Complaints Books

THE KEY TO ALL YOUR TROUBLES: How to Complain EFFECTIVELY
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After reading the stories of many posters on this site, I can really feel the emotion and frustration and feeling of despair, like no one cares, coming through in your words. Many of you, I am sure, have asked yourself "Why won't the company help me? Aren't I the customer? Isn't the customer ALWAYS right? Isn't it against the company's best interest to deliver poor service to the consumer? Shouldn't these companies value their patrons, who make their continued existence possible?"

I bet many of you after asking those questions have been overcome by a resounding dead silience in which your mind seems to answer with a cold, heartless "NO". --No the company does not care about you, because they know, for the most part, that the small portion of people who actually do complain and try to contact the company, will eventually give up after running into un-navigable telephone menus, rude "service" and support people, and a barrage of deception and hostility that they know will take you more time to overcome,investigate, and pursue than the average busy person has available to them.

Has this happened to you more than once in your life? If so, you may be karmically reaping the fruit of your failure to address the matter the first time it happened, because you felt it was too HARD and TIME-CONSUMING. But, if you really think about it, aren't the things that take the most effort, usually the most satisfying when you finally triumph in the end? Would it be worth all the money, time, and potential for happiness you could lose in the future, to invest a little bit of time now to defend your right to be treated fairly as a consumer and an individual?

If you are already at the point where you are willing to invest a little time actively pursuing effective resolution, you may be asking yourself "But how?" Ahh, that is the rub, isn't it! Well, guess what: I think I may have the answer you are looking for. While doing an AMAZON search for books on complaint writing, I came across the title: "Shocked, Appalled, and Dismayed! How to Write Letters of Complaint That Get Results", by Ellen Phillips. I ordered this book from Barnes & Noble, along with others, and did my comparisons. Ms. Phillips' book won HANDS DOWN. I encourage you to do your own research, but if you feel you don't want to spend the time, I will give you a headstart. It is as if Ms. Phillips recognizes the labrynthian maze before us, and having travelled the maze before, she knows where the trapdoors are, how to avoid pitfalls, and she offers us the keys to the doors of opportunity and effective complaining.


Here are a few of the important keys Ms. Phillips provides:

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1) Try to talk to a representative on the phone. This is always the first step. If they agree to and follow-through on a solution you approve of, then you are good to go! You should even consider writing a commendation for them.
But, in case they are uncooperative, uncaring, ineffective
, and/or deceptive,

2) ALWAYS document EVERYTHING! This includes (for each person you speak with):

* Name of the person you talk to and their REPRESENTATIVE ID NUMBER
* Time you called
* Amount of time on hold
* What you called about
* The resolution you sought
* Level of cooperativeness of the representative
* Did the representative seem competent?
* What promises did they make? (dates, times, dollar amounts, when someone would call back, etc.)
* Did they refer you to someone else (a supervisor, or another department)?

3) The most effective route to satisfaction is ALMOST ALWAYS to write to the TOP person first. Don't bother with low-level, call-center representives, or counter clerks who likely have very little ability to take the action you would require (reimbursement, replacement, repair, apology, etc.). Instead, write to the CEO, President, Board Chair, etc., to ensure the best possibility of getting your concerns addressed in a timely and effecive manner.

4) Always send copies of your letters to regulatory agencies, and anyone else who is an interested party. In her book, Ms. Phillips lists the names of hundreds(?) of agencies for your convenience. In fact, the only real thing that is antiquated about this tome, are the SPECIFIC names for the officers of the listed organizations and regulatory bodies (eg: Attorney General - Janet Reno). It takes relatively little effort in this day and age to do a Google search for the current names.

5) Better Business Bureaus are useless. They have no real mandate or requirement to help you in your dispute with their member companies. From my own personal experience, I have known this to be disappointingly true. In my opinion, though you might find some informative articles and publications on their BBB sites, as a source of relief and satisfaction they really seem to miss the mark by a mile.

6) Ms. Philips concienciously makes us aware of special laws which apply in various scenarios, that the general public is mostly oblivious of.

