How to get what you want (or the art of effective complaining)

[Lynne Baker]

We’ve all been there. We’ve all been driven demented by the idiocy and lack of service of some of our suppliers, and yet somehow we come off worst.
Here’s a little guide on how to complain effectively and get what you want.

We’re going to take the scenario of where you’ve ordered some product and been charged for them, but the goods have not turned up. The principles apply to any complaint or issue you have though!
First of all you will need the following:
The invoice
If this is an electronic one print it out. If it is a paper one photocopy it if you can
A document file
This is where you will keep all the gubbins together. Label it “Complaints/Issues”. Keep everything in it, including the notes you make on your paper pad. Only once the issue is resolved should you empty the folder.
The credit card/bank statement
If it’s an online one, print it out, if paper, photocopy it
Pen
Not pencil; it will rub out too easily
Paper pad
A4 preferably
Time
Make sure you have enough! Allow at least 20 minutes.

Basic Principles

Do’s

• · Stay calm
• · Be precise, with dates, order numbers, amounts, colours etc
• · Be prepared to escalate to the supervisor/manager
• · Take photos of damage etc.
• · Take the FULL name of the person you’re speaking to

Don’ts

• · Do not lose your temper
• · Do not get emotional
• · Do not swear
• · Do not shout
• · Do not lie
• · Do not back down
• · Do not cry
• · Do not threaten her with violence, however much you want to punch her in the throat.

Method


Make sure you have all the details in front of you.
Not on your phone/ipad/pc; have them on paper on your desk, organised.


Make sure you yourself know what it is you want out of the conversation.
Be realistic; if the box has arrived with broken bottles in it don’t expect to get a full refund AND replacements. You should be aiming for a next day delivery of replacements, with the postage refunded. If you’ve not paid postage ask them for a refund of one of the bottles. This shows that you’re reasonable; it will stand you in very good stead.


Be very precise about what has or hasn’t happened. It is no good saying “my stuff’s not here”.
Tell them the following:
· Your name
· Your account number
· Your address
· Your company name if appropriate
· The date of the order
· The invoice number
· The nature of the problem
· What their understanding of the problem is
Ask them for their full name.
How many times have you got a first name and then when you phone again they say “which Jen/Kelly/Boadicea?”
Do not interrupt them
Allow them time to look at the system to bring your order details up.
When they say “it should be on its way/I don’t understand why it isn’t with you” etc, ask them for the tracking details. Write it down!
Ask them which courier they’ve used, so that you can track it yourself too.
If they tell you it’s been signed for ask to see the online signature.
All couriers have these now, so there’s no excuse!
Tell them what you want.
Don’t ask them, but don’t be shouty with them.
Calmly say something along the lines of:
“OK, this is what I want you to do, Boadicea. You’re going to check with the courier after this phone call. You’re going to call me back within 30 minutes to give me a progress update. If I don’t hear back from you within 30 minutes I’ll call back and speak with your manager about why you haven’t, is that ok? Please can you tell me your manager’s name?”
(She might say, but it’s my lunch in 20 minutes. If so, tell her she’s going to call you BEFORE she goes to lunch then, isn’t she?)
Be prepared for her not to call you back.
She might be in a meeting/sobbing in the loo/have got caught on other calls/be picking peanuts out of poo.
Call back when you said you would.
This shows that you are as good as your word.
Be prepared to repeat everything you’ve said to Boadicea, and be prepared for her not to have updated the system with your issue.
Phone back every day until it’s resolved. Ask for Boadicea by name, or her manager, by name.
Once it is resolved (and this is most important), ring them to tell them it’s sorted, and thank them for their help. It shows that you’re human, and that you really do appreciate them. Even if really you’re plotting how to kill their firstborn.

So there you have it.
Nobody likes having to complain; unless you’re me, when I love a good spat on the phone. I am a practised complainer and I always get what I want.
So can you…


If anyone has any other great tactics do share!

 

[TPB]

Brilliant post. I remembered i ordered a IPhone 4 online, waited days for yodel to deliver, contacted them the driver and nothing, they said it got lost? Someone pocked for themselves probably, but had to get it from a store myself then, was hassle. Kept my cool wasn't irritated, no compensation for the days of delays, and going out of my way to pick it up as they said delivery would take more days again..

 

[Nishi85]

Great thread. Agree with everything you have said. I work part time in custom.er relations aka complaints department and it true if the customer looses they temper whilst we understand why it can frustrate us and we are .human too.

At the same time I've had to complain to my phone provider and this method really works.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[smallandcute]

Just this week i have had an issue with the delivery of an order which has since vanished into thin air. Turned out the courier claimed i had signed for the parcel but i hadnt so my supplier complained on my behalf as thats fraud. Luckily the supplier was excellent and have resent my parcel so should be here tommorow. My supplier gave the best service and i will continue to order from them.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[CONNECT-2-HAIR]

great thread thanks so much

 

[Zooks]

Good advice . Much needed at the moment. May have to put it to the test rather soon....

