Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

I recently received some subpar service at a local grocery store, and wish to make my displeasure known. After working in retail for many years, especially in a position to read a lot of 'complaint' letters, I have only come to realize two things:

1- What not to write (how much money you spend there, how the person in question should be fired, free stuff etc etc)
2- No one actually cares about these on the store level

So what are my best options? To write the store and head office? Is this just a waste of time? Do you write many angry letters?

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

wtf is "subpar" service at a local grocery store? She charged you for $25.02 instead of $25?

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

Well, I've never worked in a grocery store, but I was a restaurant manager for a couple of years, and we received complaint letters from time to time.

If your goal is to enact some fundamental change in the workings of that store, you're probably [censored] out of luck. Now, if you send a mean letter to the corporate office and it so happens that many others are doing the same, then they might fire the manager or something. But one letter isn't really going to accomplish anything.

You will probably get some free [censored] however.

But on to my more pressing concern. How do you receive subpar service at a grocery store? I don't think I say one word to anyone except "plastic" and "thanks" when I'm in the store, so I can't imagine anything happening that would piss me off so much I wanted to write a letter.

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

[ QUOTE ]
wtf is "subpar" service at a local grocery store? She charged you for $25.02 instead of $25?

[/ QUOTE ]

I bought some cherries, which were priced at $8.88/kg. I was charged $11/kg, something I realized after I went through the till. I went to customer service where I asked for an adjustment.

I think this policy works in the US too, but in Canada, we use a 'scanning code of practice' which means if a price differs on a pricetag and at the till, you get the first item (up to $10) for free, or $10 off items above that.

The customer service lady refunded me the difference, but when I told her I wanted my cherries for free, she told me "that's now how that policy works, HONEY" and to come back tomorrow to see a manager.

I did, and when I arrived, the same lady was there. I told her I was back and could I have my money. She said "It's not our problem," and that "all the managers have gone home". Luckily, I had called earlier to confirm someone was there, and when she said that I said "actually, I think Mr XXX is here, I'd like to speak to him", thus calling her bluff.

So this woman not only was condescending, she also wasted my time and lied to me, as well as did not understand a policy her company had. I'm a little peeved; what are the chances of getting gift certificates after writing a strongly worded letter, I wonder?

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

Demand to see the manager. Always threaten to go higher up on the scale and pretend you're more important than you are.

If it's a big deal, threaten to use a PR service or newspaper to get the word out on the agregious offenses being commited.

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

Why did you want the cherries for free anyway? I mean, I can understand being pissed if the lady was a bitch, but honestly. You orginally intended to pay for the cherries, the register/cashier jacked up, and they fixed it. Big deal.

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

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Why did you want the cherries for free anyway? I mean, I can understand being pissed if the lady was a bitch, but honestly. You orginally intended to pay for the cherries, the register/cashier jacked up, and they fixed it. Big deal.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's policy for a reason. I'd prefer to get my cherries for free if there was a real mistake, especially if they knew about, like she implied and it wasn't fixed at the till when I went through. It may seem petty, but I only really got mad when she started to refuse to apply the policy or recognize how it worked.

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

[ QUOTE ]
I recently received some subpar service at a local grocery store, and wish to make my displeasure known. After working in retail for many years, especially in a position to read a lot of 'complaint' letters, I have only come to realize two things:

1- What not to write (how much money you spend there, how the person in question should be fired, free stuff etc etc)
2- No one actually cares about these on the store level

So what are my best options? To write the store and head office? Is this just a waste of time? Do you write many angry letters?

[/ QUOTE ]

you have way too much free time.

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

Make sure you get and write down the names of everyone that is rude or unhelpful and make sure they know you've got their names.

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I recently received some subpar service at a local grocery store, and wish to make my displeasure known. After working in retail for many years, especially in a position to read a lot of 'complaint' letters, I have only come to realize two things:

1- What not to write (how much money you spend there, how the person in question should be fired, free stuff etc etc)
2- No one actually cares about these on the store level

So what are my best options? To write the store and head office? Is this just a waste of time? Do you write many angry letters?

[/ QUOTE ]

you have way too much free time.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not enough if I haven't ever written a complaint letter before.

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

You're a tool. You got the fair price. There's no need to try and get the cherries for free.

NT

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

With issues like this getting to you I'd hate to see what your bloodpressure is/will be once you get a bit older.

Swede

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

[ QUOTE ]
With issues like this getting to you I'd hate to see what your bloodpressure is/will be once you get a bit older.

Swede

[/ QUOTE ]

I had an ulcer at 17 [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

[ QUOTE ]
You're a tool. You got the fair price. There's no need to try and get the cherries for free.

NT

[/ QUOTE ]

Glad someone finaly said this.

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

Alright. Onto my obvious back up plan: stalking said cashier and throwing rotten cherries at her.

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

I can't ever imagine myself getting this worked up over 2 frigging dollars. Policy or not, do you really feel you deserved to get them for free?

