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Great 'How to make an effective complaint' Hunt
Comments
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irrelevant wrote: »Quick tip I've not seen mentioned yet: if you phone up, be polite but firm.
Don't lose your temper, and certainly don't swear, as you'll end up shouting at a brick wall, or at least a dead phone line! Write down notes about what you want to say, and what answers you want, as it's easy to let a conversation be drawn away from your specific query. When they answer, ask for their full name and a direct phone number or extension number, and write them on your notes (along with date and time!)
If you find you have trouble with a company promising action, then doing nothing, record the phone calls if you can, but certainly don't be afraid of telling them you're recording even if you're not. They are less likely to try and fob you off if they think their words will come back to bite them.
Finally, if you know the outcome you want, try and work WITH the person you are talking to to acheive it, rather than against them.
It might grate when you've had sh*t service to be nice to the people, but the person you're talking to is unlikely to have had anything to do with what went wrong, and is likely sick and tired of being shouted at all day. To get someone calling who (apparently) apreciates their efforts to resolve the matter will make them try just that little harder.
Excellent advice! :T0 -
I always have a look for the registered office address either by using https://www.companieshouse.co.uk or by clicking the 'legal' link on a website.
Then address your complaint letter to the Legal Department or Litigation Department or Legal Services with the address to follow.
Mark the top of the letter "Without Prejudice". Keep the content of the letter to the facts and the effects that the problems have caused. Try not to express the letter in two emotional a way. Suggest what you think reasonable as compensation. Ask that you be compensated for the time that has been taken up trying to rectify the position.
Don't bother telephoning anybody you're wasting your time and money.
Fax the letter if possible and keep a copy of the fax receipt. If it is not possible to fax send it second class recorded delivery.
Tell then you expect a response within 7 days of the date on the letter.0 -
Putting 'without prejudice' doesn't make a huge deal of difference.
I can't see how a "letter of refusal" adds anything either.
Marking the letter "without prejudice" means that should the matter go to Court or settlement you would not be bound to accept any kind of compensation that you had suggested in the letter as you had entered into negotiations without prejudice to any other final resolution.
It's 'old skool' law but there's no harm in putting it on.0 -
What's the best way to complain about bank charges?
Bexy
See http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/bank-charges"Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie
Which we ascribe to Heaven"
- All's well that ends well (I.1)0 -
Marking the letter "without prejudice" means that should the matter go to Court or settlement you would not be bound to accept any kind of compensation that you had suggested in the letter as you had entered into negotiations without prejudice to any other final resolution.
It's 'old skool' law but there's no harm in putting it on.
No, it means that they cannot put it in front of a judge. All correspondence is effectively without prejudice if you are trying to reach a settlement.
I would prefer to keep it an open letter - if it went to Court then you would be able to disclose its contents to the judge. If you did want to make a proposal to settle, consider a second letter with the proposal in it.0 -
I lease my car through work and 3 years ago I chose the new Renault Clio. Talk about a bum deal??? It needed 2 new diesel systems in 6 months, plus costs of hire car for the 3 weeks it was off the road while they tried to fix it, the fact that I had no indication that it was going to break down and all the other problems that come with it.
I wrote a very straightforward letter of complaint detailing the problems I had with the car, the fact that Renault had sent an expert up to Glasgow from London to look at it and couldnt diagnose WHY it was happening, they couldnt guarantee it wouldnt happen again, my concerns re the problem - I travelled frequently on motorway(not ideal to suddenly break down in fast lane!), often carried £5000 worth of equipment in boot, often travelled alone, often travelled in extremely rough areas of the city and had serious concerns for my safety. I also added in a little bit about my daughter having instructions to sue should anything "fatal" happen to me! lol. Importantly, I also said what I expected - I wanted them to take the car back and replace it as I was confident that it was simply a bad car, and I was otherwise happy with it.
