Some Simple Rules On How To Complain

Before you complain
What is the reason for your dissatisfaction? Was it the way you were treated? A wrong decision? Defective goods? What exactly went wrong?

What do you want the outcome of your complaint to be?
Is it only an apology? Or do you want something else to happen? Do you want the correct service that should have been given in the first place? Do you want replaced goods? You need to ensure whatever your outcome is made clear to the organisation that you are complaining to and ask for prompt action.

Who is your complaint to
This will be different depending on what type of organisation you are complaining to and the scale of your complaint. The following steps are for general guideline only. You should attempt to resolve your complaint directly with the parties involved first: i.e. take the product purchased back to the shop, or attempt to have the service redone. ONLY if this is not working should you take the next step of contacting the relevant senior management or customer services department. Most good organisations will have internal complaints procedures and complaints are often resolved using these. However sometimes they are not and this is when you should consider the third step. It is worth mentioning that you are considering or have decided to take your complaint to the relevant authorities, sometimes this may provoke a more pleasing reaction from the authority. This does not always work and you should use your judgement as I said the rules are for guidance only.

I must admit that I have on occasion ignored the customer service route and sent a letter straight to the managing director of a company when I received particularly poor service. This worked a treat and although the complaint was in the end dealt with by the chief of customer services two days after the letter was received, it was solved completely to my satisfaction and I don't think it would have been so quickly had I tried the slower route.

If dealing with the company has not worked then you will have to contact the relevant authority or overseer who will be able to give advice on how to exacerbate your complaint to your satisfaction. Will list some of these authorities later. Alternatively you can contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau or Trading Standards Office who will be able to help and give you advice on who you should contact next. Some Ombudsman or executive agencies such as Oftel or Ofgem may take complaints up for you. Another option is the TV show Watchdog but I would only go for that one if you are feeling desperate and want to be on TV! lol

Finally, if all else has failed then court or arbitration services maybe the final choice. Small claims court proceedings are inexpensive but time consuming and arbitration is available for many industries and services.

What to Remember
Various valuable hints which should help you to get the result you are looking for:
Keep a record of events. If you speak to someone on the phone make a note of who you speak to, when and what was said. If you use 'snail mail' then keep a copy of your letter and any replies you receive.
Keep the evidence. Retain all receipts/invoices, letters and e-mails regarding products and services that you may have purchased/received. If you are asked to present these at any stage then present copies and keep the originals yourself.
Stay Calm. If you have confronted someone directly then don't let the emotion of the moment get to you. If you are clearly not getting an adequate response then simply take the next step in the procedure as advised above.
Write clearly and concisely. Be polite and courteous but don't be afraid to convey the detail of any incident and to articulate your disappointment. Be clear about what you think would resolve your complaint. I have found interjecting a little humour when required also helps and if you have a named person use that name regularly throughout the letter.


Do not give up.

HSBC Bank - Am I Rich Enough?

Sandbanks in Poole is the home to some very, no, EXTREMELY wealthy people. Let's take a little look around the streets of Sandbanks shall we? and at number two something a little smaller! How about number three - 'A recently architect designed' (looks revolting to me) humble home. At £4.5million/$9million someone is paying a lot of money for this one.The first house on the list I must add is on the market for £9 million/$18 million. It only has six bedrooms and personally if I was paying that sort of money I'd expect at least eight! (lol)

Alas NORMAL people still live in Sandbanks and in fact some of these people have been known to visit this pristine area of the UK especially in the summer months as it is an area of outstanding natural beauty. Plus it has a stupendous beach and we sun lovers must get our fix some how? Problem though is that we will not be allowed to gain access to the hallowed grounds of the SANDBANKS HSBC BANK unless we fulfill a certain strict criteria. You will not be allowed to speak to the staff members or even set foot in the bank unless you hold a *PREMIER ACCOUNT. Apparently HSBC has promised that they will only be doing this at this branch and there must be a reason? Maybe Posh people do not want to mix with smelly common people? Speaking as a Premier Account holder I can understand (I jest)! Honest!

I do not know why or who made this rule and it seems if you want to talk to a member of staff here or use the facilities 'indoors', you must pay an annual fee of twenty quid. Oh lovely, Luckily Sandbank residents can use the cashpoint machines for free but personally I would speak with my feet - Or in my case my crutches. HSBC is not listening or at least it is only listening to it's more wealthier customers right now.



