When Outback cut the size of their salads, I expressed my disappointment via OB’s online customer feedback site. Result: free din-din next time in.
That may have been my only complaint win … ever.
Below are some more powerful techniques for whiners.
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Excerpted from NY Times: A Guide to Complaints That Get Results , May 21, 2010
Here are some favorite techniques and stratagems for prevailing in consumer disputes …
USE YOUR CAMERA: always photograph any unpleasant surprises in hotel rooms – like dingy towels, broken shelves and a view that was less than promised and paid for. A picture is worth a thosand words.
REQUEST A PRIVATE CHAT: Another hotel technique: ask the manager to step out from behind the counter. “This sets a tone of importance and mystery.”
BE PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE, PART 1: Some have succeeded in a number of on-the-spot negotiations in hotels and restaurants by simply recounting the flaws in the experience and their unhappy effect on them and their family. Never lie or exaggerate. Just state the facts, calmly. When the manager inevitably asks, “Well, what can we do to make this right?” be ready with a reasonable request.
TRY TO REVERSE THE CHARGE: You can skip direct negotiations entirely and call your credit or charge card company. If you can provide compelling evidence that you’ve been snookered, the maker of your plastic will first suspend the charge while it looks into the matter, and then reverse it if your version of events wins the day. American Express gets especially high marks in this department.
BE PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE, PART 2: When you’re talking to a phone rep, time is on your side for two reasons. The first is that phone reps are often timed and expected to churn through a certain number of calls per hour. The second is that nearly all call reps are prohibited from hanging up on you. So the longer you’re willing to stay on the phone and repeat that you are not satisfied, and do not want to end the call, the better your chances of getting what you want.
ASK THIS SIMPLE QUESTION: When stymied by phone reps, simply ask, “What would you do if you were in my situation?” They’ll often pass along an effective tip about how to get the desired result”
WRITE THE CEO: Lots of complainers have success sending letters to the C.E.O., or chief auditor, or any combination of higher-ups — the more the merrier, it seems. Send it registered mail for added gravity and while you’re at it, note that you’ve sent a copy of the letter to a government agency, like the Federal Trade Commission.
Worst case, suing in small claims court, turns out to be a pretty effective way to get the attention of just about any corporation. Reportedly, some companies surrender once the case is filed, or skip the court date.
Full article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/your-money/23haggler.html?ref=business
The Homa Files 
July 2, 2010 at 12:49 pm |
I’m thinking about doing something like this but Comcast is too unresponsive to customer complaints to be of any help – I moved from New England to Pennsylvania and Comcast says that the apartment I now live in is not servicable because someone who defaulted on their bills once lived there. I’ve told them that I had a sterling record of payment in New England and they should contact that office, but they want me to take time out of my day to go to their offices to prove that I’m a new resident and creditworthy.
If anyone ever tells me that Comcast cares about their customers, I have enough crappy experiences to show that they do not. It’s unfortunate that I don’t have a upper floor apartment, or I would have gotten direct TV already. I’m likely going to make do with DSL and skip cable altogether.