Do you care enough to file a complaint?

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Replies

  • ♥_Ellybean_♥
    ♥_Ellybean_♥ Posts: 1,646 Member
    It takes pretty bad service for me to call and complain, or even call a manager over.

    The last time I called and complained was at a McDonald's when the manager on duty REFUSED to give me a bandaid for my nephew who got hurt in their play place! I was so livid, I did wind up calling corporate office
  • LaDiablesse
    LaDiablesse Posts: 862 Member
    I'm more of a compliment giver. I never send food back..(Ever see the movie Waiting?) Small tip & no return visits to a restaurant when it's horrible.

    That co-worker of yours seems to be a miserable person.
  • coatsie79
    coatsie79 Posts: 187 Member
    If I receive bad service I will complain, because if I'm paying my money I expect to have good service in return.

    If I receive good service I will always leave a good tip in a restaurant or take time out to complete those online or voice questionairres that you get when you contact a call centre.
  • Tree72
    Tree72 Posts: 942 Member
    If I'm at a restaurant and my order is wrong, I will usually ask to have it fixed (unless it's something really minor). There's no reason to be unpleasant or rude about it; it's usually not even the server's fault. I'm lucky to live in a very "foodie" town. If the service is bad or the food is not good quality, word gets around and that place doesn't last long. So most restaurants here actively want to provide a good experience. It's not often that you have to take it up to the manager to get any problems addressed.

    These days it's very easy to send either complaints or compliments as many restaurants have websites where you can give feedback. So if you have a terrible, or a wonderful, experience at a particular location, it only takes a couple of minutes to send off an e-mail to someone who probably cares.
  • macpatti
    macpatti Posts: 4,280 Member
    There's a difference between complaining and tattling. First of all, I will always "report" something I feel morally obligated to do. I have complained about service before, but not in an effort to get anything free and not in a rude/snobby way. I also give feedback on great service. Now, if someone I work with is not in proper dress code and I'm not that person's supervisor, that's none of my business.
  • mommared53
    mommared53 Posts: 9,543 Member
    you gotta choose your battles

    Exactly what I was going to say.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    If the situation is bad enough, i do complain. For example, on Monday I purchased a jar of peanut butter and got it home to find that the eat by date was THREE YEARS ago. I took it back to the store and got a refund, then I emailed both the peanut butter company and the store's corporate office. Sorry, but I think three year old product is inexcusable.
  • La_Amazona
    La_Amazona Posts: 4,855 Member
    Nah, unless it's something that's happened more than once (but then again, why would you go back?) or if it was something serious like being harrassed by a worker or something.

    I do however go out of my way to tell supervisors, bosses, etc when I've received good customer service. Or I'll tell the worker how much I appreciate them.
  • k2quiere
    k2quiere Posts: 4,151 Member
    There are two reasons to complain and two ways to do it. Some people just do it because they feel entitled and are mean. Other people would like to feel more comfortable or have better service and they can do it in a respectful way. I had a friend in college who everywhere we went she complained, she was just nasty to everyone! The checkout girl, the waiter etc. I finally sat her down and told her, "look when you are being rude and negative it reflects on me and I don't like it. People work hard and treating them with a little respect isn't too hard to do." Later she got a job in retail and found out what it was like on the other side of the coin. She told me she appreciated me pointing it out to her because she didn't realize she was like that and now she saw how it felt.

    I've always thought everyone should work in a customer service job at least once in their life. :bigsmile:

    THIS^^^
  • cabaray
    cabaray Posts: 971 Member
    I usually deal with things myself. If I'm in line at a retailer and the cashier is busy talking to someone else (not work related conversation), I will interrupt them. I worked in retail before. Having a personal conversation in front of a customer is plain rude. As far as restaurants go, I let the tip do the talking. A couple of times I have had such poor service, I left a penny. I also tip very well when service is good.
  • ABetterBalance
    ABetterBalance Posts: 298
    What about you? Do you feel that taking the time to file a complaint is worth the effort?

    If I receive absolutely horrible service, I will complain. Those instances are few and far between though. Having worked in a job that was largely customer service oriented, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt if it all possible.

    On the oher hand- if I receive exceptional service, I will call/email the supervisor to praise the employee. This also goes back to when I worked in a customer service oriented job- we once had a member of our gym call the corporate offices to tell them how much she enjoyed coming to our gym, and how helpful and friendly the manager and staff were. Corporate passed that info on to our owners and then to me- and it absolutely made my week!