*PREMIER ACCOUNT
Must have savings of at least £50,000 or a £200,000 mortgage, alternately they must have a £100,000 mortgage plus a salary of £75,000 plus

Poorly

Absence can be explained and it is a total coincidence that I am in bed feeling utterly c**p today and a report is on the news about people taking sickies! I assure you I am not one of those people as I don't work so have no need too and the croak of my voice just about shows how bad I feel.......Actually I think the voice is probably worse than how I feel at the moment?

Normal service will be resumed shortly. Problem is that I feel bad but I'm finding it hard to sleep right now. There's too much noise in the house and my head keeps hurting so why I am looking at this white square object is beyond me?

So while I am here lets talk about this sickie business as it is a rip off. Personnel are ripping off their employers after all.

I wonder why there is a difference in the amounts of people who take sickies of people who have jobs in the public sector over the private sector? (Basically it's much higher) My husband is the most honest person I know and he is the only person I know who has never pulled this stunt but maybe has gone in late or left early for other reasons. (Don't we all!) He is a rare breed though.
How many are off sick (hmm hmm) today? The weather is so good this wee and perfect "I've come down with a stomach bug" weather.

A friend of mine decided to take a day off work one day when we were hit by a huge amount of snow. She took her young son to the local park sledging and guess what was on the front page of the local paper with the headline; 'Mum and son enjoy snowy day off work last Friday'. I thought about what happened to her and decided never to lie about being ill at least in my working life; at school was different - I was constantly unwell! Or that is what I told them.

Marks And Sparks And The Wonderful New Computer System

Marks and Spencers, the backbone of British society have a delightful (roll eyes) new computer system and if you wish to try it out then feel free but you are likely to face problems if you try and order over the internet.

I regularly order over the internet with M&S and last week tried out the new system. You now have an account and it looks much the same as Next or Debenhams and you log in to your own account which should make life easier? There is also a system in place which means that you should not be allowed to order items for next day delivery if they are not in stock. In the past you would pay the cost of next day delivery only to find the item would not turn up and frustrating phone calls would ensue which M&S would have to deal with. Now I admit M&S DO deal with the issues that arise and either give free delivery for the items that turn up late or offer some other form of solution. Well done to M&S on that level, but it should not have to happen in the first place.

The new system has been put in place to stop people from ordering items when they are not in stock. It should be physically impossible for a customer to purchase what is not there but I MANAGED TOO!

Last week I ordered a variety of things and one of the items was a parting gift for a teacher at my daughter's school. She is the Head of Year and as my daughter is leaving I wanted to be able to say thank you from us as a family to this great teacher.....But alas the gift did not turn up. When I placed the order originally, the computerised system told me that only ONE of the items was not in stock until but would be available on THURSDAY and so I decided to pay the extra cost of having two deliveries and had that one item delivered on Thursday and the other 7-8 items delivered on Tuesday or so I thought?

Tuesday came and went but nothing arrived? I emailed M&S;- "Where is my order?" I asked and requested that ALL the order came through on Thursday without any delivery cost attatched. I was sent TWO emails both stating that I would have my order on Thursday however no confirmation of no delivery cost. I telephoned Marks and Spencers on Wednesday to ensure the emails were correct and was told not to worry, all was fine and NO delivery cost was attatched.

Thursday came and went with no order.

I telephoned M&S on Thursday evening and was apologised too and was given the excuse (for the second time) that it was to do with the new computer system and I should not have been able to order the items as they were not in stock. That was not what I was being told. When I phoned on Tuesday I was cut off and that had angered me, but apart from that the staff had tried their best to deal with the cock up but it should not have happened in the first place.

I said that I will be writing a letter of complaint as it is not acceptable and I have been offered a £10 voucher which is apparently on my account for if I wish to use it. I have tried to see if this is the case but can not work out how I view it?

Maybe it would be a good idea to keep clear of Marks and Spencer's internet ordering for a little while until they get their new computerised system sorted? Unless of course you want trouble!

UK Government Being Sneaky Again

What I am about to talk about is a service which at the moment is free to all who need it via the NHS and unless you need it you would not know it existed. Problem is that the our dear government our changing the rules and therefore it is going to be harder and more embaressing to get hold of these products.

The items I am talking about catheters, stoma care products (for people who have lost their bowels and have had major bowel surgery leading to a temporary ileostomy). I know it is not a nice subject but if nobody talks about it then nobody will know about this!

