How to complain effectively – and get results
When you have faulty goods or receive poor service, it can be really hard to get redress.
Companies fob you off, you don’t know your rights or you get sent from pillar to post. Follow these tips to get what you deserve.
Always put your complaint in writing. Email is easiest but you can also send it by post.
The risk of being pushed from pillar to post is reduced, and you won’t have to repeat yourself if you need to contact the company again because it will have the details on record.
You can keep rewriting before clicking the send button on an email so the risk of losing your temper is reduced and you can make sure you haven’t forgotten anything.
Most importantly, though, you have a record of what has been said and when it was said. You may need to take the matter further, for instance, by going to an alternative dispute resolution provider (usually an ombudsman) or making a claim through the small claims court. Phone calls will not give you the evidence you will need if you pursue these avenues.
If the company has made it difficult for you to contact it, get the email address of the chief executive; you can do this for free at ceoemail.com. The chief executive may not respond personally (although some do) but your message should escalate the matter and get your complaint noticed and dealt with.
Before you raise a complaint, check that you are being objective and that there are grounds for a formal complaint. Complaining about a sales assistant’s clothing would be subjective and inappropriate. But if the assistant threw down and damaged the item you were collecting, complaining about that would be reasonable.
However frustrated you may feel, ranting to customer services will not help. You are far more likely to succeed by
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