These are only a few of the marvelous insights offered by "Shocked, Appalled, and Dismayed"!

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You may notice that the copyright on the book is 1998 (revised in 1999)--10 years ago (I am writing this 08/26/08). Never fear! This book is not antiquated in content. Ninety-Eight percent of the content in this book is still relevant today.

For those of you like me who prefer books that list various examples, scenarios, and case studies, this book does not disappoint! I highly recommend "Shocked, Appalled, and Dismayed" to anyone who wants to know how to complain effectively to resturants, airlines, hotels, car rental places, auto mechanics, dead-beat parents, etc. For a balanced view, there is even a small section, including multiple examples, on writing THANK YOU notes and letters.

It took me 3 hours to craft this recommendation. After the enormous satisfaction and cornucopia of information I received from Ms. Phillips' book, I would be karmically remiss were I not to write this recommendation. My goal is to help you help yourself by giving you a "map", if you will, to the small dirt path, that leads through a dense jungle, to a heavily guarded, forbidden city where you will FINALLY find all the answers you have been seeking. Again, don't take my word for it: do your own research and find out for yourself!

I hope you find this review helpful. Now, go out into the world and make it a better place by standing up for yourself and showing those who would hold you down that your are not going to take it ANYMORE!

Good Luck!

Peace and blessings,

Kristobal



**** [DISCLAIMER: This document is a collection of opions, not a statement of fact. Neither the author of this book (Ellen Phillips), nor the author of this review (Me) is responsible for actions you may or may not take based on your readings, understandings, and interpretations of this review.]

Clearly this book provides the basics on writing letters of complaint. Most of it is just common sense (not so common these days). If you treat business people the way you would want them to treat you, it usually works out in the end. I didn't find much new in it. The contact addresses are helpful, but then most of them can be found on the net.. and more current

Very insightful and useful. I have used some of her template letters for airline complaints. In the past, I used her writings for a labor complaint and got $18,000 from my former employer.

I wish this book was available in downloadable electronic form which will make it more useful in practice by cutting and pasting.

I have the book for several years and its contents have saved me time and money over and over again. It is rich in samples of real letters and complaints, with real cases.
I recommend to anyone that ever needs to write a complaint letter and/or need to reach government agencies.

So funny. Quick, light reading. Very enjoyable

This book is great. I'm still laughing. This one is on my highly recommended list. I started reading it at 6:00 in the evening and didn't put it down until it was complete, around 2:00. I went back and re-read several of the letters. Visualizing the look on some of the adressees faces was really funny. Can you image what some of these people must have thought?

Recently, I've been reading a lot of the prank letter books that have been released. From Ted L. Nancy, to Paul Rosa, and others.

Wilber Winkle was one of the last in the series I picked up. To be honest, after a couple of lesser books, I thought the genre was dead. It isn't. Wilber Winkle is actually one of the best, up there with Nancy, only more serious.

The thing that is so good about this is that the letters seem more real. They aren't jokey like some of the others. So, they are taken more seriously.

And, even better, he continues his quest with several letters, even at times sending money orders to make his letter stand out (and help with researching the questions he asked).

His letters to Hershey's over several years to find out why they left out the almond in the Fifth Avenue bar are wonderful. He continues on and on, even sending Christmas greetings to them asking how their project is going.

Also, he becoomes a pen pal with Ronald McDonald himself!!

Great stuff.

I only wish there was another volume, or it was longer.

I enjoyed the "Letters from a Nut" series of books. But this book is even better. The author not only writes with his strange requests/questions, but he continues to reply over and over. It's almost unbelieveable how some of his letters are responded to. He puts a lot of thought into his letters, making them outright hilarious. Letter's from a Nut is good, but Wilber Winkle is great!

One of the better books of this genre and suprisingly intelligent and witty. Winkle tackles targets that legitmately annoy him (and us, his readers) and doesn't give up until he gets a satisfactory resolution to his complaints. For some authors in this genre, simply getting an answer to a stupid letter is the punchline. Not so for Winkle, who demands real answers to his complaints. It's his targets' own unwillingness to co-operate that makes them look foolish (and reveals their real attitude toward consumers) and this provides much of the humor for the book.

