Complaining - The only way to get your way?

Firstly, I've been a very lazy blogger. I've let things such as no Internet and doing lots of work on a house stop me!! Honestly where are my priorities!

As people who have read one of my earlier blogs would know, I've had some trouble with the ISP for my previous address, namely Plusnet. All those who give a damn will now love to hear I have cancelled with them, by avoiding their ludicrous cancellation rules. How did I do this? I complained that's how!

This lead me to think, I've dealt with numerous companies over the years, and they seem to have vastly varying levels of service. When I've come across the worst of this service and they refuse to do even the most basic of reasonable requests, I've gone straight through to complain.

My question is, should it be that way?

Why do basic service level employees of some companies stick so rigidly to obstructive practices? Personally I don't blame them, a human can only act within the freedom they're given and in the majority of companies I'm talking about, common sense and free thought is not encouraged.

Plus net are an example (sorry to bang on) their staff could have solved my problem in 20 seconds with a quick phone call, but they refused. Eventually their complaints manager (James Bailey, very helpful man) solved the situation with a 20 second call. Could not somebody at another level have already done this, they prob spent longer than that writing my response telling me they couldn't call. They wasted their time, my time writing the complaint and the Complaint Managers time looking into it and contacting me.

A bit of common sense at the start and things would have been done much much faster.

There must be 1000's of examples every day where customers have to complain about blatantly unfair procedures to get any joy. If companies a) treated their staff as things other than trained monkeys or b) considered the customer over whatever obstructive procedure was in the way in the first place they'd be more efficient and maybe they'd have happier customers.

Of course, there are financial benefits in being disruptive, if someone knowingly overcharged 50,000 customers and only 20,000 complain, they've made the extra on 30,000. Which very well may make any costs involved in handling the 20,000 complaints worthwhile. For example, if they delay had taken me into an new month with Plusnet, they'd have pocketed my £15 happily.

My advice, take nothing that seems unfair as read, kick up a fuss and you may get some joy. I've done the complaint handlers job before, and if most companies are like my employers, once it gets to complaint, the staff have the freedom to make fair decisions and the desire to do so also.

TTFN - Expect another post later, I'm brimming with ideas today!