Happy customers: We’ve got a handle on your complaints
It’s been another busy year for the team at Handle My Complaint. Since launching our new online system in February, we have handled almost 2,400 complaints for Australians across a range of industries.
From vehicles to travel, home renovation to insurance complaints, if there’s a customer who feels hard done by, we’ve assisted them to get the outcome they deserve. As the year draws to a close, we take a look at some of the situations we’ve helped resolve and share some of the lovely feedback we’ve received from our clients.
Removing road blocks to customer care
Saul Frank knows when he’s being given the run-around with customer care. And he would never do the same to his customers.
“I’ve been in business a long time and it’s just not the way you treat people,” he says.
The ripple effect of poor customer service
Like most of us who have renovated a kitchen, the Wilsons couldn’t wait to enjoy it.
So imagine their dismay when, after using their stove for the first time, the South Australian couple noticed a distortion on their brand-new splashback.
The 12 Pains of Christmas and how to avoid them
Have you heard of The 12 Pains of Christmas? Released in the mid-1980s, the song is a parody of the popular carol, The 12 Days of Christmas, where instead of touting the pleasure of receiving various gifts, the singer bemoans the less than sunshiny parts of the festive season.
But even if Bob Rivers sounds a bit like the Grinch who stole Christmas, we all know he has a point. For all the family get-togethers, presents and general bonhomie, there is plenty to complain about this time of year (and we don’t just mean the price of cherries).
Fifty years of loyalty — and nothing to show for it
Yvonne Arnall didn’t expect any special treatment. Like most of us, she simply expected to be treated with respect and have her issue resolved in a timely manner.
Instead, what the Melbourne grandmother got was an abject failure in customer service that dragged on for almost six months. A saga that involved her driving hundreds of kilometres on multiple occasions for appointments that never eventuated. And when her initial request was finally resolved — on the eighth appointment — it came with an added insult: a pool of urine.
Protect your good name: Why you should check your credit report regularly
Jessica Meyer was excited about buying her first home with her mother. She’d saved a good deposit and was ready to sign the contract.
Until the bank contacted her to say they had checked her credit status with a credit reporting company and she was deemed a risk.
The art of complaining – How to get your complaints resolved fast
No one likes a whinger, but we all have legitimate complaints from time to time. So what’s the right way to complain?
Before you pick up that phone or send that email, ask yourself how invested you are in making the complaint? Is the $50 watch that isn’t working properly worth spending indefinite hours trying to get your money back? The trade-off between your effort to complain and how much you value the item is what we call the complaining value.
Still want to complain? Here are some do’s and don’ts to ensure a better chance of getting a resolution.
Are you being heard with your complaint?
It’s a weekend ritual for thousands of Australians around the country. Heading down to their local hardware store to buy anything from garden tools to a whole new kitchen.
Those home reno stores lure you in with a sausage sizzle out the front and the in-store experts out the back. Once you leave you have a satisfied belly and enough confidence to tackle everything from minor repairs to a full-on renovation.
Complaining 101: The ins and outs of making a complaint
It's safe to say that most of us don't enjoy complaining. But more than once in our lives, we've experienced having a concern or an issue with a product or service we've purchased. And, when we do, we try to reach out to our provider with the hope that they will help us resolve it. Sometimes the provider helps, but there are times when they turn a blind eye to our experience. So, we've prepared this guide to help you make a complaint that's effective and doesn't take up more of your energy than it needs to. Just remember, we are with you at every stage of your complaint journey. Happy reading!