Formal Writing 강의안 8주
Chapter 8
How to complain and get action
Most reliable companies pay close attention to customer mail, particularly mail from dissatisfied customers. But writing letters to a company is one think; getting the company to do what you want is another. And it requires a certain amount of know- how to persuade a manufacturer to repair your broken toaster or make an adjustment on your mishandled airplane reservation.
First, you must observe certain principles that have nothing to do with letter writing. The most important is that you must deal with a reliable company. Let’s say you’ve spent $15.00 on a gold-plated hand warmer which won’t work. If you bought it from a fly-by-night retailer who bought an odd lot from a fly-by night wholesaler who bought the had-warmers from a fly-by-night manufacturer, you can resign yourself to having thrown away $15.00.
Second, if the product carries a guaranty or warranty, be sure that you understand its terms. If there’s a one-year warranty
on the picture tube of your television set, the manufacturer will probably not make good if it breaks down after thirteen months. There’s a legitimate reason for this. As one spokesman for a large company put it: “It costs us a certain amount to make a warranty, because we know that in a year’s time, we’re going to have to pay a certain amount on repairs. We figure this out before we well the product, and it’s included in the price. In other words, the warranty is an insurance policy, and the customer pays for that insurance when he pays for the product.”
The same man did add, however: “If a product becomes defective, a few weeks after the warranty has run out, we may make the adjustment for the sake of good will.”
When in doubt, write
In other words, if you’re dissatisfied with the product, t doesn’t hurt to write a letter. If it’s a good letter, the company may help you out even if the warranty has expired.
Now, let’s assume that you feel you have a legitimate grievance about a product you’ve bought. L:et’s also assume that the store from which you’ve bought it refuses to give you
satisfaction. You’re immediately faced with two problems:
Whom should you write to?
What should you say?
Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to the first question because almost every company is organized differently. In some large companies each major product is handled by a product manager, who’s responsible for making all decisions concerning his product. In other cases a central customer service bureau will handle all correspondence.
Perhaps the best way to handle the problem is, first, to look at the user’s manual you received with the product-assuming that (a) you received one and (b) you’ve held on to it. This will probably tell you where to write in case of trouble. If the manual doesn’t tell you, the store where you bought the product may be able to give you the manufacturer’s address.
Another source is the item itself, which will invariably carry to manufacturer’s name and usually the city where the company is located.
If the street address isn’t given, however, and the manufacturer isn’t a large one, the Post Office is likely to return your letter for lack of sufficient address. But all is not lost. You can find
out the address of almost any company in the country by using your telephone. Call the Information Operator of the city in question. When you reach her, ask for the telephone number of the company you want. When she gives it to you, ask in your most pleasant voice for the address of the firm.
Although operators are instructed not to give addresses, they will usually do so.
If the operator give you a choice of several different addresses- for example, the executive office, the service office, of the sales office-ask for the executive office. The executive office will generally know where to forward any letter sent to it.
Should you write to the company president?
There is one school of letter writers which firmly believes that the way to get fast action from a company is to write directly to the president. This, however, is not always the best course.
In many cases, the president will never see complaint letters addressed to him. His secretary will simply route them to the proper department. And you’ve wasted a couple of days while the letter is in transit to the correct department.
In other cases, however, the president does take a close interest in complaint mail. The head of the correspondence
department of one large pu7blic utility explained what happens in his company: “The quickest way to get a response is by writing to our president. Although usually he won’t answer it himself, he insists that we file a report on the disposition of the case. You can be sure that we handle his letters more promptly than the routine ones. We even have a couple of experts correspondents who handle mail which he wants answered.”
As a general rule, then, the following may be sound practice:
If you’re not in a great hurry for an answer, write to the president of the company. If he doesn’t see the letter, all you’ve lost is time. But he may take an interest in customer correspondence and, in that case, you may get a more satisfactory answer.
Should you be angry?
