Tips for Successful Complaining

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We’ve all been there… Consumer Complaint Land; a product or service we paid for wasn’t delivered or didn’t perform as promised. And while it may be tempting to use that opportunity to contact a customer service rep to blow off a little steam, it probably wont help you get what you want. Successful complaining is more of an art than a science, but we’ve compiled a short list of simple tips for consumer complaints that should help you get what you want with a little less hassle, frustration, and time.

Satisfaction Services, a company that specialize in customer service evaluations (finding a company’s service weakness and fixing the problem), helped us compile this list of 4 simple tips to aid you in successfully complaining.

  • Know what you want – If you’re certain about the specific kind of restitution you’re looking for, ask for it specifically. Want a refund? Ask for one. Want a free month’s cable? Ask for that.
  • Be polite and professional – The more courteous you can be, the more likely the customer service rep you’re speaking with will want to help you.
  • Document everything – Keeping a paper trail is crucial to keep track of what you complained about, the response you got, and anything the company may have offered you.
  • Be persistent – Many companies bank on complainers simply going away, not finishing the phone call, not waiting on hold for 2 hours. So… beat them at their own game. Be persistent, until you get what you want.

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