I'm actually a big believer in customer feedback. I don't do much in the way of complaining (probably not enough) but when I can see an improvement to something (especially websites...) that could be made, I tell them, politely. A few years ago, I used to fly Swiss from Geneva to London early mornings once a week. They used to give you a cup of coffee and a muffin (one of those weird American blueberry things). BA, by this time, had given up giving you breakfast at all. Planes went at the same time to the same place. Same planes (though the Swiss seats are better), pretty much the same price. I always flew Swiss - for the better seat and the coffee/muffin. But I couldn't get my head round the muffin thing. No boulangerie here serves them. There aren't any Costa/Caffè Nero/ Starbucks to speak of, so you can barely find them. I just found it a strange americanism. So I suggested to them that they serve a more typical croissant, or a pain au chocolat with the coffee. Strangely, a couple of months later, the muffin disappeared and the croissant arrived. So I wrote another email to them and thanked and congratulated them. No idea if my suggestion had any effect at all - could all have been coincidence.
gliddofglood there is a big difference between customer feedback and complaining. I agree with feedback sadly most people, from my work experience at least, seem to confuse the two. Well confuse or use the feedback excuse to justify their, many times, trivial complaint. What gets me going is fact that some people complain about such little details where you are just bighting your tongue to ask "did your mother raised you stupid or something"? This example is perfect: About 23:00 I had a lady calling complaining that her clothes are all wet and it is our fault. We went to have a look to find out as to why, what we did. As it turned out she has just come in to the room, while still holding her bag she went under a shower to turn it on obviously while she was under it .... rest is history. It was obviously our fault.
Well obviously. I hope you're not suggesting that the woman was in any way one of the professional complainers in the thread's title.
It is all too easy that because we are poor at complaining we do it agressively and because we are poor at receiving complaints we become defensive.
Well no but that is how low people get I doubt she was professional in anything but being stupid. It was a good day at work, very funny. Worst think was we went home, mate put TV on and there she was complaining about London underground.
Well for some people dealing with complaints is a job, me for example and believe it is not that hard. It is not defensive it is a fact that saying general Sorry makes most people calm down and start thinking again. If you do not do that complainer gets more pissed off, so you get more pissed off and so on. Issue is that while most will calm down few do not. Thursday dealt with lady that just kept on saying you are repeating your self or and who's problem is that. Like talking to under developed 5y old. No matter what you said. There are some right assholes out there.
I was reading some complaints on the net today by propper moaners and exaggerated discriptions of so call MINT items that were being moaned about, at least the Internet works both ways, the customers get to moan about the shops online and the shops get to know the customers to avoid at all costs!
If I obtain advice from an 'expert' such as a doctor, lawyer, surveyor, or mechanic, I then consider whether to follow it or not. I may obtain a second opinion. But it is my decision what to do, not the expert's, and for me to instruct them what to do. That's what I am paying them for. While I was working professionally as an adviser, at first sometimes my advice was followed sometimes not. If my advice was not accepted, the eventual result was usually as bad as I had argued. After a while I found my advice was increasingly followed, and worked well. That's generally the way it works, I expect. If your advice is not followed, Arthur, be happy if you are proved right. If you turn out to have been wrong, learn from it and get better. You gain either way. You still have to do what the customer instructs you, and is paying for, obviously. So what?
Quite agree, and a fair few times Ive been wrong, just lucky most of those times I kept my mouth shut!...lol Sometimes it pays to say nothing, do nothing and keep quiet
Well maybe, but if you're employed to provide advice about complex matters to senior judges, government ministers, etc you actually have to provide the advice and it had better be good. "I don't know" is not really an option, unless accompanied by "I resign". After all, judges and ministers must decide the matters in front of them, and they can't say "I don't know" either.
Rather them than me, I would have to tip my hat to those in that position not an easy job! You strike me as someone in the know
The first executive role I ever took, my boss gave me this advice. "Make a decision. The right or wrong of it is secondary to the importance of deciding the issue." Paraphrasing a little, he was from Newcastle so it didn't come out like that. I have never forgotten that advice, when making my own decisions or indeed, evaluating those of others.
maybe they want a life and escalating complaints is the only way to get action we have a neighbour from hell after several complaints to the police nothing happened started emailing my local mp and things happened very quickly people who complain on proper grounds and for legitimate reasons often make their lifes and those around them a lot better and on the other hand their are idiots who complain about any and every thing..............
