What are you like at complaining regarding goods and services?



I like to complain to the bigger companies when things are not what you expect off them, usually get something as a good will guesture so I must be doing something right
 
I am shite at it, the wife is very good and doesnt let go.
I'm shite at doing it in person but I'm canny over the phone, probably 'cos I worked on the other end in call-centres for a good few years in my youth - I can almost always get a credit when something has gone wrong or an order is wrong/late etc, the easiest one I've found of late is when ordering online groceries if they send the stuff and it's almost all very close to going out of date (which it usually is) I'll ring up and say this/that or the other is missing from the order - if its not much they'll generally issue the credit there and then, which to me is a fair exchange.
 
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I’m no good at it, but the wife (no) is a absolute master, I don’t even argue with her any more as it’s a complete waste of time even if I’m 100% in the right. Once on holiday in Kuala Lumpur we’d been out for the day, when we got back to the hotel room the air con was off and no lights. Off we went down stairs to find out what the problem was, we ended up been upgraded to the executive suites, free bar and snacks on the evening, breakfast in the roof top restaurant, and a airport transfer. I knew it was going to end badly for the hotel manager when she asked the wife what language she spoke.
 
Decent enough.Pick when it's worth complaining and decide what you want to achive from it.
I wish the people who called me at work would follow this advice. Spot on. Too many people call in about bugger all. One person I spoke to a few months ago calls every month to complain about call changes to Germany from Spain, every month we tell her she's liable and every month she escalates to a manager. In my instance, she was complaining about 6p.

I am good at complaining when things aren't right, but I'm always courteous and never take it out on "the face of the company", be that a waiter or some other poor bugger in a call centre. Being on the other end of it, I can confirm that polite, calm people get a much better result. If you are rude or aggressive, you're getting nothing from me. No time for it.
 
I'm not very good at it because I don't give up, I challenge every nuance of whatever excuse or reason is being given, I'm like a dog with a bone, I get sarcastic, awkward and so extremely tenacious and difficult that the people I'm dealing with start to hate me so much they seem to want to make my life even more difficult.

I could characterise my approach as an attempt to be so awkward that they do what I need them to do in order to get rid of me, but really it just becomes an emotional experience and a challenge for me to get my way. It stresses the fuck out of me and I end up disliking myself. Having said that, sometimes it's funny.

Edit: I had a rather complicated and boring conveyancing difficulty years ago. It took me three years of complaining, presenting evidence, taking it to an ombudsman etc etc. In the end I got back what I was owed, free service and a compensation for my trouble. I also got a letter from the solicitor involved who apologised, thanked me for my courtesy and for helping him to realise that he needed to retire; so he had sold his business. So sometimes it works


In other words made a solicitors life hell for three years and drove him to the point where he thought “fuck this “ I don’t need this shit anymore.

Then posted about it on a message board years later as if he’d done him a favour.

Tremendous.
 
In other words made a solicitors life hell for three years and drove him to the point where he thought “fuck this “ I don’t need this shit anymore.

Then posted about it on a message board years later as if he’d done him a favour.

Tremendous.

Nope. I fought for three years to correct the multiple mistakes and negligence that had placed me in the position of potential bankruptcy and homelessness. He ignored me, didn’t respond, declined to accede to valid requests, failed to respond to the first and second communications from the office for regulation of solicitors (or whatever they were called then), cost me thousands so I had to take out in loans, caused me to seek medical advice from my gp who placed me in medication... but when it was all done and dusted and - please get this very important bit - all my complaints had been upheld, he wrote, apologised (part of the regulators judgment) and told me that he’d realised he need to retire, had not been properly or fully professional or on his game and thanked me for being personally courteous throughout. The latter surprised me because my anger had been intense.

And suddenly I’m the villain.
 
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Excellent. I've never lost a 'battle' yet.

