Getting free stuff from complaining

Lady_S

hula hoops, I can only agree. We try to do exactly the same.

CAFCGirl

ok I've got a hybid oreo cookie
What to do

its essentially 3 pieces of biscuit with two layers of cream.

However it was in a packet of 4, and technically theres only three.
My last one is missing its second sandwich layer of bisuity lovelyness (i LOVE oreo's)

So it looks like a double decker oreao cookie.

To send or not to send, that is the question
I've missed out on one oreo cookie, not tragic..............

debecca

Although I recognise the validity of the points made, sometimes a strongly worded letter is essential. We "dined" in a chain pub with my new-found family and were called gypsies, travellers, scum, etc, just because there were 50 of us (yes, 50 - paying to eat their food and drink their drinks)...

I was soooo offended.

After a generic letter saying we'll get back to you, I heard... nothing.

Don't eat at Brewers Fayre! Actually, that's probably good advice for life anyway.

The_Boss

I've never done any of this complaining thing. But I start a new job in central London at the start of October and I'm intending to keep hold of a stack of customer charters and claim back my tube fare when there are delays.

black-saturn

I use trains a lot as I'm in a long distance relationship and I don't drive. I find it really infuriating when trains are late or delayed. If you need to get connections it puts it all out of cinque. I need to get 3 connections where I go so if one is delayed the rest are missed. Anyway, I know that if your arrival at your destination is 30 minutes or more late they will give compensation for it. So if it is late I always write to them and complain and 99% of the time I get my fayre back or some of it. I think I only pay to go about 2 out of 3 times.

debecca

I also complained in a hotel we stayed at in Dublin as part of our honeymoon. We had a lot of building work going on at 8 in the morning, and when we mentioned it at reception, they said it was only that morning, and it would be 10 hereon in.

Lies! Next morning, 7:45... so I asked to speak to the manager and he knocked a night off the bill, gave us a free breakfast, and sent someone up to the room with complimentary whisky and chocolates. He was soooo lovely!

Realistically though, we just wanted a lie-in...

What other complaints have I done? Loads I think, I'm a real whinger if something irritates me. First Direct are the latest casualties. Good customer service my ar5e.

laurajayne

I'm fairly new on the 'complaint bandwagon' - I used to work as a retail manager...and always cringed when I sensed a complaint coming. I agree with what's been said previously; if people are rude/abusive then I'd stick right to the letter of ourr policies...if however it was a 'nice' customer then I'd bend over backwards and bend the rules to help them. My personal bugbear was when people would threaten me with watchdog/trading standards before I'd even opened my mouth - mistakes happen, things do break, but gimme a chance!

I've only really had a proper complaint once (other than Black Donkey being idiots and o2 taking the mick) and that was with Avon.

Bought some stuff from a rather rude rep...never did get her name, and honestly thought I'd been given samples! For the price I paid, I expected much more.

So emailed customer services, emailed them again....I had 4 pages of correspondance from them...trying to get my money back. I ended up writing a strongly worded letter as it had been 2.5 months by this point for a £13 refund, and got a cheque for £20!

CFC

hula-hoops wrote:

I also deal with complaints in a well-known company and can spot a mile off when someone's trying it on. We rarely send vouchers/free stuff to people - especially those that send very strongly worded complaints as genuinely dissatisfied customers would consider that an insult. My mum once complained about a holiday she went on and even said in her complaint that she didn't want vouchers or a free holiday with them because she would feel insulted and she would never travel with them again so would have no use for the vouchers/holiday. It's amazing how many people with 'complaints' that they consider serious enough to involve the media and Trading Standards can be bought with a few freebies or vouchers.

I cannot stand sarcasm or rudeness in complaints. I recently had one that said 'I know you must be inundated with complaints of this nature' - she got nothing back except a generic response letter.

It's a good job I'm not your boss, because you'd be on the hit list and I'd be looking to manage you out. You don't really seem to have any empathy at all with your customers. If you really are in customer service, take this on board.

Attitudes like yours are the reason that companies lose customers. The initial complaint is an unhappy customer. What defines whether that customer is a lost customer or not is the way that their complaint is dealt with.

What you must also remember is that a customer who has taken the trouble to speak to you, instead of/as well as trading standards or the local paper, deserves a)some compensation for the time and trouble taken to actually communicate, as trading standards will not necessarily assist the company in preventing further breaches but the advanced information a customer can give will help to avoid future problems, and b)the company deserves some penalty for making customers be their ultimate quality control ( in effect) and a customer instinctively tends to recognise this.

The customer shouldn't have to be nice to YOU in order to have their complaint dealt with in a satisfactory manner. I have certainly never had a member of my staff demonstrate the kind of attitude which you display. 'Genuinely dissatisfied customers would consider some compensation an insult'? What complete and utter tosh.

Genuinely dissatisfied customers firstly want an acknowledgement of their problem and a genuine expression of regret,they want to know it will not happen again for another customer, and if those needs are met then offers of compensation are happily received. The result of treating these complaints being aware of this pattern of customer complaints guarantees the company a customer who reccomends them to other people. Fail in any of the first two, and the customer goes away unhappy.