What's Your Beef?

Got a bone to pick with a company doing business in Ohio? Well, I'm sorry to hear that...but I'm not surprised. In my opinion, customer service in general is "STINKY" --and not just in Ohio. I became so disgusted several years ago, in fact, that I decided to quit writing complaint letters. Now I write "congratulations" letters to those companies I feel do a good job of handling their customers (specifically, me). I save a lot of stamps this way, as you can imagine.

Still, I believe the squeaky wheel gets the grease. As a former Customer Service Manager, I also believe the business adage that says only one of every nine dissatisfied customers complains. Folks, the only way to get better service is to ask for it. So, if you have a complaint with a store or a company, speak up. Here's what I recommend:
1-Call or stop into the business and ask for the manager on duty. Introduce yourself, and get his/her name.
2-Be direct, don't get personal, and be specific in your complaint.
3-Finally--this is important--offer a possible resolution. Then be quiet, and see what happens.

Sometimes, this actually works. When it does, you should feel good about doing business with a company that works WITH, rather than AROUND, its customers.

Unfortunately, when this reasonable approach doesn't work--and it doesn't always work, trust me--you might find your blood pressure going up. In those cases, I suggest you go away. Don't spend any more money with the offending company. But don't just go away mad, go away with a plan: Take your complaint to the Ohio Attorney General.

The A.G.'s office is, I'm happy to report, quite easy to deal with. (Somebody there must have taken a customer service course.) You can file your complaint by US Mail, or even easier, online at http://www.ag.state.oh.us

Recently, after trying to resolve a pricing problem with my local cable company (my neighbor gets twice the number of channels I do, plus three premium channels, for half the price I'm paying. I asked for his price for my basic service--not even the same deal he has!--and the company refused to give it to me.) I filled out the online complaint form. It took less than five minutes, and three weeks later, I had a letter from a Consumer Protection Specialist (don't you love the sound of that?) who works for Ohio's Attorney General, Betty Montgomery.

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