Tell a lie, I couldn't get any money off my water bill when they charged me to dispose of the same quantity of water I had used - my claim that I'd drank it all wasn't accepted
 
I wish the people who called me at work would follow this advice. Spot on. Too many people call in about bugger all. One person I spoke to a few months ago calls every month to complain about call changes to Germany from Spain, every month we tell her she's liable and every month she escalates to a manager. In my instance, she was complaining about 6p.

I am good at complaining when things aren't right, but I'm always courteous and never take it out on "the face of the company", be that a waiter or some other poor bugger in a call centre. Being on the other end of it, I can confirm that polite, calm people get a much better result. If you are rude or aggressive, you're getting nothing from me. No time for it.

Yeah all about being realistic.

If your tesco delivery has a missing or damaged item it's a little OTT to ask for a full refund on a £70 shop.
 
Nope. I fought for three years to correct the multiple mistakes and negligence that had placed me in the position of potential bankruptcy and homelessness. He ignored me, didn’t respond, declined to accede to valid requests, failed to respond to the first and second communications from the office for regulation of solicitors (or whatever they were called then), cost me thousands so I had to take out in loans, caused me to seek medical advice from my gp who placed me in medication... but when it was all done and dusted and - please get this very important bit - all my complaints had been upheld, he wrote, apologised (part of the regulators judgment) and told me that he’d realised he need to retire, had not been properly or fully professional or on his game and thanked me for being personally courteous throughout. The latter surprised me because my anger had been intense.

And suddenly I’m the villain.


It was a bit of banter man , canny nibble though.
 
I used to just not think it was worth the bother. Then I started working with Microsoft "premier" support every damn day and you very quickly become very open about how they have let you down today and what you feel they should do about it. Thats pretty much crossed over everywhere else. I have found a lot of companies are currently blaming "Covid" for really shitty service. Lying about delivery times, changing stories on missing stuff and all sorts.

Ordered a bed for the spare room last week, got delivery date of tuesday, then tuesday morning the ring up saying its not going to be till thursday because, i swear, "the supplier cant get the raw materials because of Covid", Like some Chinese sweatshop had a bunch of 8 year olds sat at workbenches jumping into action to build my particular shitty bed frame when the order came through then stick on on an SR71 to get it to Coventry ready to go on a delivery truck. Told them it wasnt good enough, the next person genuinely said it would "be in stock on Saturday", but could i look at a different bed, he included a link to some flowery looking monstrosity. I lost my top and after "negotiations" the bed arrived the next day by some magic, I guess it was all bullshit and they just had over used their courier contract that week or something and didnt want to pay extra.

These days the only shite service or product i wont "raise my concerns" about is food because i dont want to eat a load of buggers and cum.
 
Mrs does complaints for a well known airline. You’d be surprised who complains about the size of toilets on planes. I presume they don’t have TVs and have nowt better to do with their lives.
 
Negotiation is a skill that can be learned but some people are better at it than others. Don’t just grab the phone and start.

Effective negotiation needs a plan and the approach depends on the circumstances.

Are you the aggrieved party, are you the organisation that is at fault etc.

The most important single factor in any negotiation is knowing where the power lies.

The outcome is normally decided in the power holders favour.

Don’t think that organisations automatically hold power. They may be terrified of adverse publicity - so you hold the power.

Last point - don’t state a grievance. State a remedy. What do you want to happen now - this works for both sides of the process.
 
Bought an item on
Negotiation is a skill that can be learned but some people are better at it than others. Don’t just grab the phone and start.

Effective negotiation needs a plan and the approach depends on the circumstances.

Are you the aggrieved party, are you the organisation that is at fault etc.

The most important single factor in any negotiation is knowing where the power lies.

The outcome is normally decided in the power holders favour.

Don’t think that organisations automatically hold power. They may be terrified of adverse publicity - so you hold the power.

Last point - don’t state a grievance. State a remedy. What do you want to happen now - this works for both sides of the process.


unfortunately some folk have cottoned on to the bad publicity on social media line and use the threat of that to almost blackmail companies when the complaint doesn’t have any substance.
 

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