At present, those needing products for the above are generally patients who have spinal conditions or who are elderly. The items are easily purchased by telephoning a hotline once a month or whenever needed to a regular number and then whatever is needed is disecretetly sent by post within the next 48 hours. There's a variety of reasons why the government are looking at this matter and one is that one of the supplying companies in Ireland was defrauding the goverment. Does this mean all of them are? I am sure lots of fraud goes on but does that mean that disabled and elderly should suffer? No!

The real reason has got to be cost. The government wants to centralize services to the GP and pharmacy and it states that these items can be purchased via the pharmacy. I do not believe this is going to be as easy as it sounds. What the government also does not understand is that patients are used to particular brands and it may be difficult to change; allergic reactions in these circumstances could lead the patient to be hospitalized. Another factor is that not every pharmacy provides a delivery service and you can only use this if you fulfil their strict list of rules. Another thing is that GPs are overrun with red tape and papper work and do they really need this?

Is it really as cost effective as the government thinks because I for one know that I will have a problem. My bladder does not work as well as it should and so I HAVE to use catheters, I have no choice. I also have to have them when I order them and I cannot wait for them. My pharmacy always goes for the cheapest product whatever the prescription item. I don't want the cheapest - I what I am used too!

I did not even realise that the goverment had passed this through until the company who supplied my catheters told me about it. I know the reason they are concerned is because they are likely to lose money. I am worried because I like what I use and I am used to it. For those wishing to complain, write to your local MP or contact me and I can give you a draft letter if that helps. The more voices speak out, the louder we are heard.

London Black Cabs

I started my blog off with a nice gentle story of hope with Southern Railway's good treatment of disabled people but I must now temper it with a not so happy tale.

I cannot say that all London cabbies are poor because I came across some very good ones but it was 75/25 split with the 25% being of a higher quality. We were ripped off regularly and the use of the phrase; "Hang on a mo while I move to where the curb is lower" BUT beforehand the clock is turned on and so WE are paying for that extra bit of time and also we are paying for that piece of time it takes for us get into the car; being disabled with a scooter (hence why we need the lowered curb for the ramp), it takes me and my family a little longer than an able bodied person and their family. All that wasted time costs us about £1 and on one occasion £1.60 at the beginning of the journey and a further £1.20 at the end of the journey.

After we were ripped off for the third journey, we knew it was not going to happen again and worked out our plan. Would you believe a cabbie tried it on for journey number four with the "hang on while I move the cab" routine. We politely told him to shove his hackney carriage where the sun didn't shine (OK we didn't really as the kidlets were there and we are too polite for our own good at times,) we knew another cab would be along in a couple of moments which was the case and this time it was a good driver who set his clock AFTER we got in and did not take advantage of us.

The only other driver I will give credit too is the last and only lady driver we used. I needed the use of a ramp which most black cabs have nowadays, and we found that some drivers were lazy and didn't like the thought of having to undo the ramp which was a case of using a special key to pull the ramp down. In the end a couple of times, hubby lifted the scooter up instead of waiting for cabbies because sometimes it wasn't worth worrying about but why should we as disabled people put up with the 'rolled eyes' routine when we are mere human beings? I would have been stuck without my husband and thank goodness he was there. We were told by a very nice man from Westminster Borough Council to speak to Ken Livingstone about this or at least to his department as it is he who pulls the strings here and this is where my letter will be going.

Watch this space everyone.

Southern Railways

Starting of the new blog with for me a company which has done well.

SOUTHERN RAILWAYS stand up and take a bow.

Southern are my local rail company and I'll be honest my husband uses the train regularly to get to work but I have images of old when the trains are smelly, dirty grotty things. I telephoned Southern on Sunday to ask how I how/if I would be able to get onboard the train at my local station and was told "No". Oh dear....."So what happens?" "Does someone get me a ramp then?" Now I do believe if I hadn't of pressed the matter I wouldn't of been offered this but I did press and I was offered a taxi to take me to nearest station that could get me onboard.

I was told by the cab driver that this system was open to abuse by some and as usual you hear the story of 'one' who ruins it for the large proportion of disabled people who need the service. It seems there are many stations on the network which cannot be used and so therefore Southern would rather spend money on cabs for their disabled customers to get them from A to B rather than dealing with the cross fire afterwards - Except only part of the disabled market will know about this rule? If you do not phone up the dedicated assisted services department then you will not know the handy, helpful, tips will you?

But let us not knock Southern because at least they are trying and there are many companies who are not trying at all - More on those later!