July 10, 1996

Wolfgang R. Schmitt, CEO
Rubbermaid Inc.
1147 Akron Rd
Wooster, OH 44691    

Dear Mr. Schmitt:
I am absolutely disgusted with your ice cube trays and I'm simply not going to take it anymore. I have two problems with the so-called ice trays you manufacture.

1. Why do you make them without handles? I get nervous when I have to carry the tray from the sink to the freezer and usually end up making a mess on the floor. If you put handles on them I could probably reduce my spillage by about 50%.

2. You have no cube release mechanisms on the trays, so I must resort to all kinds of barbaric methods to pry the cubes loose. If a camera were ever to catch some of the wild struggles I have with these trays one would think the human race had regressed 5,000 years. I twist, punch, kick, and even bite the trays, yet they still fail to loosen their grip on the cubes. The biting part hardly ever does any good, but at least it makes me feel a little better.

I'm sure there is a better way to make these trays, and I'd hate to think that these technologies are being kept a secret in order to maintain current sales. I've long suspected that the public is being gouged by oil companies, and I'm starting to wonder if ice cube tray manufacturers might be milking an unsuspecting public as well. You must know people are going to keep fighting and eventually breaking them, leaving us no choice but to go out and buy more. Quite a vicious circle.

If you are going to continue making these ridiculous trays, could you please provide some instructions on making this process go a little smoother?     I look forward to hearing from you, Wolfgang.    

Sincerely,

Wilber Winkle
5764 Stevens Forest Rd. #606
Columbia, MD 21045