After saying that we should complain for deficiency in service, heres a piece on
"How to Complain Effectively ?" This was published by DNA on 14th January 2011
My personal experience is that most organisations are indeed serious about customer issues and are eager to resolve the matter if it is raised timely and suitably. While there are no set rules to this subject, a few tips can make the experience smoother and mutually rewarding - for both - the complainant and the merchant.
Let’s start with - What should you expect from a complaint process?
This is a big one. I’ve seen people ‘fighting’ with the organisation only to be dumb-founded when asked “ So, what do you want, Sir ?”
You were angry and you complained or even started throwing tantrums, but what do you expect the other person to do to pacify you. Do you expect a replacement of the product? Do you want a different service level? A refund ? A refund and compensation or do you seek a simple apology?
All of these are valid expectations. Just that you need to be sure where you belong. Once you have done that, just remember these golden rules when seeking any resolution:
Knock the right door: If you are seeking a resolution, ensure that you are dealing with the correct person(s). Carefully consider things like - location (eg: branch office or HO), hierarchy, ability to resolve etc and decide if the resolution you are seeking is in the ambit of the person in front of you. When in doubt. Ask and seek to be routed to the right person. In large format retail stores or at service outfits, approach the frontline staff and if you see that they are not able to resolve your matter or guide you to resolution, go right to the top. Don’t waste time transcending the layers in between. If they have not empowered the front-line to resolve issues, chances are they don’t have a decent complaint resolution process in place. Normally, writing to faceless e-mail ids such as feedback@xyz.com or complaints@xyz.com usually gets you a stereotypical automatic response which is no good if you are seeking a resolution. If there is no name, it means that there is no one willing to stick his neck out and take responsibility for the complaint resolution. I am however, not saying, that you don’t try this. By all means do. But, don’t wait infinitely. If you don’t see signs of it (say in one working day) in the form of a specific response - not the usual form letter, then go all the way. And though its normally very tough to get to the top it’s not impossible. And even if this top person re-assigns your case to someone and says “Take care of this complaint” trust me, you’ll get taken care of.
Be Clear, calm and concise: State the problem clearly and un- ambiguously so that it is understood and appreciated by the person on the other side. Being loud just does not help. Stay calm but assertive. You have to have that modicum of anger to be taken seriously while ensuring that you don’t go over the top.
Keep a record of people and events: Write an e-mail or letter so there’s a trail and somebody has to do something about it. You make a phone call, they hang up and its over. There’s no record of the fact that you called. Take down the details of the person who you are speaking to - whether on phone or in person. Usually, just this mall act makes them realise that you are serious.
Know your rights: Be reasonable and demand reasonably. Knowing your rights helps. Eg: Reading about the Montreal Convention 1999 or the Warsaw Convention would help you to know the extent of compensation you can claim for your baggage loss by an Airline.
Go for litigation if you must: In some instances anything you do may fail to evoke a satisfactory response. In these cases, you may have to resort to litigation. Here in India there is a well structured framework for resolution of Consumer disputes and a host of well meaning meaning NGOs willing to take up cudgels on your behalf. You don't need lawyers to fight your case- you can do so yourself or take guidance from any NGO. These are a good last resort to get cheap, speedy and simple redressal to consumer disputes. A quasi-judicial machinery is set up at each District, State and National levels called District Forums, State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission respectively to handle disputes of varying kind and magnitude. ‘Pre-warning’ of your intention to take your dispute to consumer forum may sometimes lead the erring organisation to sit up and take notice of your complaint and is hence a good idea and saves you the trouble of litigation.
Compensation for collateral damage: Evaluate your case and if you think you have a genuine reason to seek compensation then by all means go for it. Most organisations would not take kindly to your persistence for compensation and they would shy away from taking responsibility for collateral damage. They would at the most view your case sympathetically and offer you freebies as a ‘token’ of their understanding.
It may be noted that in most good companies you may not need to resort to any of the above measures - just letting your discomfort known would spur them into action. A friend fondly recalls an instance of an airline giving her and all co-passengers a complimentary Mumbai-London return ticket as a ‘token of our apology’ for an un- usual delay in take-off. So, while most good companies would more than compensate you for the inconvenience caused to you, do not think of it as your right. You have to pick your battles. You have to decide how far you are willing to go and what you’re going to do if you don’t get what you want. Finally remember, when a complaint is closed to your satisfaction, do spare a minute to thank the service provider. A thank you e-mail or a letter or a phone call post resolution will not only tremendously encourage the erring party to look at a complaint in the future much more but also close a possibly bitter interaction with a smile. After all it is not normally about the particular person that you complained but about the particular interaction or particular product that you picked up that caused you trouble.
So complain and make a difference.
