consumer complaints posts

In our latest Gripe of the Week, Macy's customer and Gripevine user snlover experiences one of the classic frustrations of trying to resolve a customer service issue: getting caught in a seemingly endless cycle of call centre representatives who seem ill-equipped to present an answer to their problem. The customer becomes increasingly emotional, which tends to make it even more difficult for the representative to work with the consumer to find an amicable solution to the problem, and the vicious cycle leaves everyone involved feeling stressed and disillusioned.

Read the Original Gripe here.

Griping about a business is an emotional experience to begin with. The customer is fresh from a negative encounter, and the traditional roadblocks and obstacles associated with consumer complaint resolution can seem like they're adding insult to injury. When faced with these hurdles you go 'googly-eyed'; you begin foaming at the mouth and pairing together chains of vile expletives as you imagine your next frustrating interaction. While it's tempting to unleash a wave of fury on the next representative unlucky enough to pick up the phone call or give up on finding a resolution, don't do it. In this scenario, no one wins.

By Dave Carroll
Founder, Gripevine.com

I'd like to share a gripe posted to Gripevine that serves as a great example of why frontline employees should be empowered and trained to resolve small problems at the outset. Instead Hotwire is standing behind policies that may cost them at least one customer and will decrease the likelihood that others will use their service. This one failure may be potentially damaging to the entire brand and with consumers having an amplified voice today, companies everywhere need to recognize the need to provide quick and cost effective customer service.


Hotwire Gripe on Gripevine

In this case a customer used Hotwire to book hotel accommodations at the three star level and upon being assigned a particular hotel the customers read reviews that indicated this place was rated less than three stars. Hotwire advertised that it had a restaurant on the property and it didn't. The customer refused to stay in that property and they were denied a refund by Hotwire but the company offered an upgrade if they were willing to pay the price. The customer upgraded and was told they would pay a certain price to change hotels and ultimately was charged more than promised.

By Dave Carroll
Founder, Gripevine.com


Gripevine.com is a powerful platform in a variety of ways but I think what consumers appreciate most is the opportunity to vent frustrations from bad customer experiences and explain only once, in detail, what happened and what they'd consider as a fair resolution. Here is a good example of that:

http://gripevine.com/aa-flight-1178-leaky-coffee-pot-causes-loss-business-amr-corporation-american-airlines-gripe


In this story a business passenger who paid full price for a first class travel experience found that he and his fellow passengers were being used as leverage in a work-to-rule campaign by inflight American Airlines employees. As a result his plane was delayed, he spent hours longer than expected aboard his flight, missed a business meeting that he paid a lot of money to attend and is understandably frustrated at being deliberately inconvenienced. He was able to state his case clearly and concisely with as much bandwidth as he needed and, over to the right of his Gripevine complaint page, you can clearly see what he is looking for: a refund.

Is he entitled to a refund? I think so.

The number of financial complaints made to Canada's Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI) reached a record high in 2010, despite the fact that the worst of the global financial crisis had passed.

Last year, 1,024 complaints were made to the OBSI, which is an independent financial dispute resolution service for consumers and small businesses.

Complaints rose 3.4% in 2010, building on the enormous 48% jump in 2009 at the height of the financial crisis. The new figure marks the first time in the organization's 15 year history that complaints have risen above 1,000.

A friend recently complained on Facebook about some horrible service she received from a national eyeglass retailer.

"Turns out they did my prescription incorrectly (as I suspected, despite their claims that they did it right," she said. "My optometrist confirmed. I will never, ever go back to (that retailer again). Bad enough to mess up, but then to claim my glasses were fine!"

It's pretty typical these days to see complaints about bad service or products on Facebook, Twitter or websites like TheSqueakyWheel.com. And for the most part, this is a good thing. It's never been easier for consumers to share bad (and sometimes good!) experiences and to learn for others' mistakes. My Facebook friend is both honest and patient. I know she must have been pushed to her limit to write what she did, and I'll avoid shopping at that store because of it.