I love to lodge complaints – bad customer service workers beware

A wave of adrenaline rushed through me as I hung up the phone. I’d just been given an apology from a big supermarket chain and a £15 voucher. It was all for complaining about poor service – and I was thrilled with the outcome. That morning, I had gone into their store and expected to be in and out quickly, as I wanted a school shirt for my granddaughter. The size I needed wasn’t on the shop floor so I went in search of a staff member to help me.

I covered the whole shop before I tracked someone down about 10 minutes later. By that point, I was irritable. The disgruntled (and possibly overworked) employee was most unhelpful in further thought and deed – they barely answered more than a yes or no to me – and I could tell they’d rather be anywhere else but there. So I left without the shirt and went elsewhere. As I walked out of the store though I realised there was only one way to right this wrong: take it further with the company management and demand an apology for my wasted time.

All of this to say, I love complaining and I couldn’t recommend it enough. When I was younger I didn’t ever think to complain about anything. Service and store assistants’ always had that ‘the customer is always right’ attitude so I never felt the need to. That all changed around the time I turned 50. It was the start of my menopause and I could physically feel myself becoming more irritable and short-fused. At the same time, I also reduced my work hours so I had more time on my hands to overthink.

At first, I never thought complaining would make any difference and for a while I continued to swallow my pride. Then one night, on a meal out with my husband, I finally let loose. After the usual ‘are you enjoying your meal, madam?’ question came, I informed the waitress his dinner was cold. My husband cringed as he would have suffered it, but now I was annoyed enough to say something. His meal was hastily served again and then our drinks bill was written off – a big saving as we do like a tipple. I practically skipped out of there and so my complaining self was born.

The next time I complained it was to a hospital after I saw their staff using its prayer room as a staff room. It incensed me that families couldn’t use it to pray for fear they’d upset the nurses who had their feet up eating their sandwiches in there. So I looked up management email addresses on the hospital website and sent a list of issues I had to them. The replies came back within a day or so I was assured it would soon go back to being a place of peace for those who needed it.

Once again, I was extremely pleased with myself. Since then, I’ve complained about all sorts over the years. I’ve been given upgraded seats at the theatre and changed hotel rooms four times until we got the one I felt we deserved. I’m sure I’m on many websites and hotel registers now with an asterisk against my name warning the staff about me – but if it means they up their game, I’m not going to complain (ironically)!.

At the end of the day, I find the service sector seriously failing. Staff just don’t seem interested or have any pride in doing a good job. As a result, I’m flabbergasted when someone actually goes out of their way to assist me, so I find myself thanking them profusely over and over. It’s ridiculous that I’m making such a fuss when they are just doing what they are paid to do. I truly believe it’s complainers like me that keep companies and service sectors accountable.

But it’s actually helping them too, as poor customer service is costing UK businesses £11.4 billion a month in lost productivity. If complaining helps them learn from their mistakes, then I’m effectively saving them money. Of course, complaining takes time and effort, so most people will either walk away disgruntled or lack the confidence to take issue with their bad experience. In 2018, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found that 75% of Brits avoided making a complaint altogether, with younger generations in particular the least likely to be proactive about getting problems resolved or their money back.

That makes sense to me, as the older I got the less I cared what other people thought about me. It’s one of the perks of ageing. The FCA also found that among the list of things people want to complain about is a poor meal when eating out, being ignored by a shop assistant, a parcel arriving late, travel delays, and a bad haircut. Now though, I’ve complained about most of these things and more. I know how to complain – and I do it well.

My personal tips would be: write down the points of issue before making the call or writing your email. Explain your point clearly and politely. But be careful, the minute you start to raise your voice or tone, you have lost the goodwill of the advisor. So next time you are disappointed with a meal or service, please think about letting that company know. You do us all a favour in the long run. That restaurant owner might be unaware the chef serves up undercooked food or their waiter is rude. It’s better to complain than stay away and their business goes bust.