This is less a "prank" letter book than it is a manual on the art of effective consumer complaining, but this doesn't detract at all from its laugh-out-loud humor. Winkle is an odd and wonderful mixture of consumer crusader and merry prankster.

I AM RECENT GRADUATE OF A PRACTICAL NURSING PROGRAM AND WHILE GOING TO SCHOOL I WORKED PART TIME IN A FACILITY WITH GERIATRIC PATIENTS. EVERY PERSON INVOLVED IN THE CARE OF THESE PEOPLE, RIGHT DOWN TO THE HOUSEKEEPING STAFF, SHOULD READ THIS BOOK. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ANYONE AROUND THE ELDERLY TO WATCH FOR AND REPORT ABUSE. WHAT IF IT WAS YOUR MOTHER OR GRANDMOTHER!! I RECOMEND THIS BOOK TO EVERYONE.

This is a very good and informative book. Anyone who has loved ones in a nursing home facility should get a copy of it today.

Anyone who knows David knows what a loving and caring person he is. David has always put his patients' needs first. He always treats/treated them as if they are/were family. David is one of the best in his profession. I feel he did the right thing in "blowing the whistle". The families need to know what goes on behind closed doors when it comes to their loved ones in facilities such as these. I tip my hat to you, David.

It is sad to know that kind, caring, compassionate nurses like David are the exception when they should be the rule. It is heartbreaking to know that a book like this is even necessary. I applaud all of Mr. Sampley's efforts to make changes in the nursing home system. Once I started reading this book I did not put it down until the final word was read. If you ever contemplate putting a relative in a nursing home, read this book first.

I found Breaking the Code of Silence very informative and enlightening. If you have a friend or relative who resides, or may reside in a nursing home in the future, this is a must read for you and them. The author gives you the true insider look at what goes on behind the scenes in many nursing homes. Lets hope this sends a clear message to the operators of these facilities. It is sad that Mr. Sampley had to endure what he did, but his efforts may be the beginning of a campaign to change the way patients are treated in these homes.

Without customers, a business is doomed to failure. "Delivering and Measuring Customer Service" is a complete and comprehensive guide for business owners who want to deliver these valuable people the best service possible. Looking at the evolution of customer service through recent history, "Delivering and Measuring Customer Service" discusses such matters as getting accurate feedback on how one's business is doing, and how best to use that feedback effectively, along with many more general tips. A guide that every business owner should consider required reading, "Delivering and Measuring Customer Service" is highly recommended for community library business collections.

I loved this book. Typically I'm pretty critical of business books, but this kept me engaged with great humor, logic, and insight. In my opinion this is a no-brainer buy for any business with customer service or support teams.

Finally a book that is engaging, helpful and insightful on customer service. This book takes away the mystery and simplifies the process in an understandable way while providing a good dose of humor to instill the message. Every business leader should have this book on their desk.

Anyone who is interested in understanding the role of gathering and using guest feedback needs to read this book. There is no other book that so clearly outlines the need for customer service and the actual methods and measurments on how to get it, and then how to improve your operation based on the feedback.

Businesses often focus their efforts on getting customers. The mantra of the day is sell, sell, sell.

Mr. Hanks' book is a valuable reminder that while selling gets the ball rolling, it is customer service that keeps the customers coming back for more. That is the bloodline of most successful enterprises.

I especially enjoyed the lesson taught on the importance of measuring the actual customer experience versus the less-reliable and less-effective techniques of internal auditing and mystery shopping. Rather than guessing what the customer experiences, why not just ask the customer directly?

I would highly recommend this book to any professional who has to keep customers satisfied for a living and wants to find new and better ways of doing so.

