FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 11, 2008
Contact: John Tschohl
E-mail: quality@servicequality.com
Web: www.customer-service.com
(952) 884-3311Note to Editor: Feel free to use all or parts of this news release. John Tschohl also is available for personal interviews.
LEAVE THE HAMMER AT HOME
There’s a Better Way to Register Your Complaints
By John Tschohl
Mona Shaw made national news last fall with the tactics she used to register a complaint with Comcast. The 75-year-old woman was justifiably upset with the company when a technician showed up two days late to install service. She was even more upset when, two days later, Comcast cut off all service to her and her husband.
Shaw and her husband drove to the local Comcast office and asked to speak to the manager. Told that someone would be with her soon, she waited patiently for two hours before being told that the manager had left for the day. Shaw went home. But she didn’t stay there. Instead, two days later she grabbed a hammer and returned to the Comcast office, where she proceeded to smash a keyboard, a monitor, and a telephone. Police were called, and Shaw was arrested.
Shaw’s actions earned her applause from frustrated consumers throughout the world—and she now even has an online fan club. But they also earned her a suspended sentence for disorderly conduct, a $345 fine, and a restraining order barring her from the Comcast office.
Most of us have experienced bad customer service and many of us probably would like to have done what Shaw did. There is, however, a more effective—and lawful—way to register a complaint and to get the type of service you deserve. Follow these steps and you not only will have your problem resolved, you will not be arrested:
- Be prepared. Keep all sales receipts, warrantees, canceled checks, product tags, repair orders, and other information for the product or service you purchase.
- Be diplomatic. If you approach a company representative and immediately begin yelling and name calling, you put that person on the defensive. You also greatly decrease your chances of having that employee’s cooperation in helping to solve your problem.
- Be persistent. If that employee is unable—or unwilling—to help you, move your complaint on up the corporate ladder. Ask to talk with the manager. If you still are not satisfied, contact the owner or president of the company.
- Be clear. State how you feel you were wronged—the product didn’t work properly, for example, or the service wasn’t delivered when promised. Then state what you want the company to do to correct the situation. That might be replacing the faulty product, refunding your money, or reducing the charge for a late delivery.
- Set a time limit. Give the company a deadline for righting the wrong. Ten working days is a good rule of thumb.
- Document everything. Keep copies of all your correspondence. If you write to the company president, keep a copy. If you talk to an employee, either in person or by phone, write down the employee’s name, as well as the date, time, and a summary of what was said.
- Take it to the streets. If, after following all these steps, your problem has not been resolved, contact a consumer group or the government agency that oversees the company with which you have a problem. Most local television stations also have consumer advocates who will investigate—and air—your complaint and help to resolve it. Bad publicity is a strong motivator for a company to solve a customer’s problem.
Comcast learned the effects of bad publicity the hard way. News reports of Shaw’s dissatisfaction and hammer wielding response to the company’s poor service were broadcast throughout the country. The price Comcast paid for that bad publicity is difficult to calculate, but I’m sure it is costing the company millions of dollars.
Like Comcast, far too many companies promote their “excellent customer service” in their advertising but don’t walk the talk. In fact, the trade publication Advertising Age ran an editorial recommending that Comcast spend less on advertising and more on customer service. Amen.
John Tschohl is an international service strategist and speaker. Described by Time and Entrepreneur magazines as a customer service guru, he has written several books, including The Customer is Boss, Loyal For Life, e-Service, Achieving Excellence Through Customer Service, and Ca$hing In. John also has developed more than 26 customer service training programs that have been distributed and presented throughout the world. His bimonthly strategic newsletter is available online at no charge.
You can contact John at 952-884-3311 or e-mail him at quality@servicequality.com .