June Financial Fitness Challenge�Complain for Results

Like everything else in life, consumer transactions don't always go the way we'd like them to. Maybe the couch you bought arrives with the wrong fabric. Maybe the steak you order for dinner ends up well-done instead of medium. It's a fact of life�sometimes you just have to complain.

The key is to complain for results. And it may not seem fair but the burden of this ending up well is, at least at first, on you. Since you're also motivated to have a happy ending, this advance work pays off:

Collect your facts. You need to do this no matter how you pursue your complaint�face to face, by phone, e-mail, or letter. In chronological order, record exactly what the issue is, whom you've already dealt with, where and when and how. Summarize all the facts regarding this complaint.

Collect your documents. Do you have receipts, agreements, copies of the original furniture order, a sample of the fabric for that sofa? Get in the habit of saving these kinds of things, and organizing them so you can locate them if needed.

Resolve to be pleasant and professional throughout the discussion. This is good for you, first, because it helps keep your blood pressure in check. But it will help you get to a resolution as well. Your goal is to develop an ally, someone who will go to bat for you to fix the problem.

On this last point, Matthew D'Uva, CAE, president of the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals (SOCAP) International, says, "Your goal is to develop a relationship with a company you've already invested your time in."

Make your move

Now you have just a few more steps to a satisfactory outcome:

Think about what solution you believe will make up for the problem�do you want the furniture repaired, replaced, exchanged? Do you want your money back? Who will transport the problem item? At whose expense? When will you get it back? Say you're counting on using this piece of furniture for company over the July 4 holiday and it won't be returned until the middle of August. Is that acceptable to you? If not, can you negotiate? D'Uva says, "Be open to the solution you're offered." He points out that it might not be what you had in mind, but it might be a good solution nevertheless.

Find out how to connect with the company. Is there a local phone number? If there's a Web site, find the 'contact us' pages and send an e-mail. If you prefer, send a letter. You may end up using all of these communication channels�keep your records up-to-date as you proceed. And give the company time to get back to you, D'Uva reminds.

Identify the right person to help you. It might be the local furniture store manager, or it might be the couch manufacturer. Search the Internet, or call your public library reference desk to ask for help if you need it. It might be as simple as calling the local furniture store where you ordered the couch; start with the salesperson�he or she may help you on the spot and take over the issue for you. If that isn't effective, move up the line and talk to the store manager or owner. No luck there? Move up to the customer service director at the manufacturer.

Make contact, then follow through if necessary. Continue to keep records at each step.

And finally, if you strike out, contact the Better Business Bureau, or, if the problem warrants it, your state attorney general's office, the Federal Trade Commission, or whatever state or federal agency has jurisdiction over your complaint.

Throughout it all, remember your resolve to be pleasant. As my grandmother really did used to say, "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." Putting aside the question of why you would want to catch flies, it's good advice.

Financial Fitness Challenge

The people at your credit union bring you this Web site and other tools to help you make the most of your financial resources. In 2010, the Financial Fitness Challenge will continue to look at ways you can make better financial habits no matter what condition the economy is in.

Each month we'll randomly select five winners to receive $50 Visa gift cards; we'll choose each month's winners only from that month's entries, so enter often. Remember to register for the Financial Fitness Challenge.

ST
Susan Tiffany, CCUFC
[email protected]

Published June 7, 2010