When companies implement Customer Relationship Management (CRM), they often find that their number of complaints shoots up. Berndt Stauss and Wolfgang Seidel candidly explain that often, companies actively discourage complaints with processes that are so barrier-ridden that consumers switch to another company's products rather than negotiate the maze. As an alternative, Stauss and Seidel present a CRM-based complaint management system that, for enlightened corporate citizens, can become a strategic asset and even an indirect revenue source. Occasionally, they get a little carried away with their "consultantese" and terms like "process owner" and "complaint owner." Nevertheless, the seven-page complaint-management checklist at the end of the book is particularly valuable. We strongly recommend this book to CRM managers who want to know what their customers really think.

It is an unusual book because of the total approach to complaint management. The weaknesses of most CRM books is lacking in this book. The reason is that after having read the book you have a complete picure of what complaining behavior and complaint managment is. You also know how complaints are related to CRM. Moreover, and what is most rare is that you get practical advice about how to manage complaint management in your firm or how to learn how to teach complaint management. In other words, you know both the value of managing complaint management as well as the cost of not doing so. If you are itnerested in introducing complaint management or have already introduced - buy this book!
Inger Roos, Associate professor at Karlstad university, Service Research Center (CTF)

This book is not another marketing book praising how good you should treat your customers, even though it has one of the 'hot' words in its title (is CRM still hot?). Instead, it is a very thorough and rich analysis of all the elements that a service manager needs to consider if the issue of complaints falls near his/her area of responsibilities.

The authors take you through a precise and well structured account of all elements of the complaint management process. First they describe why and how customers are likely to complain; then they go into how to stimulate, receive, process, control, and analyze complaints, and then back to the likely customer reaction to our response. The last third of the book tackles the organizational and operational issues that you will need to sort out to implement these recommendations: human, organizational, and technological issues.

The first glance at the table of contents may put you off. It is probably too crowded... But be certain that you won't find another book out there with this depth of practical and no-nonsense knowledge and applied techniques.

--- If you are buying just one book on customer complaints, get this one!

In the past few decades the Services Industry has advanced long way - in a direction from product services to a customer centric business environments.
Although the quantitative and qualitative importance of services - as well as its spectrum of offerings - has grown quite considerably, the thrust of activity still seems solely to center around its operational tasks and processes. Bernd Stauss' and Wolfgang Seidel's revolutionary Complaint Managent model represents an impressive progress in our understanding of what services organisations must do to become outstanding and exemplary leaders in the roles of services providers and services innovators.
I have read the book entirely page by page, each chapter creating more desire and curiosty to read the next one.
Today the aspects of complaint management are used probably in hundreds of business facilities around the world, yet there is to my knowledge no other book or public documentation providing such a holistic introduction and a guidance to everyone in services management, to enable the creation of a powerful blue print for services organisations.

Walter Duschek, Speaker of the Supervisory Board Spirit/21 AG, VP AFSMI

I am an avid reader on the subjects of civil rights and racial profiling. This book, simply put, is incredible. I thought I had a firm opinion on the subject, but after reading this book, I really see that there are two sides to this complicated issue. All is not always what you see. This book covers every possible aspect of this subject, and delves into areas that I have not seen covered before. I had never before considered the side of law enforcement, nor did I understand what was really going on behind the scenes. I also never really viewed this subject outside of the "black and white" issue. The authors reminded me that racial profiling effects every one of us. Now I can more effectively become involved in the fight towards racial justice with a more focused understanding of why racial profiling occurs and what can be done to stop this practice. I highly recommend this book.

The Color Of Guilt & Innocence: Racial Profiling And Police Practices In America by law enforcement veteran Steve Holbert and attorney Lisa Rose is a highly readable discussion of the all too common practice of racial profiling in America. Discussing data collection and analysis programs used to help determine whether racial profiling takes place, issues of civil liberty, police reaction to accusations, and much more, The Color Of Guilt & Innocence takes an urgent and serious topic head-on without losing itself in excessively confusing terminology or philosophy. Highly recommended.

I have been a cop for 17 years. I was skeptical of another book on racial profiling that bashes cops. A friend of mine gave me this book to read for training, and i was very surprised that someone finally got it. There is so much about this topic that the public does not know. This book finally gives a cops perspective and tells why, in most cases, cops are not racist. Every person in America racially profiles, and this book explains why. I was fascinated by the in depth discussion in one chapter that explains racism. The book also opened by eyes to the harm the victims suffer at the hands of some cops. I think everyone has something to learn from this book. The book finally sheds some light on data collection and why it will not work. Instead of re-hashing the same old "solutions," the book actually explores some innovative new ideas that should be implemented by law enforcement. Thanks for covering this subject in a whole new light!!