Sent from my GT-I9300 using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[tjmadmum]

Great thread as always Lynne. I did have to giggle though as you actually scared me as I was reading it! Lol x

 

[gemmalou1981]

Brilliant post. I remembered i ordered a IPhone 4 online, waited days for yodel to deliver, contacted them the driver and nothing, they said it got lost? Someone pocked for themselves probably, but had to get it from a store myself then, was hassle. Kept my cool wasn't irritated, no compensation for the days of delays, and going out of my way to pick it up as they said delivery would take more days again..

I had exact same problem with yodel! My Samsung galaxy s3 'disappeared'. Yodel got it but it never arrived :-/

 

[tonicj]

I will consider the Do's after I do the Dont's :lol: x

 

[linzi]

It's funny, I loathe complaining but I've always gotten what I wanted just by being nice to the person on the other end of the phone, or instore, etc.

The secret is to be calm, cool and prepared. Shouting and screaming will get you nowhere. And nor will demanding anything. A good customer service agent will be only too happy to help you and work out a schedule that suits bith of you. Demanding that they call back at x time and then demanding to speak to their manager if they get stuck on a call isn't really their fault, is it? :/ Most will happily oblige and call back if it suits you better, but if you're on a tight schedule and are disciplined for not adhering to your schedule and having a moster customer on the phone isn't fair to the agent.

People like to help people who are nice.

Having worked in customer service in the past, I can tell you that I would categorically NOT give you my surname, and nor would I give you the area in which I work, even if you wanted to speak with a manager. I would happily pass you over to them.

It's sad the way the world is, but I remember one of my friends working in a call centre and they got a package in the post which sparked a huge bomb scare. You don't know who you're speaking with.

Thanks for an interesting thread

Sent from my GT-N7100 using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[PinkSwoon]

Great thread! I have to agree with Linzi though, when I worked in CSD for an insurance company people would ask for my name all the time, all I'd think was 'you're never going to get through to me again & there are probably hundreds of other Demi's in this company & we have tens of offices dumbass' & my friend who worked in a call centre told me about a time when one of her colleagues dealt with a complaint & she'd disclosed the office she worked at, they sent her flowers & waited outside to see who came out with the flowers & jumped her...lovely! Ask for a company sign-on or employee number instead!

I had to do a complaint once, I'd had a HW wax & it was horrific, here is the email I had sent:

Dear *salon name* Customer Services,

Unfortunately the opportunity I am taking to email you today is that of a complaint.

The reason I am taking the time to write to you regarding my complaint is because I had booked to be waxed today at the ********** branch. The type of wax I had booked consisted of a 'Hollywood' & underarm. I had previously booked a cheaper mobile therapist but decided to cancel & book with (salon name) as I thought it seemed more professional, a decision which I am now regretting. Cutting a long story short I have left the salon with quite a substantial amount of hair left both in the 'Hollywood' area & my underarm & have resorted to shaving the rest off.

After the therapist had initially finished she had left the room to allow me to dress myself at which point I had checked if there was any remaining hair which there was so I called in the therapist to take the remaining off, she asked me to check again before I left & I said there were a few short ones which the wax probably couldn't pull out, to my surprise the therapist did not offer to tweeze them out but just left them instead, she had also said she hadn't seen them because of the way I was laid. I paid & left as I did not want to call the therapist back in for a second time (I should not have needed to call her back in the first instance anyway as all of the hair should have been removed). I checked again when I got home & to my disgust quite a lot of the hair is still there in an area where I know the therapist would have seen. I have taken pictures however I'm not too sure how you would feel about seeing pictures of my genitalia, I have taken them as proof of the shocking service which I have received if you should ever need to see them. I am in pure disbelief that I have paid in excess of £35 for this service, the quality of the service compared to the price is diabolical. I am very disappointed as it is the day before my holiday & I cannot book in anywhere else. I personally deal with complaints on a day to day basis for an international multi-million pound company although I have never been compelled to complain about anything myself until now. Also which makes this complaint even more viable is that during the treatment I had told the therapist that I had a bad experience with waxing once before where the therapist at that time had left most of the hair on & still charged me full price which is ironically exactly the same situation that happened today.

This is not how I would expect to be treated from a well known brand of beauty bars such as yourselves, this is not how my business would be run. The customer should be at the heart of everything a business does & this is clearly not true in this instance. I'm not sure what basis the employees at (salon) work on but it is obvious I was just used to get an extra client in that day or to fill up the till, there was actually no care taken towards me to obtain the results that I wanted from the service. I would have thought with the recent influx of non-standard salons onto the high street that a brand like yourselves would be able to maintain the standards but this is obviously untrue. I am very dissatisfied & I expect a resolution from this.

I expect to hear back from you soon,
Kind Regards.

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It was harsh but true...& it got me a full refund. I was furious.
(P.s the bit about the mobile therapist being unprofessional is not aimed at all mobile therapists, just the one I had previously booked so no offence intended!)