Seen a Rogue on the loose? Get in touch with our Roguemeister: JOHN SCHRAG jschrag@wweek.com (503) 243-2122 FAX: (503) 243-1115 Anyone who's ever wrestled a dirty diaper off a wriggling baby will join us in pointing a finger at this week's Rogue, Babyland Diaper Service. Babyland's business is the delivery and pickup of cotton diapers. For a weekly fee of $10 to $12, the company is supposed to drop off a bag of pristine white rectangles and pick up a bag of...well, let's just say it's not something you want to hang on to for any longer than you have to. This fall, however, many customers found that Babyland and its discount subsidiary, ABC Diapers, weren't living up to their end of the bargain. Andy Fridley, a Southeast Portland resident and a Babyland customer for three years, says his used diapers didn't get picked up between Sept. 10 and Oct. 1. What's worse, he couldn't get any explanation. Fridley says he tried to call the company repeatedly to raise a stink and got no response. (WW had the same results). Other customers have abandoned Babyland entirely. Officials at competing services Valley Diaper and Tidee Didee say that for the past month they've been getting several calls a day from Babyland and ABC customers and are now doing business with several of them. Tidee Didee, for example, scooped up corporate accounts such as Nike's day care and Kaiser hospitals. Babyland owner Rick Anderson admits there have been disruptions in service but blames those on the Labor Day holiday and his ongoing attempt to move his operations from Northeast Portland to Clackamas County. Babyland has a spotty record, however. The attorney general's office has received two complaints about the operation this year, and the Better Business Bureau says the company has an "unsatisfactory business record," based on a pattern of not responding to customer complaints. Fridley, who says he switching over to another diaper service, agrees. "It's really bad customer service to just drop everything and leave customers holding the proverbial bag," he says. Especially considering what's in the bag. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Willamette Week | originally published October 6, 1999