How to complain politely and get what you want?

Although products or services offered by companies and businesses aim at meeting the standards of satisfaction, consumer dissatisfaction is always a possibility. If you are disappointed with a particular service due to its faulty standards, you need to follow the right course of action to file complaints that are in accordance with the complaints procedure. The method(s) used to complain is crucial. This article provides you with a guide to ethical complaint methods.

Methods of complaints

Proof

The first requirement for making a complaint is to have a proof. Making a phone call to the company requires details of your product such as manufacturing date, product number etc. If you're visiting the customer service, bring the product and its receipt as evidence of the fault. If you cannot bring the product along, take pictures using a camera and bring it along.

Written complaints addressed to higher authorities

If it is an unsatisfactory service offered, use the customer complaint form available at the service center. Whether it is banking complaints, medical complaints, airline complaints or insurance complaints, always ask to see the higher authority, such as the store or company manager. As such, assistants do not have enough rights to deal with serious complaints. A written complaint addressed to the manager is authentic and carries more weight.

Enclose all documents such as receipts, estimates and other service/product relating documents. If seeing the manager does not bring about any action, resort to a third party but keep this your last resort. However, the institution itself will manage to attend to consumer complaint.

Complaint etiquettes

No verbal abuse

It is absolutely vital that you do not lose your temper when dealing with customer service. Yelling, swearing, or getting personal will only result in you being sent out. Being polite yet firm is the proper consumer complain etiquette. Maintain the tone even when writing a letter of complaint or filling up a complaint form. A formally yet courteously-written complaint letter gains attention, while carelessly crafted letters may not get proper response.

Go to the manager

Approaching the manager gives authenticity to the complaint and proves that the customer has faced serious disappointment. Always maintain a copy of all your correspondence. Persistently contact the trader when you do not receive a response. Some companies ignore you to make you stop complaining.

Keep your purchase receipts

Many customers don’t have enough details regarding their services or products to file complaints; so when they do take action, they face defeat since they do not show the documents. It is therefore important that after making a purchase, the evidence is not destroyed. Keeping these things in mind and acting with politeness will eventually make you the winner.