Grumpy old folks Complaining!

I don't know if I have reached the stage in my life where I seem to find fault with most things, but it's starting to seem like it. I get Sky+ installed and the bl**dy thing has not worked properly from day one. I have had a steady procession of engineers ( *stifles a laugh*) coming through the doors to try and fix the thing without any success. Not one of the buggers seems to have a clue. I then phone a call center, located in somewhere in India and try to explain to someone who has no command of the English language and can't understand me or what my complaint is. I put my beloved Vespa scooter in for a repair and the mechanic (*stifles a laugh*) takes six weeks to complete, I am charged a fortune,..only for the kick start to fall off the first time it is used. I order an item off the Internet ( M&P)and wait 2 weeks, it is supposed to be here in 4-5 days. I email the company and they send back an email (no apology) saying 'its out of stock'. I send back an email complaining and tell them its poor customer service. I order the same item from another Internet provider (edirectory) and they send me a confirmation email. I then get another email from the first company (M&P) saying that they are trading on behalf of eirectory and the item is out of stock. I send another email telling them that I know that already.

Anyway...are you one of those people who just accepts bad service? Is it a cultural thing ( Brits don't seem to like complaining about bad service...well apart from me) Interested to here whether you take it in your stride or moan like hell?

I get upset but don't get really vocal about it. I'm really passive/aggressive though.

I noticed the times that i have been in the States that Americans aren't shy about complaining if they arent getting good service. I heard one woman in a New York diner kicking up a stink about being charged for milk for her oatmeal
" only in New York" was the cry she let out for all to hear...I thought it was great.

I complained to the phone company just yesterday about an unnecessary charge and they knocked it off my bill. But I find that utilities, in Canada at least, are near-intolerable for bad service. In other cases, I simply take my money elsewhere.

In comparison to my original post, I contacted a company in the USA by email ...2 minutes later ( I kid not) I receive a reply! You gotta love the USA for efficiency!

Without generalising, do most Canadians complain about poor service?

I am The Consumer from Hell and I've got an evil twin sister from Florida whose name is Michele. When we are shopping together, merchants beware, and she's a lawyer (Brit.: solicitor).

We are both ex-pats here in London, and it is generally true, most of the time that ...standing by in quiet desperation is the English [British] way... while us loud-mouth Yanks are screaming the house down in response to poor customer services. The main problem is that Americans know only too well, and are accustomed fiercely to defend their rights. New Yorkers doubly so, apparently.

Again, the general understanding is that Brits merely grumble, if they complain at all, go away and maybe never return.

Me? If you desire some of my disgustingly paltry and hard-earned cash, you must be charming. Very charming. If you're charming, I will happily flash the readies.

Am often asked whether I go out looking for confrontations; it happens so often, my tales of commercial histrionics. I do have an ever growing blacklist of boycotted firms who will never again see my custom: United Airlines, Al Italia, Korean Air, John Lewis - although for haberdashery in particular, they cannot be faulted, Habitat (Crappy-, Crabby-tat, Habi-crap, etc. - part of the Conran Group), the sheister tobacconist opposite my workplace, etc. If I could escape the evil clutches of my local authority, I'd be laughing.

Customer service in London is a joke. And not a good one.



However...I too am getting older...definitely middle-aged....so, perhaps I am just a grumpy git.


NO! I am The Consumer from Hell

I like your style BoaB

A Grumpy old Git huh.
Hey thats Eddy.
Ha ha ha
O yeah Eddy my phone and computer customer service department is somewhere out of the country and they too are useless on the phone.
I try not to bitch at people who are working unless they are obnoxious then I take my Greenbacks elsewhere. But sometimes they got you and there is no way out.

As a witness to his selfless activities on behalf of consumers everywhere, I can testify that if the BBC were to follow him around with a camera crew, they'd have the best-rated reality show worldwide, bar none.

I wanna be like Byron when I grow up.

Hmmm...maybe an idea I can float past the BBC grandees.

Sky? Don't even mention Sky. They recently decided to change the entertainment packages, freeing up once blocked channels - of useless dross - and closing access to others. I have always asked for the cheapset tariff; the one which always has Sky-1, since this is where the newest Simpsons episodes appear first. I have always maintained that show alone is worth the subscription.

Well, that all changed recently when they sent me notice that my fees would increase because of the extra channels added to my package...without my asking for this addition.

Phoned them up, spoke with "Adam" - ALWAYS GET THEIR NAMES - who confirmed that my new monthly fee of GB£17 was the lowest available. It transpired after further questioning that, in fact, there was a lower tariff on a different mix, which still had Sky-1. I asked if it was company policy to lie to its long-standing customers, to which Adam replied in the negative. I reminded him that at first he told me mine was the lowest, then changed his mind when pressed. He claimed he had not lied, so I had to teach him basic English insofar as anything that is not the truth is an untruth, in other words, a lie.

Anyway, I insisted he place me on the cheaper package but he said that to accomplish this, a colleague would have to be put on the line. "Miriam" it was who was to change my subscription, and she also erroneously confirmed the higher rate was the lowest available. When reminded of the cheaper rate, she back-pedalled and agreed this was the lowest charge. I gave her the truth/untruth=lie lecture after she claimed not to have lied and her excuse was that she'd only been doing the job a week. Bad move.

Most companies rely upon their customers' inertia and unwillingness, laziness, to change a relationship that is all but automated with regard to charges and direct debit payment thereof.

Don't let them get away with it. Check your bills and receipts. Always check your change at the counter BEFORE walking away. Never feel embarrassed by this; let them feel embarrassed, especially when you find something wrong. Always challenge poor service. Take your money to a retailer more likely to treat you with respect and dignity.

Oh and another thing, it is safest to avoid confrontation to state clearly the denomination of large bills (UK: notes) when handing them over to avoid getting the wrong, usually too little, change. Often, when handing over a £20 note, I would recieve change that would have come from a tenner (£10). If they argue, you are probably screwed.

If all else fails, I find raising my voice and publicly denouncing the sharp practices involved to the other shoppers is often effective. Also, I will often turn indignantly toward an invisible third-party to express my disbelief that the merchant in question is behaving in such a way. I will discuss with Mr Invisible the legal and other avenues available to obtain redress. These ploys usually get me what I want.

I have three brothers and all of us should come with health and safety warnings:

Bro.1: Never mess with his food.
Bro.2: Never mess with his brothers.
Bro.3 aka "The Killer": Never mess with him.
Me: Never, ever mess with his money.

Oh yeah, I forgot Currys is also on the blacklist. They want to take your name and address before they sell anything to you under the pretext of validating the item's warranty. I stated that the sales receipt and the UK's Sale of Goods Act, 1979 and the Sale and Supply of Goods Act, 2004 were all the warranty I needed as a consumer. Sheisters!

WAIT!!!

BoaB has a twin sister?!?!

ON TOPIC: My wife and I seem to attract bad service. Sometimes I let it slide (I'm a conflict avoider by nature), and other times I'll speak up. Like Eddy, I have less tolerance for it as I get older...

Correction: an EVIL twin sister.

I've also had a run in with them as well!

I'm sorry, but I can't complain at all. It's lots of things I've bought I should complain about, but for me complaining is frightening.