How To Make an Effective Complaint

The art of complaining is a difficult to master. Some people are reluctant to complain despite awful treatment. Others struggle to complain without becoming angry and upset. In life there are many situations where it is important we complain in a polite but forceful and direct manner. Complaining should not be seen as a tortuous experience; it is an opportunity for both firm and consumer to benefit. In the long run firms do want to keep customers happy; if firms never received complaints how would they improve and learn from their mistakes?

Don’t Suffer in Silence

Too many people receive bad treatment or service and then suffer in silence. Inwardly we are cursing the company like mad; we will tell our friends about our treatment; we will feel sorry for ourselves and harbour a sense of righteous indignation - but, we won’t complain. Perhaps this is a British / Canadian phenomena, Americans generally seem less reticent about complaining. But, nevertheless, there are many people who avoid complaining and therefore never get the opportunity to rectify their situation.

Complain with Dignity

You can learn alot about how to make a complaint by observing other people in the process of complaining. Some people get so upset and unbalanced that it is embarrassing to be in the same room. The fact your meal is 20 minutes late is inconvenient, but it is not quite the end of the world. If you complain with dignity and calm you gain two benefits. Firstly, the company is far more likely to be sympathetic to your problems. Even more importantly, when you complain with dignity you don’t lose your inner peace of mind. We complain to get a better situation for ourselves; if we become angry, upset and emotional we will feel miserable even if our complaint is dealt with. To complain with dignity means we can still complain forcefully; we should be polite and calm, but this should not be mistaken for being feeble.

Be Clear of the Facts

There is nothing more embarrassing than making a long complaint only to realise it is you who are to blame. Before you make a complaint make sure you have access to all the facts. If appropriate, get together all the necessary paperwork such as terms of agreement. If you are in full possession of an agreement and can make specific references to order number, dates e.t.c, your complaint will have much more authority. It will increase the chance that your complaint will be taken seriously.

Written Complaints Often More Fruitful

Written complaints have various advantages. It enables you to marshal your thoughts and facts to create the most convincing case; when speaking it is easy to forget of certain details; it is easy to get angry and forget the goal of the complaint.

Complain to the Right Person

Sometimes complaints don’t get dealt with because we are complaining to the wrong person. If your initial complaint gets brushed aside try a different avenue. Find the contact of someone higher up in the chain of management. Quite often the initial complaint gets discarded, but, if we feel we have been mistreated we need to be persistent and not give up at the first rebuffal.

Don’t feel Guilty for Complaining

There are numerous occasions where it is easy to feel guilty about complaining. Even if the other person is in the wrong we feel somehow it is uncool to complain. For example, suppose your neighbours are keeping you awake at night by playing loud music, don’t feel any guilt in asking them to turn it down. How would you feel if someone asked you to turn music down at 3am in the morning, you would think it a legitimate request. Similarly, if your bank charges you $40 for going 1p overdrawn, you have every right to make a complaint.

Publicise Your Misfortune

The one thing companies definitely will respond to is the prospect of adverse publicity. If you feel your complaint has been unfairly ignored consider whether the media or financial watchdogs may be interested in the circumstance. For serious faults, this may be an effective way to gain an immediate resolution; even the threat of adverse publicity may be sufficient for your complaint to go up the priority list. This method only works if you have a significant grievance. The media are unlikely to be interested in undercooked french fries.

Complain with Appreciation

When we complain to an individual they often feel threatened and defensive, therefore, they respond in an unhelpful way because they don’t wont to admit that they are wrong. In these circumstances, consider how you might put the other person at ease. If you enjoyed part of your meal, but, the service was very slow, it is not insincere to mention the good qualities of the food before complaining at the service. With a balanced complaint you come across as a reasonable consumer.

Avoid Blaming the Person who is listening to Your Complaint

Invariably the people who deal with our complaints are not responsible for the mistake. This is particularly true for big multinational companies. If you ring up a call centre be mindful of the fact that the person on the end of the phone is only the messenger. Therefore, it is both unfair and unproductive to get mad at the speaker at the end of the phone. A good complaint should avoiding being personal but complain about the issue.

Keep Things in Perspective

It is important to complain, but, it is also important to avoid getting worked up over every minor irritation. Complain about an issue but then forget about it. Don’t let the complaint dominate all your thoughts. This is especially true if you are on holiday; just because somethings are not perfect doesn’t mean you should allow it to make you feel miserable. There are some very minor issues where it is really better just to leave it and accept it. Complain about serious issues, don’t spend several hours trying to get a refund for the 30p you were overcharged at the local coffee shop.

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