I am fortunate in many ways and I complain a lot – I believe it’s my duty to do so
Icomplain a lot. I complain about any loss or inconvenience caused by a provider of something I have paid for. And I believe I am fulfilling a moral obligation in doing
I’ve had quite a few victories. A travel agent provided a £50 refund because they arranged the wrong special meal on a flight. A bank refunded more than $100 in account fees. A major liquor store chain that failed to attach a gift tag to a bottle of wine which I ordered for a family member sent three more bottles, with a total value of about $75. There are many more. But the compensation is beside the point.
I am an extremely fortunate person. I have had the incredible privilege to receive tertiary education, including a doctorate. I studied law and worked for a couple of years as a lawyer before completing a PhD in philosophy, and I now work as an academic overseas. I have learned, via my education, to write directly and succinctly. I am able to highlight laws or regulations which might have been violated. It is easy for me to submit a clear and forceful complaint.
I have no entitlement to the advantages I have had in life. I was born with certain abilities and have had incredible support. Nothing I have ever done, or can ever do, means that I deserve this.
Few people are so fortunate. Plenty of people in the community do not have easy access to the internet. Many are not native speakers of English and find formal correspondence in the language difficult. Many have responsibilities which make it impossible to spend time pursuing a matter even if they have been treated appallingly.
It is because there are so many people in these situations that I complain whenever a provider of goods and services has caused me loss or inconvenience. If those who do business know that at least some of their customers will confront them when they have grievances, then they will surely take more care to deal with all of their customers fairly and properly. It is better, from their point of view, rather than spending time and resources dealing with people like me. All consumers benefit from this, especially those who are not in a position to effectively assert their own rights.
Is there an aspect of white male privilege in what I am doing? I’m not sure. I am aware that there is an unentitled confidence that I will be taken seriously. But this does not mean that I am not doing something which is right to do.
Some of the matters I have complained about are insignificant – the lowest amount I have recouped was about 10 cents – but this is beside the point. Those who do business should fulfil all their obligations to their consumers (and, again, I am not the only consumer I am worried about).
Am I really motivated by a concern for others in doing all of this? Motivations are complex things, and we can’t always be sure why we do the things we do. Probably the sense of indignation whenever I am shortchanged plays some role.
From a purely selfish point of view, my policy of complaining whenever I have suffered any loss or inconvenience wouldn’t be worth the time. A good number of the complaints do not result in any material compensation. And, even when there is significant compensation – and I will acknowledge that it has sometimes been disproportionately generous – a decent amount of time goes into it.
Do I worry that I might inadvertently land a junior employee of some company in hot water when they don’t really deserve it? A bit. But I try to be complimentary about any junior employee with whom I have dealt, making it clear that I view the company and its systems as responsible.
If you have felt aggrieved by the conduct of some provider or goods and services, and have the resources to pursue the matter, I urge you to do so. It’s a gift for everyone.
Daniel Gregory is an Australian postdoctoral fellow in philosophy based in Spain
The lowest amount I have recouped was about 10 cents