HOW TO BEA CHAMPION COMPLAINER
Irked by shoddy service but can’t face complaining? Follow these 10 steps and it’ll probably be much easier than you think, says Vicky Shaw
Yellow jumpsuit, £22.99, www.newlook.com IF YOU’D rather seethe quietly than make a complaint when something’s gone wrong, you’re not alone.
According to free complaints service Resolver (resolver.co.uk), common reasons people give for not complaining include not thinking they could win and worrying it could take too long to reach an outcome.
While some businesses’ complaints services may not be up to scratch, Resolver say more and more are realising the value of keeping their customers happy – and, in turn, keeping them coming back.
Resolver founder James Walker said: “Let’s dispel a few myths. It’s dead easy to make a complaint – and it doesn’t have to take long at all.
“You can get around dealing with the dreaded call Nude sandals, £29, www.topshop.com centres or automated help systems by using Resolver. But you can also make a complaint in your own right – and in your own words.”
Here are his top tips... Bad service, being ripped off and bureaucracy can make us see red. So it’s vital to take a moment to calm down before making a complaint. Grab a drink, gather your thoughts and channel that anger. Focus on the key issues. Start with what you wanted or were expecting, explain what went wrong, and finish with what you want to sort out the complaint. Resolver works with more than 32,000 businesses to help them understand what their customers are telling them. The are also a few steps you can take to help solve communication problems with a business. Something as simple as writing “complaint” on an email, message or letter makes it unarguably clear what the deal is. Even if you hate writing, it can be tempting to start drafting the complaint version of War And Peace once you get going. Why not try writing out bullet points? Not everyone feels comfortable putting their thoughts into writing and, for various reasons, it can be good to get some support. Free help from Citizens Advice and other charities can help you get started. Often, businesses will ask you to send in documents. Firstly, avoid sending originals. Photograph your documents and attach them to a complaint using a smartphone. If you’ve got a parking ticket you want to challenge, then it makes sense to snap a few photographs to back up your case. The same goes for many complaints. If you can gather evidence, even links online to other people who’ve had the same problem with a product or service, it can help. Even customer service experts trying to be fair can be swayed by rudeness. That can extend to formatting in a complaints letter or emails, like overusing capital letters, making letters bold and underlining text (or worst of all, all three).