Sometimes I think I could have had a very profitable, though aggravating, career as a professional complainer. I’m not sure if it’s me or the modern world, but hardly a month goes by without some problem with a utility bill, a credit card, a bank account, or some crud that I’ve purchased. I also find that I’m somewhat entertained by columns in newspapers that fix “what’s your problem” or assorted travel snafus.
Actually, I’d like to quit that job (complaining, not financial planning!), but life seems to present me with endless opportunities. Maybe it’s because I spend my days focused on finances, but I hereby admit that I cannot bear to be cheated. I’m not scamming anything, or looking for a free ride or something I’m not entitled to, but when I pay good hard earned money, I think I (and you) should get what you paid for. Not so easy.
A lot of people simply give up because it takes so much time to thread your way through whatever corporate bureaucracy you’re up against. Even worse if the customer service rep’s English is a little shakey (although, in fairness, they tend to be a lot more polite than our, ahem, native speakers). If I’ve talked to the proper channels and don’t get satisfaction, my first line of defense is to ask for a supervisor. My daughter thinks it’s quite a sport to listen to Mom on the phone, and at some point she choruses, “Wait for it….” and holds her breath until I say let me talk to your supervisor. She’s never waited long.
Sometimes this doesn’t work so I share a method that has worked for me every time but one. Email the CEO of the company. The only one I have emailed who utterly failed to respond was Leslie Blodgett, CEO of the makeup company Bare Escentuals. (I’d purchased one of their very expensive brushes, which proceeded to shed bristles like a porcupine). In every other case, I’ve had a prompt and effective response from some competent, knowledgeable staff person or attorney. After all, who should care more about customer satisfaction than the CEO? And if he or she doesn’t, well, I’d certainly consider shorting that stock!
The trick is finding the correct email, so I share with you how I’ve done it. First, google “CEO Widget Company”. Now you have the right name, but rarely will you find the email. So, go to the website of the company and start browsing. I usually start with investor relations or the “About” page. Somewhere in that website you can usually find someone’s email address and this allows you to guess what the pattern is: john.doe@widget.com; jdoe@widget.com; doej@widget.com, etc. Sometimes it takes a few bounced emails before you hit on the right format, but when it doesn’t come back, bingo. If this utterly fails you can send a snail mail letter, but usually an email is faster—the last time I sent a letter, the response took a month, but I’ve never waited longer than 48 hours for an email message. Be sure to include a phone number, as the staff person usually calls.
Sure, I want my problem addressed, but I also think I’m doing them a favor—they could spend a fortune analyzing their customer service, but I’m giving them some real world feedback and hopefully helping them improve their business. And now I’m off to deal with those two year old tires with dry rot.