This collection of poems by bright, up-and-coming writer, Randall Mann, is a stand-out first book. Mann cleverly blends classic form with contemporary themes that challenge, excite, disturb, and inspire readers of these fine works. His poems are neat but not sparse, rich but not overdone, a refreshing and exciting take on themes such as queer experience, Floridian dwelling, and the perlustration of love and beauty. Mann's "Complaint in the Garden" is truly a delightful piece.

I can't stop reading this incredible book of poetry--beautiful poem after beautiful poem after beautiful poem. Mann has a rare gift for describing landscape. His poems about both love and life as a gay man are incredibly moving. But perhaps most importantly, Mann's use of form--particulary in his sonnets and villanelles--is just lovely--and quite brilliant. This is the best book of poetry that I've seen in a long, long time.

Randall Mann lures you into his garden with formal poetic structures and luscious descriptions of Florida. But watch out: Mann's language will pull you around into lands erotic, sad, and sometimes, even a little frightening. It's a dazzling ride. This book won the prestigious Kenyon Prize. Randall Mann is one of the most exciting young poets to come along.

He once had a bright future ahead of him but when his father committed suicide, his estate and fortune was forfeited to the crown. Now Robert Fairfax, after a period of dissipation, has finally got his life together and is working as a tutor for Matthew Hemsley, a young man who comes from a powerful and rich family. To give the student some polish, he is taking him to London to introduce him to the people who will one day be a part of his future.

Matthew finds himself more interested in the social whirl of London and finds himself in love with the toast of the London Theatre Miss Lucy Dove. When she sends him a letter asking him to meet her at her home, he sneaks away from Robert to meet her. When Robert tracks him down, he finds Lucy dead and Matthew unable to remember what transpired. Matthew is bound over for trial and sent to Newgate while Robert, who believes his charge could never commit homicide, does everything in his power to track down the real killer.

The hero of this cleverly written historical mystery is not fighting to clear his student's name because he wants to keep his job but because he genuinely likes the lad and believes in his innocence. As an amateur sleuth, Robert embarks upon an investigation that is as well thought out of as a twenty-first century police officer would conduct. THE COMPLAINT OF THE DOVE is a very picturesque and atmospheric novel that brings to life Georgian England in the minds' eyes of the readers.

Harriet Klausner

I took a chance and picked up Hannah March's THE COMPLAINT OF THE DOVE with no prior knowledge of the author or her work. After reading several historical mysteries, I chanced upon this copy and read it and enjoyed it very much. My grade is based on the fact that the author recreates the time period very well, the characterizations were top-notch, the plot had twists and turns that were not expected and after an initial slow start, the book does gain some momentum for the climax.

If your a fan of historical mysteries, don't pass this one up. There are currently three books in the series that is published in the US. I promise you, that you when you finish reading this book, you'll want to find the other two novels and devour them.

Authors who I think are similar: Ashley Gardner, Tracy Grant and P.B. Ryan and authors that I usually enjoy: Karin Slaughter, Michael Connelly, Steve Hamilton, Anne Frasier, and Julia Spencer-Fleming.

Hannah March has the talent as a writer to place the reader right in the middle of London in 1760. Her descriptions of the sights and smells of London of the time are fantastic. I also love the vernacular of the characters. There is nothing worse than reading a "period" book when the characters sound like they're in the 21st century.

If you enjoy period mysteries full of perfectly described details, don't miss this book!

First of all, if you need to learn how to write a compelling complaint letter that gets you something in return for a bad customer service experience, then this is your book. Bruce outlines all the steps to a writing a letter that gets results, and his personal letter examples and the responses they created are fun to read.