I sent copies of this letter to Renault, the leasing company and to my own car leasing department - all by recorded delivery. Within 24 hours I had a phone call to say that they were replacing the car!!!!! No one had ever heard of this happening so quickly - SUCCESS :A
PS had replacement Clio for 2 years with no problems0 -
I bought a mattress Sealy pillow top £440 from Bensons beds in July 2008, within 3 weeks the mattress was sagging at both sides. Got in touch with them and was told it was natural settlement. Phoned them and was told by a minion that he had checked and there was nothing that could be done as it was natural settlement, they never commented about my other complaint of one of us could not move without disturbing the other. Wrote again with "Notice before action" and this time was phoned back and asked to send photos. Did so and was immediately contacted to say that there was a fault and I could choose another one. I did so and put an extra £60 to a much better one. Had I not found one I liked I would have asked for my money back. When the replacement mattress was delivered, the driver said they had had a lot of complaints about this mattress. I will never give in, they will have to buck up their ideas or loose customers. Peter.0
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My best tips are:
Know about the item your complaining about if your not sure - research it, i.e. what law / regulations apply to the product or service etc...
Be polite but firm, never take no for an answer and always speak to managers
Never be put of by 'front line blagging' all companies do it to get you off the phone or out of the store.
Letters are fine, but for quicker responses for less serious complaints, always phone and use the 0800 or 01,02,03 numbers.
My best complaint results are:
Faulty hifi (2 months out of warranty) outcome - £300 New Hifi
Damaged door on a cupboard delivered (you could not see it unless I pointed it out) -£50 refund
Faulty fridge repaired 3 times and still a bit iffy... - agreed exchange for another brand
Lloyds Bank, gave wrong information - goodwill of £30
Halifax, got name wrong on documents - goodwill of £60
Various products returned to supermarket over the last year as didn't like them - over £400 in refunds.
I have even complained about sales assistants who were just not interested in selling, I have earned around £200 in vouchers for this alone.
We are the customers and don't let the company forget it, and if you don't ask you don't get!These are my thoughts and no one else's, so like any public forum advice - check it out before entering into contracts or spending your hard earned cash!
I don't know everything, however I do try to point people in the right direction but at the end of the day you can only ever help yourself!0 -
Interesting to see Hotpoint mentioned. I too have had no success in my attempts to seek redress for their failure to connect a new washing machine, which replaced one that had failed within 1st year. Phone calls, two letters, all following polite guidelines as discussed - zilch. No apology. Nothing. Won't touch them again when this one goes wrong!!0
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Generally I prefer to write an email, which I then post by recorded delivery so no gremlins can misplace it. If its bad service, all I want is an apology, but if I've lost out financially, then I expect recompense (although compensation is also nice).
Recently I had issues with Next, where incorrect items were arriving, deliveries going to the wrong places, collections not being done etc, and after two initial phone calls, I followed up by email. I received 10 quid compensation, but unfortunately the errors continued. I received another 20 quid, and a letter of apology.
I've complained to restaurants, and received free meals and/or vouchers, but I usually find that airlines (yes, RyanAir and EasyJet, as well as Air NZ) ignore you. At least with EasyJet I was able to take them to the County Court (and won).
If it makes anyone feel better, I work for one of the larger high street phone companies, and I still can't get my billing correct - and I get sick of complaining (and being ignored!). Madame Tousards Group also ignore you, but my current bug bear is London Buses and London United; six letters and emails regarding a driver swearing at me, all ignored, and when I said I was complaining to the Mayor, I got a form letter back stating customer satisfaction survey results. All I wanted was an apology from the driver!
One that sticks in my mind was Wallis at Marble Arch; the fitting room assistant (aged around 50) was wandering up and down the fitting rooms saying 'Ladies, you're all being very lazy today. Make sure you hang everything up correctly on the hangers, and if you're going back to the rack for a new size, take the items back yourself as I'm very busy' (which she wasn't). A fellow customer complained verbally (politely) saying that she was a customer, and she felt the fitting room assistant was being rude, and the fitting room assistant informed her 'This is my fitting room; if you don't like it, leave'. I left without buying anything, and wrote to Wallis to complain. Sent the letter three times, never got a reply, and three and half years later, I've never been back. Monsoon might be a little more expensive, but I'll pay rather than deal with rude staff and be ignored by head office.
Ultimately, it always helps to be polite, explain yourself clearly (remembering a short story is a good story), and say that you understand this isn't their usual standard of low service, so you look forward to a prompt and successful resolution.0
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