How you doin'? I hope your 2013 has been brilliant so far!
For once, I am going to talk about something slightly more serious than Phil Spencer and cheesecake... A topic I feel my fellow fans of thrift (including, of course, the lovely A Thrifty Mrs) will wholeheartedly approve of: Consumer Rights. In addition to my other totally useful talents, it turns out I am really good at writing customer complaint letters. I'm not sure it's quite superhero-worthy but that hasn't stopped me deliberating over what my superhero name would be. Complaint Girl? Whinge Woman? Voucher Vixen? If you've got any ideas, please hit me up!
Within the last six months or so, I've bagged "apology vouchers" from Tesco, Matalan, Wilkinsons, and Sainsburys adding up to £37. Not too shabby, since the items I bought that were damaged cost me less than £10 to begin with.
Tesco seems to have the strangest valuing system for its complaints; I don't know if it's based on the number of times you've complained (I'm probably on their Just Send Her A Voucher To Shut Her Up List by now...) or the product itself, but apparently broccoli with flies in it is worth £5 whilst one mouldy satsuma + one mouldy apple is worth £7.
Matalan sent me a £10 voucher when I complained about the quality of the (£6) leggings I'd bought there (I put my thumb through them the first time I wore them- and as I'm not Edward Scissorhands I didn't think that showed great material quality) so yesterday I picked up this beauty and a silicon baking mat, and it only cost me £1 of my own money :)
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| Keep your peepers peeled for a makeover- it's not staying like that for long! |
I'm never rude to whomever I speak to in customer services; it's not Cheryl-from-Birmingham's fault that my satsuma was mouldy, and I can't imagine that working in a customer complaints department is the nicest job in the world. I mean, people aren't calling up to compliment your hair, are they?! I like to imagine customer complaint centres have bulletin boards where the most ridiculous complaints are pinned up for everyone to have a giggle at.
I've discovered the best way to get heard is to pull the age-old trick used by parents across the globe; "I'm not angry with you; I'm disappointed". There's no point getting cross and shouty whether by email or on the phone- rationally explaining the situation, and pointing out that you've been a loyal customer for x amount of time/the situation was particularly terrible because it was someone's birthday cake etc. works much more effectively.
I don't see it as cheeky or miserly to complain when the products I receive fall below the standard I expect. I balance out my expectations compared to the price I have paid, but at the end of the day I work really hard to earn the money I make, and if I buy something which fails instantly in the task I bought it for (whether that's feeding me, clothing me, or entertaining me) I don't like being out of pocket for something I can't use. Even if I don't receive anything in response to my complaint (a reply or compensation in some cases *cough* la redoute *cough*), it makes me feel better knowing I've at least tried to sort it out.
Have you or do you complain when you buy things that turn out to be mouldy rubbish, or do you consider it to be part of the gamble of shopping and find complaining too much of a hassle? I'd love to hear!
Katie xxx
Katie xxx
Oh, yes, I frequently complain. I have had a voucher for a piece of fingernail I found in a yoghurt, refund and replace for a snail in a jar of jam, a replacement for a faulty chopping board sent all the way to France from the UK with no quibbles at all. Last week I complained about a pair of knee high socks that are so oddly designed, that you can't pull them up past your ankle! The company have offered to send me a new pair to the Czech Republic as I can't take them back to the UK shop :) Treating customers well, ensuring loyalty and word of mouth referrals are very important to those companies in the know. Shame some companies still don't get that if you are not happy with the product or service a tweet or FB post about it can hit thousands of people.
ReplyDeleteThat's quite some finds you've had there! Very glad to hear you were fully compensated- makes my satsuma mould seem a little tame in comparison!
DeleteEw, I've just gone off yoghurt and jam!
ReplyDeleteI've never really complained but I always vigilantly check my Sainsburys reciept whilst still in the store then go straight to Customer Service and get refunded on all the special offers I bought that failed to work at the till. They are very naughty but I'm onto them!
Well done you- I'm normally too busy hurrying home to check the receipt but I really need to start doing that!
DeleteOooh love this post! I am like you and will complain if I feel it was necessary. I am wondering if you have seen this today? (Warning utterly rank).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4729393/Finger-Lickin-Bad.html
A bad example of a response to a complaint though in my opinion as the poor boy would definitely not want to eat there again (and neither will I!!).
My sister and I help my Dad write complaint letters some times (he is not great at writing) and he has had some good responses. I think your advice is definitely a good approach.
eeew! chicken brain! (/liver) I saw an article in the paper when I was younger where someone had found a deep-fried chicken head in their KFC bucket. Thankfully, I was already vegetarian and not at risk of such a gruesome bargain bucket discovery!
DeleteThe Sainsburys complaint letter was on behalf of my Nan- she doesn't like troubling anyone but I don't like her buying cheese that turns out to be mouldy! That letter was very much along the lines of "My elderly grandmother, who has lived through a war..." etc. (Even though she's still super-spritely and does OAP Keep Fit which sounds hilarious!) :) xx
I think it's great that you have called these places up to let them know that their products are below satisfactory. And you do it in the best way! I tend to use the parents trick with saying how disappointed I am whether with companies or personal relationships. I find it's not as hurtful, and it's more sincere.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree; I used to get cross and shouty when I was younger, but I find calmly talking to people and making rational points is much more effective :)
DeleteHmmmmmmmmm, I should complain to Tescos more- I'm always getting moudly tomatoes when I buy their big packs of cherry tomatoes! No, you are right to complain if it's not good enough- you didn't deliberately go out to buy moudly fruit or holey leggings!
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely complain; we buy the majority of our shopping (and our house insurance) from Tesco so I always make the point we are Loyal Customers and definitely don't deserve mould of any kind! There's nothing to lose giving it a go- you might even end up with some free tomatoes (which will, I'm sure, taste much nicer than tomatoes you have paid for! :p)
DeleteSo glad you're complaining too! I've had mixed success, by far the most generous was £15 from the SSP food group for getting a human hair in my coffee at Clapham junction station - the measliest was probably Provamel, who gave me £6 for mouldy banana soya milk. I also got a nice £125 from M&S for slipping over on water from a leaky fridge and pulling my side muscles! Totally worth complaining, in my (grumpy) opinion... :p xx
ReplyDelete£125 is the best I've heard so far!! Would it be wrong of me to start loitering in the freezer isle at Tesco? Although pulled side muscles sound very painful :s Perhaps I'll give it a miss... :p xx
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