Sometimes it seems as though companies are determined to get on your bad side. They change the terms of services, callously increase the cost of an item and maybe just have the most uncouth human beings that exist, working in the “customer service” department. And although there are “regulations” and “organisations” in place to deal with unfair practices against consumers, these companies get away with it. How can consumer complaints be heard and action taken?
Don’t Use The Service
One simple solution is to not use the service. This works in an area where there is competition and you can easily find an alternative. The telecommunications industry is a good example in which companies are notorious for doing crap. But the good thing is that there usually other players in the market, so you have a choice. The only problem is if you’ve signed a multi-year contract and you still have some time left on it. It just means that you have to wait a little longer to leave them.
Make Noise in the Media
In my Commercial Banks Want An Ease post, I talked about how one bank was forced to reverse its fees decision because the customers went to the media and made a huge fuss. This is another way to get your complaints heard. Chances are you are not the only person who is having an issue with the particular company. And companies do not like negative publicity. If a big enough stink is created, they might reverse the decision.
Call the Right People
I would never forget a friend of mine who went straight to the top of the organisation to voice her displeasure with the service at a particular organisation. She had a bad experience at a commercial bank and they tried to justify their ridiculous behaviour and blame the issue on her. So, she called everyone that she could think about and got the email address of one of the managers in this region who was out of the island. Then, she sent him an email detailing her experience and disappointment. She was surprised when he responded and promised to fix the problem on his return. She was even more surprised when the problem was rectified in her favour.
I get the impression that organisations hope that customers will sit around and accept whatever they implement without fuss. In recent times, people have become more interested in how their money is being spent. My advice to all companies is to treat your customers the way that you would like to be treated. If you’re not prepared to do it, your competitor might step right up and offer the solution to the customer’s problem.