There may be no better way to raise your blood pressure than by being on the receiving end of poor customer service. We all have a right to get what we paid for, at the agreed upon price, in a friendly and timely manner, but as we all know too well it often doesn’t work out that way. And when we try to resolve our problems too many customer service systems only add to the aggravation. Lifehacker.com says that according to a study, nearly 45% of customers can’t remember having a recent, successful customer service experience.
“Many complaint processes are actually designed to help companies retain profits by limiting the number of customers who can successfully resolve their complaints,” say Marketing Professors Anthony Dukes of the University of Southern California and Yi Zhu of the University of Minnesota. Writing for the website conversation.com they added, “the [complaint] process involves a tiered structure in which all incoming inquiries start at ‘Level 1.’ Level 1 may be a call center operator who listens to a complaint but acknowledges that there is nothing he can do.”
There are some steps you can take to get better customer service and tamp down your blood pressure.
Prevent the problem in the first place. Before buying check the reputation of the company you are considering buying from. Search for online reviews by typing the company name followed by the words “customer reviews”. Another search with the company’s name and the word “scam” can help you avoid serious heartache and heartburn.
Verifying prices is also a good strategy. “Every store has items mispriced all the time,” says consumer advocate Clark Howard. If you see a really good price marked on a store shelf next to an item take a photo of the price tag and then watch as the cashier rings it up. If the two prices don’t match you have the photo as proof that a correction is called for. “If you transact by phone, [AARP and] Howard advise requesting an email or text confirmation — and then reviewing it. For instance, are the dates and prices of your hotel reservation correct? Does the hotel’s cancellation policy match what you were told? Whatever you’re buying, try to get the employee’s name and an order number.”
When you call a customer service number be prepared in advance and be prepared to wait. Before you dial your phone collect any documents that are a part of your purchase. Have the date of purchase, a product model number, and your order number at your fingertips. Be concise and have in mind specifically what you want the company to do to set things right—Send a missing part? Provide a replacement product? Give you a full refund?
Wait times drive all of us crazy, especially when the on-hold message keeps telling us: “Your call is important to us, please continue to hold.” Here are a couple of options to consider. AARP.com advises “[t]ry calling Wednesday or Thursday mornings, which typically have the shortest wait times, according to Talkdesk, a provider of contact centers.” Most companies these days offer an auto-callback option where you can go about your business without losing your place in the phone queue.
Get the customer service rep on your side by being polite and work to build empathy for your problem. If the customer service rep (that Level 1 person) can’t fix your problem, don’t lose your temper. Instead just say something like, “I appreciate that you have tried to help me, but would you please transfer me to a supervisor?”
You may have to turn up the heat. If polite requests aren’t resolving your problem, then you may have to ratchet up the pressure. One higher level strategy is to put the purchase in dispute with your credit card issuer. Businesses hate chargebacks—when a consumer contacts their credit card company in order to reverse charges and get their funds back—so this may nudge them toward a settlement.
Lifehacker.com suggests harnessing the power of social media. “Some large companies…actually employ people to comb through social media for mentions of their brand with the purpose of resolving complaints. You can exercise your right to free speech by posting about your experience on Facebook and Twitter.”