I have known Bruce for a number of years and actually used to work for him - before he published this book. Whenever someone in the agency would have a bad experience, Bruce would come to help with his wealth of experience and a word document choked-full with complaint letters. The letters we wrote almost always worked, and having a airline or hotel experience would actually create some excitement, rather than frustration.

Anyways, I bought this book myself. It's a great read, and if you're serious about writing a complaint letter, then it's a must buy. Bruce clearly outlines the steps to writing a good complaint letter, and if you follow them, you will succeed.

Silverman, a former advertising colleague of mine whose many senior titles have included President of Wong-Doody, a West Coast ad agency; President of Asher-Gould, another West Coast ad agency; President of Western International Media and Creative Director at various Ogilvy & Mather offices and of Bozell South, evidently had a cute little sideline all these years - writing complaint letters.

While you and I might write a complaint letter because we're irate to the point of exploding, Silverman complains for what appear to be different reasons. His complaint letter are not only an art form but also a sport. He has saved his winning letters all these years, along with notes tracking his success in getting freebies. And he does keep score.


Silverman recently boasted to me, like the complaint champ he is,"Over the course of the past 20 years, I've written dozens and dozens and dozens (!!!) of complaint letters to airlines, hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines, retailers, banks, credit card companies, car dealers, movie theater chains, theatrical producers... and a huge percentage of those letters resulted in me getting something back from them... and the "something" wasn't just an apology! I've gotten free stays at great hotels, first class airplane tickets, cruises... clothing... MONEY... even bananas!"

Now it may be that Silverman has been writing only to those rare senior executives who still give a damn about anything other than their compensation packages. Or it may be that when Silverman began writing to the top people, 20 years ago, we still had a different breed of corporate manager running things, and this has upped his overall kill rate. Besides, who knows what "huge percentage" means?

Even so, Silverman seems to be on to something. His book reveals some techniques that may help you get some kind of compensation for the misery some miserable company has put you through.

My favorite: "Praise with faint damn," a technique for what I see essentially as getting the CEO to lower his guard by sucking up to him - before you figuratively grab his private parts and twist. I love this stuff. That's why I'm shamelessly endorsing my old colleague's book.

Listen, in a world where even many CEOs have ceased to give a damn about their customers - and everybody who works for them is too scared, too lazy, or too dumb to solve an irate customer's problem - you need Bruce Silverman's book. Who knows, by complaining you might just save corporate America from itself.

--The New York Crank
[...]

When my car was towed in the middle of the night as I waited for my daughter to give birth to our first grandbaby I didn't think there was anything that could be more upsetting. That was, until I was told by the management company - that had NOT marked the no parking spot at her apartment complex - that I was just plain out of luck and $265.00 in towing expenses!

Thanks to tips from Mr. Indignity on the power of the written word, I was able to write a complaint letter that resulted in a gift card from the management company reimbursing me not only for the full amount of the tow, but an additional $40.00 for my troubles and a special delivery baby gift for our grandbaby.

Thank you Mr. Indignity!

Nancy Cole
Los Angeles, CA.

There are plenty of lawyer-bashing books, but this is not one of them. Rather, like a modern Mark Twain, Marc Galanter uses lawyer jokes to reflect trends in American society. Through thousands of jokes and cartoons that mock lawyers and legalization, he shows on how the legal system is influencing and being influenced by changing relationships between individuals, between citizens and government, and between consumers and corporations. Lawyer jokes are popular because lawyers still fight and win for the little guy. A good read for your favorite lawyer or lawyer-to-be.

I thought about starting this review with one of the hundreds of lawyer jokes that are "told" and given life in this excellent book, but I wouldn't want to spoil the punch lines.

The author, evidencing an extrodinarily broad range of knowledge, shows how lawyer jokes have evolved over time (and how some jokes previously targetted at Jews, minorities, and businessmen have evolved into lawyer jokes), and how this evolution reflects larger changes in society about attitudes towards law and individual rights.

In addition, the artwork in the book combines so old favorites from The New Yorker, plus older drawings from earlier centuries.

This is a great book for lawyers and for those who like to make fun of lawyers -- basically, everybody.

Very funny lawyer jokes. I am enjoying them.