Again, there are two schools of thought. Some effective letter writers feel that the only way to budge a company is to write an explosively angry letter, letting the company know in no uncertain terms that you’re disgusted with its product or service. Undoubtedly, this tactic can sometimes achieve the
desired end.
Unfortunately, people who write in anger sometimes forget to include important information that the company needs in order to correct the situation. If that information is lacking, all the anger in the world will get you nowhere. The company will simply write back asking you coolly for the information it needs.
A calm, reasoned letter that presents all the facts will properly get the same or better results than an irate one.
What about threats?
With a few exceptions, threats do not frighten companies.
Most of them want to keep their customers happy, but they will not be especially worried if you tell them you’ll never buy their product again, or if you warn them that you’ll tell your friends about your bad experience. These problems crop up in the mail regularly, and the company know that your complaints will probably not make too much difference in its overall profit picture.
A significant exception is the public utility, which is hemmed in by state and federal regulations. Here’s what the spokesman for one public utility admitted: “If a customer threatens that
he’ll complain to the state Public Service Commission, we’ll generally pay closer attention to him. This is because when the PSC steps into a case, it usually wants a whole raft of information. It’s a nuisance for us to collect, and it takes up a lot of our time. Therefore, we handle these letters with extra care so that we can avoid the headache.”
By extension, when dealing with any company which is subject to extensive government regulation, it may help if you threaten to report the complaint to the authorities. Public utilities, railroads, truckers, and insurance companies fall into this group.
How long the letter?
The single most-often-voiced complaint companies have about customers’ letters is that they’re too long. "So often,”
said one company correspondent, “we have to wade through a couple of pages before we can find out the problem. And then we have to wade through a couple more before we can find out what they want us to do about it. In the end, we’re irritated, and we’re less inclined to be as helpful.” In short, be short.
What information should you give?
In order to take action on your complaint, the company has to know some simple factual data. When a product is involved, include the following information:
1. The model number or a detailed description of the product.
2. The name and address of the store from which you bought it.
3. The date of your purchase.
4. A copy of the bill of sale, plus a copy of paid invoices for any service rendered on the product since you bought it.
5. A brief description of the problem.
6. An indication of whether you’re writing for the first time. If not, give the dates of your previous correspondence- the date of your last letter to the company and the date of the last letter you received from them- as well as the name of the person who wrote you.
If you’re writing in answer to a letter from the company, include the company’s filing number, if there is one. This usually will appear near the top of the letterhead, and often will be preceded by some such notation as “Reference” of “Ref.”
or “Account No.” Some companies even say quite clearly at the tops of their letters: “When replying, please refer to File No.
000.” This enables even the most poorly trained filing clerk to locate your correspondence.
Complaint about non-delivery
If a store fails to deliver an item, you’ll probably call first to find out why. If you get no satisfactory response, a letter to the store manager may help. Include any information that will enable the store to track the item down, including:
1. Your sales slip number.
2. A detailed description of the item.
3. The department from which you ordered it.
4. Your charge-account number, if the item was charged.
Unjustifiable Overcharges
When you feel you have been overcharged, write to the top man at the store. Give him as many details as are needed to explain the situation, but try to be brief and factual
The following letter is one which a customer sent to a store when he felt he had been unjustly overcharged. The important things to note in this complaint are :
It reviews the problem.
It requests specific action, i.e., a request for a refund.
It provides relevant documentation.
Test your skills
How to complain and get action
1. Which of the following methods are the most effective in getting action?
a. Write an indignant letter that criticizes company policies.
b. Threaten to warn your acquaintances against buying the firm’s products.
c. Appeal the president’s obligations to the customer.
d. Write to the Better Business Bureau and demand immediate action.
e. Write a reasonable, polite but firm letter to the company(preferably addressed to the president) explaining your grievance(briefly and clearly) and stating what you want the company to do about it.
2. Pretend that you bought a new Howitzer III car from the World Motor Company. It has a whine in the engine, but the dealer insists that it is just “in your mind” and he refuses to do anything about it. Write a sample letter to the president of World Motor Company that you think would get results.
