizant of this product's use by amateurs, had replacement tapes available. I installed one. However, as you can see from the product enclosed, it too has torn off. This time I was ever so careful not to allow the tape to retract at high speed. I used the tape in the ginger manner of a seamstress, and still I've lost my tip.

I love the hefty feel and large size of this product, but I fear that unless you have made it idiot-proof, I will be unable to operate it successfully. I have no plans to advance my education beyond my current degrees in economics and engineering to become a certified contractor, and Home Depot hasn't offered a class in the proper use of a tape measure in quite some time. Therefore, I think it best you replace this with a more mundane model, unless you have a new design in which you have confidence that even a person of my limited abilities may successfully operate it.

Respectfully yours,