THE ART OF COMPLAINING!

Posted by Tom Martino at 1:23 pm 31 Comments Print

Do you know why many consumers are ignored when they complain?  It’s usually because they do not know how to complain!

Instead of telling a merchant, contractor or service provider (MCS for short) what they want, they bitch about what they didn’t get, what went wrong, how bad the experience was, how they suffered, who they’re going to tell, how they’re going to get even or a host of other ramblings.

Know what the MCS hears?  Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah … bitty, ditty, naggy … yackety, yak!  And more of the same.

I understand that we all want to relate our “suffering” to those who we believe “wronged” us.  We want them to see, hear or feel our pain.  We want to tell them each and every sorted detail from beginning to end.  Then we want to repeat it several times for emphasis.  But in the long run it will do us no good!

If you want results (and that’s what I get) you need to “crystallize” the problem into a neat package, then offer solutions.

Here is an example of crystallizing:  “I am happy with 80% of the job but I feel 20% needs improvements or revisions to meet my standards.  The area in question is the kitchen”

SEE HOW EASY THAT IS?  It gives the MCS focus and leads him to believe there is an end in sight.

BUT HERE IS WHAT MOST OF US DO:

“From the time I met you, I felt there was something wrong,  You were late for the meeting and I thought I smelled liquor on your breath.  You assured me you would take good care of me.  You lied when you said you would start on Monday and you didn’t start until Tuesday.”

AND ON AND ON AND ON … SOMETIMES NEVER REALLY GETTING TO THE POINT.  It makes the MCS want to avoid us becasue they don’t know what you want!

Here is an example of offering solutions:  “I want the kitchen counter-top near the sink re-installed, it is not level.  I also want the 7 cracked floor tiles replaced and the grout cleaned out from under the refrigerator, etc” INCLUDING OTHER VERY SPECIFIC SOLUTIONS.

Again this gives the MCS focus.  They see that you are not crazy.  They see that there is a goal here and the goal is not just to make them feel pain.

BUT HERE IS WHAT MOST OF US DO:

“Did you see the job your guys did in the kitchen?  It sucks!  The counter is all screwed up!  And the floor is defective and there’s grout everywhere.”

AND ON AND ON AND ON … giving the MCS no idea of what it will take to satisfy you.  And that ambiguity makes them want to avoid you altogether!

In summary … remember to CRYSTALLIZE & OFFER SOLUTIONS.  If all else fails … call me!

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