    Whenever the opportunity presents itself to pass on similar praise to someone else, I try to do so.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    It depends-- I usually expect average service, especially from someone making minimum wage. So if something is REALLY BAD I might complain (depending on whether or not it matters to me) or if it's REALLY GOOD I try to make sure and mention to someone that I really appreciate the service. Anywhere in the middle I'm pretty ambivalent. :P Example-- my parents and I rented a boat on our vacation. We followed the instructions to a T but the motor broke down anyway. Then we called them as instructed and they told us to go ahead and try to use the motor to come back in. When we got halfway there it died completely, they had to come get us, and then they tried to charge my parents for the motor because they ran it after it started messing up (exactly as instructed by them 30 minutes earlier). It was going to be $800-- so yeah, that was worth complaining about. But if the guy sacking my groceries bags my bread wrong I'm not going to call his manager. If he bags everything perfectly I might call his manager to brag on him though :)
  • sunkisses
    sunkisses Posts: 2,365 Member
    Only if the place is somewhere I normally enjoy and they've failed me. Otherwise, I just wouldn't go back.
  • Scarletblue
    Scarletblue Posts: 255
    For me it's not about product if I recieve something and it is wrong I will just ask for it to be replaced and I ask nicely and they usually replace without a problem, mistakes happen thats life, roll your eyes, give me an attitude, whisper point then throw my replacement on the counter and say "here". I go Madea on your *kitten*.
  • FauxNinja
    FauxNinja Posts: 77
    I normally will wait and send an email or letter when I get bad service. However, to be fair, I will also send an email or letter when I get exceptional service.
  • Kimbie500
    Kimbie500 Posts: 388 Member
    It depends-- I usually expect average service, especially from someone making minimum wage. So if something is REALLY BAD I might complain (depending on whether or not it matters to me) or if it's REALLY GOOD I try to make sure and mention to someone that I really appreciate the service. Anywhere in the middle I'm pretty ambivalent. :P

    ^^^^This. I've given way more compliments than complaints. It takes quite a bit for me to complain, but when I do I'm going to get satisfaction. Polite but firm. If that doesn't resolve it, I'll either move my complaint up the chain or never give them my money again.

    IMO, I don't have the right to complain if I'm not also willing to compliment.
  • Romans624
    Romans624 Posts: 822
    I used to never complain, and honestly the thing that really bugs me is a bad attitude. I worked in customer service a lot and you needed to have the right attitude all the time. If you didn't screw up, and the customer is complaining, you take responsibility for it in the way you can - "I'm sorry that happened. Let me see what I can do for you". The place this irks me the most is my college. I am trying to get financial aid. Every week or two they will ask me to come in in person and supply them with some document. I have provided like 16 of their requirements. Somehow, they are not able to review my file all at once, and ask me for what they need. They have to take a break each time they find some requirement I haven't met. Its really ridiculous. And when I say anything about, it, they just look at me like its my problem. I have no problem getting them the info they need. I have a problem with them resetting the 4-6 week WAIT time every TIME they ask me for something else. The last thing they asked for was my diploma as proof. Even though that had been long ago provided to enrollment, and I have my assessment testing - they don't "share between departments". They wouldn't accept a faxed copy. I had to come in for the umpteenth time. Really obnoxious. That's just the way it is they say. I wouldn't be going there if it weren't for such a convenient loc, and the professors are good... but their red tape and policies are really annoying me.


    Long story short. Be nice. Be polite, and if you need to, voice your complaints as clearly and tactfullly as you can. Good customer service will do something about it - bad customer service will ignore it. If they don't deal with it appropriately, just take your business elsewhere.
  • Romans624
    Romans624 Posts: 822
    I want to ask, do you care enough to give a compliment? If I get exceptional service I make it a point to say so.

    Same here...I've actually stopped to tell the manager at several restaurants on occasions where I had a particularly good waitress/waiter.

    I think that this is important. Compliments go a long way. Sometimes more than you know.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,096 Member
    If I feel I'm not being offered the service I'm supposed to, I'll always deal with it on the lowest level. If it's unsatisfactory, and I'm not a snob, I move to the next level. Mostly it's when I purchase something and it ended up being defective, but past it's return policy of 30 days.
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