It pays to complain - 2 quick stories

[KTP]

I disagree. If a worker is doing work on your home and they damage something, they are responsible for fixing it. And any legitimate company likely carries insurance for stuff like that, though in this instance, he wouldn't bother filing a claim for that small an amount.

Well true. I guess in the doctor case, they carry malpractice insurance, so it doesn't hurt to just try suing if you ever catch a disease while visiting their clinic. Might get lucky and get your medical bill paid and a bit more. Nobody loses.

[WISEWOMAN]

I once had a problem with a pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans. After 2 or 3 washings, the metal button above the zipper pulled out from the fabric. I contacted the company and they sent a postage paid envelope for me to return the jeans to determine if it could be fixed. Well, it couldn't and they did not have the exact style to replace. They told me to provide a style number of a jean I did like and they would send it. I did and within a week I had a brand new pair of jeans. Customer service was outstanding. I continue to purchase Tommy Hilfiger product because of the way they treated me and the fact they stand behind their product.

[disneysteve]

I once had a problem with a pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans. After 2 or 3 washings, the metal button above the zipper pulled out from the fabric. I contacted the company and they sent a postage paid envelope for me to return the jeans to determine if it could be fixed. Well, it couldn't and they did not have the exact style to replace. They told me to provide a style number of a jean I did like and they would send it. I did and within a week I had a brand new pair of jeans. Customer service was outstanding. I continue to purchase Tommy Hilfiger product because of the way they treated me and the fact they stand behind their product.

Both L.L. Bean and Eastpak guarantee their items for life. My daughter got a backpack from L.L. Bean. After a year or two, one of the straps ripped. We took it to the store and they just said to go pick out another one. That was it. No questions. No hassles. We walked out with a brand new backpack.

I have an Eastpak backpack that I've had for nearly 30 years. The main zipper broke several years ago and the bag has just been buried in my closet. A while ago, on this forum I believe, someone posted about their lifetime guarantee. I went online and found their address and took a chance and mailed them the backpack with a note. I figured the worst that would happen is I'd never seen it again and it was worthless to me anyway. Nope. A couple of weeks later, I got a postcard from the company that they had received my backpack and they were working on it. They have it back to me good as new soon. Sure enough, a while later, it came back. Not only did they fix the zipper, but it was cleaned, some areas that were fraying were repaired and it looked terrific. That one really impressed me since the bag was so old.

So there are numerous companies that stand behind their products.

[marvholly]

So there are numerous companies that stand behind their products.

That is GREAT info to know. So many times all we hear is the bad stuff/complaints.

[NJDebbie]

I did the same with IHOP and the manager sent me an email telling me to present the letter he emailed and he would credit $20.00 on our next visit.

[cjscully]

Ive worked in retail most of my working years. When dealing with chain stores or franchises, complaining can get you far. This is mostly because it is not the manager's money he or she is losing, it is the store's or company's money being used to compensate for the dispute. Th attitude most employee's have is. "just get this customer out of my face, at all costs!"

I imagine it is a bit different when dealing with a local mom and pop shop. Or maybe not, im not sure.

Actually, if the owner values his customers it's not different at all. Bad service has long term repercussions on any business. Good service can have long term benefits. As a business owner I've always had the policy of treating my customers exactly the way I would want to be treated. Apparently DS' lawn guy feels the same way. If he didn't he wouldn't have forked over $190, which is probably the equivalent of 4 months of lawn service fees.

[tbri491]

I feel that it really is a benefit to the company to notify them calmly and politely. I feel that it is good for companies to know if there product is coming to the customer defectively. I have often done the "customer satisfaction" calls which help the company and help me out. This helps also because then I can monitor if the problem does get fixed in the future so I can adjust my spending habits if I am purchasing from a company that does not listen to me.

[cicy33]

I agree with Disney, how you approach the subject really matters. here is a personal example, a customer called into our store and ordered food to go. after he picks up, gets home and calls my cook and states very rudely there were 4 long blonde hairs in his food. After he did not get satisfaction with him, he came in and talked with me. I was polite he was not. He stated to me that there were very long blonde hairs in his fried chicken and what were we going to do about it. I informed him that nobody here even has blonde hair. The cook has hair to his ears and it is dark brown, mine is also dark brown and in a pony tail. The only other person is the boss (small place and it was a monday) and he has black hair and he was in the office, not working on food. I offered to get my boss but he said no and left. Said he was going to call the health department on us. I haven't heard from them. Had he come in with a legit complaint we would have refunded his meal or even given him a gift card for the future. We follow this ruling with all serious complaints. If a steak is not cooked right, for ex, well done when should have been medium we will comp it. it's only right. But to come in and complain about something that couldn't possibly have happened, well that is when you get no results. Be honest, calm and state your concerns and wants and you will generally get what you came for.