Making a fuss and getting results

Black Enterprise, Oct, 1995 by Fonda Marie Lloyd

EDWIN PACE LOOKED FORWARD TO spending the evening at home listening to a few jazz CDs on his new six-track compact disc player. Instead, he got dead silence from his stereo. After checking his outlets and receiver connections and consulting the operations tips listed in his instruction manual, Pace realized his $170 CD player was a lemon. He promptly returned to the local Philadelphia electronics store with his purchase in hand, whereupon the salesman tried it out, admitted that it didn't work and exchanged the player for a more expensive version at no extra cost.

"That's why I patronize that store," says the 30-year-old human relations specialist. "If something goes wrong with my appliance, I can always take it back and get it serviced or replaced without a problem."

Pace's predicament is pretty typical. At some time, most of us will buy a product or service only to discover it doesn't work as promised or live up to our expectations. However, not many of us really pursue getting the problem resolved--beyond griping about it or never going back to that store again. As a result, we've lost the use of the item or service, wasted our time and squandered our money.

According to a study by the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs, 70% of people don't complain about a problem with a product or service. Most feel it's either too much trouble and don't want the hassle, or they don't know what to do, explains Michael Haslet, a former consumer affairs specialist for the U.S. Consumer Information Center. "Everyone, as a consumer, has the responsibility to complain if the service or product is unsatisfactory," says Haslet. "But most of the time it can be resolved by just going back to the company." He adds that doing so helps both the company and the consumer.

Here are a few suggestions in case you don't get your complaint resolved immediately. To be most effective, your grievance should take a step-by-step approach: Voice the complaint, write a letter, build a broad base of support for your argument and resort to legal recourse when all else fails. At any of these junctures, a complaint can get resolved. But it will take persistence and a sense of when to escalate your argument to the next stage. However, as a sophisticated complainer, you must also know when to cut your losses. Sometimes the time and effort needed to recover your money is not worth it.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST

The worst sources of consumer complaints can be traced to five kinds of businesses: retail stores, home improvement and remodeling companies, general service firms, auto repair shops and mailorder services. However, most consumers could avoid many problems if they just did their homework first.

"The more money you plan to spend, the more you need to research [the product or service] ahead of time," says Carole Glade, executive director for the National Coalition for Consumer Education Inc. in Madison, N.J. She advises that you check out the company or vendor who makes the product and the place where you intend to purchase it. Know what the return policies and warranties are before you buy. If you're dealing with a service company, check their licenses and call the issuing agencies to verify. Your local Better Business Bureau, state attorneys general offices and other local government agencies keep files of complaints against offending companies and service organizations.

Glade also advises that consumers decide why they're purchasing an item and whether their budget can afford it. She also suggests that you ask any salesperson who makes promises to put it in writing.

VOICING A COMPLAINT

For consumers to be successful, register your complaint as soon as there is a problem. Keep your receipts and the original packing materials if possible. In a dispute over a service, take pictures or a video or find some other creative way to record the claim, advises Call For Action Inc. President Shierly Rooker. The organization is a help line for individual consumer complaints based in Washington.

Also, go in with an idea of what you want to achieve--whether it's a refund, a store credit or a replacement item. Start with the salesperson that sold you the product or service. If you don't get results, ask for his or her manager or the local customer service department. Keep good notes on everyone you speak to, their titles and what they say. "If you can't arrive at a solution to the problem, then escalate your argument to the next stage," Rooker says.

WRITE A LETTER

If, at the point of sale, you can't get satisfaction and have already gone up the chain of command, the next step is to contact the company's headquarters. Many large companies have consumer affairs departments, some with toll-free numbers that are designed to give customers assistance and to hear complaints.

If it's a defective product, include in your letter a description of the product: name, size, type and model number. Explain how and when the problem occurred, and be specific. Include what you feel would be a satisfactory resolution. Also include copies of receipts; never send your originals.