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Complaint Repair in the
News
January
17, 2001
FamilyPC
Magazine
" Point, Click,
Complain - If you have a problem with a product or service, don't just
stew about it-voice your dissatisfaction online instead."
Link to article: http://www.zdnet.com/familypc/stories/main/0,12530,2668223,00.html
by Roberta Furger
January 17, 2001
There are two types of people in this world: those who take the time to
complain about everything from poor service in a restaurant to the so-called
indestructible pants that their 10-year-old managed to put a hole in after
a week.
And then, there are folks like me who also get upset at these often-expensive
annoyances, but rarely demand justice, or at least a new pair of pants.
Now, thanks to a host of new Web sites, the gap between those who demand
satisfaction and those who just think about stating their piece, has gotten
a whole lot smaller.
Take the case of Peter Francis, a Web developer from Smithton, Ill., who
discovered the power of complaining online using eComplaint Repair, one
of a handful of Web sites that assist consumers in drafting complaint
letters and then forward them to the offending companies.
Last August, Francis ordered an ISDN router from Warehouse.com and paid
extra for overnight delivery. "They took my credit card number and everything
seemed hunky-dory," says Francis. But the next morning, there was no router-and
no call from Warehouse.com explaining the delay.
After contacting the company, Francis learned that the item was out of
stock and he was offered an alternative product, which he was again told
would be shipped for next-day delivery. But the next day came and went
without the router.
After speaking with a supervisor, Francis ended up canceling both orders
and, after several days, the funds were credited back to his account.
But the entire experience left him feeling angry and frustrated and ready
to share his opinions with the world. So he turned to eComplaint Repair
for help. "I really wasn't expecting a response," says Francis. "It was
primarily a way of venting."
But a few weeks after telling his story on eComplaint Repair, Francis received
a letter from Warehouse.com apologizing for the mix-up and offering him
a $25 credit on a future order. Whine On While not every online complainer
will be as lucky as Francis, eComplaint Repair and similar sites claim to
be getting the attention of Web-based businesses and bricks-and-mortar
companies alike.
The reason for these early successes is simple, notes Michael Chen, founder
of uGetHeard.com, which launched last April. "Most consumers don't know
where or how to complain," says Chen.
They don't know what type of information to include in a complaint letter,
and they don't know where to send it, he adds. As a result, letters often
wind up on the wrong desk and never get the attention they deserve.
Edgar Dworsky, founder of Consumer World and a former Assistant Attorney
General for consumer affairs for Massachusetts, agrees with Chen, and
believes sites like eComplaint Repair, uGetHeard.com, and Planet Feedback.com
(the three leaders in this arena) can play a valuable role in assisting
frustrated customers. "Consumers need to know what they're getting for
their click, though," says Dworsky. "Is it just a [place to] gripe or
will the site actually help you resolve your problem?"
Dworsky is referring to the two categories of complaint sites: Those that
offer an easily accessible forum for disgruntled consumers to share their
tales of woe (essentially sophisticated bulletin boards and forums for
kvetching). And those that go one step further and actually route complaints
to offending companies (and possibly help to facilitate a resolution).
Although both types of sites can play a valuable-not to mention cathartic-role
for consumers, complaint-forwarding services offer the really revolutionary
option. Why? Because they do most of the work: they help draft a letter,
figure out to whom the complaint should be sent, and, in a few cases,
even follow up to make sure you've received a satisfactory response.
All you have to do is supply the problem, then sit back and let these
so-called infomediators do the rest. That's how it's supposed to work,
at least. None of the sites guarantees a 100 percent success or satisfaction
rate. "Response, not resolution, is our goal," explains PlanetFeedback.com's
founder and CEO Pete Blackshaw, noting that at some point it's "not economical"
to keep plugging away at an unresponsive company. SOS for Harried Consumers
Online complaining isn't really a new phenomenon.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has been accepting complaints through
its Web site for more than two years. And while these new sites can't
match the name recognition of the BBB, they can take the complaint process
to another level by making both the complaints and the resolutions (or
lack thereof) public.
For example, copies of letters are posted on Web sites and ratings are
generated based on the number of letters received and customer satisfaction
with how the problem was resolved-all in an attempt to leverage the power
of consumers to effect change. "Even if a company never responds to a
[complaint], that letter is a part of the permanent record," says Blackshaw,
who believes that complaint sites are "redefining the rules of consumer
feedback."
These sites are still too new to gauge whether Blackshaw's predictions
are overstated. However, by helping consumers craft a concise, informative
letter and by providing the necessary contact information, these sites
take the pain out of venting.
Even better: They have the potential to raise the stakes for customer
service by providing consumers with a venue for voicing their concerns
and putting companies on notice that they'll be held accountable for their
behavior. Savvy companies will do well to take note-and so will savvy
consumers. Roberta Furger is a contributing editor to FamilyPC.
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Got a Gripe? If you have a problem with a product or service, these Web
sites may be able to help you resolve it.
Complaint Repair: This site is geared
primarily to providing consumers with a place to vent their frustration
or to share their customer service success story; its message boards are
chock-full of letters on both online merchants and off line companies.
There's one catch: You'll need to supply Complaint Repair with an e-mail
address if you want your letter sent on to the offending company-and don't
expect any follow-up.
Consumertips.com: This isn't the most attractive site on the Web, but
it's a good resource for contact information if you're looking to report
a complaint related to bank and credit card providers, insurance companies,
online fraud, and more.
Consumer World : Although you'll need to write your own letter and do
your own follow-up, this site is an excellent resource for contacting
dozens of corporate customer service departments, as well as regulatory
and consumer agencies.
eComplaint Repair: This site assists consumers in generating a complaint
letter, then forwards the letter on to the offending company. Other handy
features include contact information for thousands of companies, copies
of consumer letters sorted by company and industry, and statistics on
company response rates to letters.
PlanetFeedback.com: Visit this site for help in crafting a letter and
getting it forwarded to the appropriate company. PlanetFeedback.com will
follow up until a response is received (though resolution of a problem
is not guaranteed). Consumers can choose to send a copy of their complaint
letter to elected officials, family, friends, or interested consumer groups.
They also can choose to make a copy (minus the personal information) available
online.
PlanetFeedback.com rates companies based on consumer letters and responses
to online surveys. uGetHeard.com: Letter generation and forwarding are
two key features of this site. Consumers can have their letters added
to the community message board for others to read and comment on. Companies
are ranked by industry or type of business, then rated based on customer
satisfaction-both before and after a letter is sent.
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