Reader Lona says that people in her family have called her a consumer advocate since she was sixteen, and now she is going to share with us 2,177 words on the customer service tactics and techniques she uses to get satisfaction. She writes, “in 99% of situations, it allows you to reach an agreeable solution to almost any problem. It is something I do for family and friends, and for myself.” Some of her methods have been mentioned in various ways on the site before but others are completely unique. And by the time you read her true success story at the end, you’ll swear she has Jedi mind-control over customer service reps. It boils down to, without raising your voice, asserting control over the conversation from the beginning and then never relinquishing that power.
hardballs
Question Customer Service Authority
“Normally travelers will take whatever someone says. Challenge it. I’ll say, ‘I know how airports work and I know where the bag is.'” Mr. Tucci advises being kind and polite but assertive. “When it’s an emergency, I don’t obey the rules. I’ll go to the front of the queue. Do what you need to do.”
Consumer's Revenge Against Restaurant Not Honoring Coupons
Alan writes:
Three co-workers and I went out to lunch. We brought a coupon that said, “Buy one entree, and receive 50% off a second entree of equal or lower price.” Three of us ordered food from the Entree section of the menu, but one of us ordered something from the [cheap] Sandwich section.
Get Your Complaint Solved: Quick Beats Nice
Some of the tactics we recommend to consumers battling large and/or indifferent business are faster rather than nicer, and with good reason.
The Ultimate Consumerist Guide To Fighting Back
If you have a legitimate grievance with a company that they’re not helping you solve, here are 15 hand-picked articles of ours that will be your blueprint to kicking ass. They’re arranged in 3 escalating tiers, depending on how far you want-to/have-to take it. If you’re ready to stop getting mad and start getting results, check out the posts inside…
Get Your Complaint Resolved By Posting It To The Company's Stock Forums
Another of Ron Burley’s techniques for getting large businesses to fix his complaints is to post it in the message boards devoted to discussing that company and its stock price.
How To Never Ever Get In Trouble For Recording Calls With Customer Service
Me: [Laugh] Thanks. Anyway, here’s what’s going on with me today…
Can You Do Simple Math? Good, Then You'll Soon Realize Why You Need To Resolve My Complaint…
I’m continuing to read Unscrewed, and in this paragraph, author Ron Burley distills the basic premise behind forcing companies that have wronged you to give you what is due:
…one simple principle I have discovered that was extraordinarily effective in getting a fair resolution to a consumer problem: companies will act only in a manner that will benefit the bottom line. In other words, to get what you deserve, you must convince your opponent that helping you will be to his or her advantage.
Do the right thing? Corporate citizenship? Ethics? Plain ol’ fairnes? These words and phrases mean little to many big companies for whom churn, the rate at which customers leave and take business elsewhere, is a basic part of their business model. But they do understand the simple equation of incurring the least costs. Make the company realize that it will cost more to ignore you than to help you and soon you may find the tables turning in your favor.
Company Ignoring You? Fax 'Em To Death
Giant corporation ignoring your repeated and valid pleas? After exhausting traditional methods of complaint resolution, including, but not limited to, at least calling at least once and escalating to a supervisor, try “Faxing For Dollars,” another get-em-by-the-balls technique described by Ron Burley in his book, Unscrewed: The Consumer’s Guide To Getting What You Paid For.
How To Kick A Scammy Car Dealer In The Nuts
While we spend a lot of time on this site talking about the importance of writing a good complaint letter, of finding the executive contact info, and cc’ing letters to appropriate regulatory bodies, sometimes the best way to win is to stop playing Mr. Nice Guy and start playing hardball. Demonstrate, in no uncertain terms, just how much more costly it would be for the business to ignore your complaint than to resolve it. That’s the lesson learned from, Unscrewed: The Consumer’s Guide To Getting What You Paid For.
How To Launch An Executive Email Carpet Bomb
Here’s a classic tactic for rattling the corporate monkey tree to make sure your complaint gets shoved under the nose of someone with decision-making powers. Let’s call it the “EECB,” or Executive Email Carpet Bomb…
How To Take Your Case To Small Claims Court
Small claims or conciliation court provides a way for individuals to settle their differences with the help of a neutral referee or judge. [More]
