Complaining is something us Brits do well to each other – about the weather, the potholes, the state of fashion these days, pretty much any topic we can complain about. But when it comes to actively complaining to companies to get our money back, we’re not doing enough. Businesses often get away with bad behaviour because they know most people won’t complain – or if they do, they won’t escalate their complaint if they aren’t happy with the initial response.

But making a complaint when you’ve received poor service or products is important to hold businesses accountable AND to prevent losing your money. A lot of the time, complaints can be smoothed over with a simple conversation. It can sometimes help to jot down the facts – not emotions – about why you’re unhappy before you strike up a conversation in person. Or, if you’re writing a letter, make sure you report just the facts. Getting emotional and using angry or coarse language won’t get you very far – politeness will be far more successful.

Talk or write to the supplier to explain what you expected from their service or product, and why it falls short. Tell them what you would like them to do to remedy the situation: do you want a refund, an apology, a replacement item or something else? And provide a deadline for their response; two weeks is usually reasonable to suggest. If they don’t reply, or you aren’t satisfied with the response, it’s time to take more action.

Take your complaint higher up the chain. If, for example, you’ve complained about something in a local shop that is part of a larger franchise, write to head office detailing the problem. Again, be polite and factual, as this is more likely to get you the result you want. You can also try using Resolver, a free independent service that helps consumers with complaints. Fill out the details of your complaint online, including attaching extra evidence if you need, and a case file is created for you. Your data is never sold by Resolver; they make their money by learning about complaints and how best to deal with them, training companies to improve their customer service.

If the company is a member of a regulated professions, it can also be worth contacting the regulator if you feel there has been unprofessional conduct. For example, if you think your estate agent has acted outside of your best interests (such as hiding information about a property you’ve purchased),. If you can’t seem to get a response from the usual customer service or complaints email, try going online. Many companies are more responsive on their social media than direct emails or phone calls, because of the public reputation damage a bad post could cause.

Tag the company in your social media post and list the full complaint (do not include personal details like address, phone, email, or account numbers – anyone can see these posts). You may find this generates a much faster response than writing emails because companies don’t want to be publicly dragged through the mud. If the error by the company was incredibly serious, and you aren’t getting anywhere with the formal complaints process, you could also consider selling your story for media attention.

A complaint doesn’t need to be very wordy or use jargon. The best way to start is with a summary of the facts. For example: "On 1st January, I attended the shop on The Street at 3pm to purchase Your Product. The Product broke on first use and the shop refused a refund.". Next, list further details. If you know the names of people who have spoken to you about your complaint previously, write them down. Include what you paid for an item, any information a sales assistant gave you about the item, and why it broke (or why you are unhappy with the service/product).

Then, it can sometimes be useful to highlight a relevant passage of the Consumer Rights Act if you believe you’ve been refused a refund, replacement, or service level. This is because some complaints come down to a cause of human error, so it can be helpful to outline why you think the decision or action was wrong. Finally, write down what you would like as a result of the complaint. This could be a number of things, such as a product replacement or refund, a goodwill financial gesture, discount or vouchers towards a future product or service, and/or an apology and assurance of additional staff training. Remember to keep emotion out of the letter and stick to the facts!.

If your escalation or Resolver complaint doesn’t get you the resolution you want, the final step is to contact the ombudsman. There are different ombudsmans for each sector, so check which one you need to contact. An ombudsman is an independent person who investigates both sides of a complaint, and decides if your complaint is upheld – and if so, then they determine the remedial action needed, like refunds.