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

Wow. Just, wow.

Here's a hint: If you write the letter, whoever reads your story will share a great laugh with their coworkers before throwing it out. If you're lucky, they might even joke-post it on their bulletin board for a while for everyone to laugh at.

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

Meh, I guess I just didn't want to roll over and take it up the ass.


1. THE ITEM FREE SCANNER POLICY
Retailers will implement an Item Free Scanner Policy as follows:
1.1 On a claim being presented by the customer, where the scanned price of a product at checkout is higher than the price displayed in the store or than advertised by the store, the lower price will be honoured; and

(a) if the correct price of the product is $10 or less, the retailer will give the product to the customer free of charge; or
(b) if the correct price of the product is higher than $10, the retailer will give the customer a discount of $10 off the corrected price.

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

At this point in time, it has also become apparent to me that I've become my father.

"IT'S A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE!!!" [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

I have no doubt that is the policy. The fact that you have a written copy on the ready doesn't surprise me, either.

Frankly, if I got overcharged by $2 or whatever at the grocery store I wouldn't even bother going back. Also, I don't routinely audit my grocery store receipts desperately hoping to find an error so I can score a free sack of cherries and stick it in the face of some 15-year old kid working a summer job.

You got your money back, why are you so bent on this? Just eat a couple cherries while you walk around before getting to the registers next time. That'll show em!

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

[ QUOTE ]
I have no doubt that is the policy. The fact that you have a written copy on the ready doesn't surprise me, either.

Frankly, if I got overcharged by $2 or whatever at the grocery store I wouldn't even bother going back. Also, I don't routinely audit my grocery store receipts desperately hoping to find an error so I can score a free sack of cherries and stick it in the face of some 15-year old kid working a summer job.

You got your money back, why are you so bent on this? Just eat a couple cherries while you walk around before getting to the registers next time. That'll show em!

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks fishsticks, good words. I don't know why I'm so hellbent either. Maybe because I've had to deal with hundreds of people like me before and we are all doomed to become what we loathe? A little part of my died that summer at my job at the Returns desk of Home Depot, I think. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

I guess this answers the question "does anyone give a [censored] about complaint letters", eh? [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

I've had the "scanning code of practice" thing before - there's actually a number that you can call if the business is giving you the runaround

I agree, it's the principle of the thing - but hopefully you didn't get the shaft at safeway. if so, good luck...

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

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Meh, I guess I just didn't want to roll over and take it up the ass.

[/ QUOTE ]

Pics?

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I recently received some subpar service at a local grocery store, and wish to make my displeasure known. After working in retail for many years, especially in a position to read a lot of 'complaint' letters, I have only come to realize two things:

1- What not to write (how much money you spend there, how the person in question should be fired, free stuff etc etc)
2- No one actually cares about these on the store level

So what are my best options? To write the store and head office? Is this just a waste of time? Do you write many angry letters?

[/ QUOTE ]

you have way too much free time.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not enough if I haven't ever written a complaint letter before.

[/ QUOTE ]

so if you've written a complaint letter before, you have too much free time now?

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I recently received some subpar service at a local grocery store, and wish to make my displeasure known. After working in retail for many years, especially in a position to read a lot of 'complaint' letters, I have only come to realize two things:

1- What not to write (how much money you spend there, how the person in question should be fired, free stuff etc etc)
2- No one actually cares about these on the store level

So what are my best options? To write the store and head office? Is this just a waste of time? Do you write many angry letters?

[/ QUOTE ]

you have way too much free time.

[/ QUOTE ]

Stupid post.

Everyone in OOT has way too much free time.

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

EV calculation
$11-$8.88=2.12 $/kg
Amount of time to write a "strong worded letter"=30 min
Estimated amount of time waiting for & reading responses = 48 mins (time from first post to last post)
total amount of time spent on this problem = ~1hr 18min
estimated hourly wage= ~12$/hr
total lost wages for this problem= ~$15.6
amount of cherries needed to make this worthwhile= ~15.6 / 2.12 = ~7.4 kg
-that's a lot of cherries

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

If your goal is to make your "displeasure known", then just write a letter that says "I am displeased with your service because etc etc etc".

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

fwiw that EV calculation is wrong, the cherries would be FREE for the OP, not just 8.88 (original price)

so in reality OP would have to buy ~ 1.75 KG of cherries, a perfectly reasonable amount



god, I feel like giving myself a * for that

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

You're a tool for wanting the cherries for free. You get paid off in life in the long-term a lot more for being a kind, reasonable human being than demanding a free bag of cherries because someone typed in the wrong code.

That said, I apologize for calling you a tool.

Re: Keys to a Successful Complaint Letter
 

[ QUOTE ]
At this point in time, it has also become apparent to me that I've become my father.

"IT'S A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE!!!" [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Baloney.

If we were talking about five cents, there would be no letters, no posts, no silly cherries thread.