Interesting. At one point in my checkered past, I ran the customer service (help desk) for a small software company. When the reps on the phone had someone who was really unhappy, they would send him (always a him) to me. I would then be privledged to hear how our software didn't work, the company was a mess, and that the package was ugly (or some such nonsense).

My classic response was "What can I do for you?" Usually, the person would then repeat the complaints, and I would repeat "What can I do for you?." Most complainers had no idea what they actually wanted to accomplish with the phone call - a refund, a new product, a free T-shirt (this always seemed to satisfy them !?!).

If you give someone a reasonable solution to the problem you will likely be taken seriously. If you just bi*ch and moan, you will be treated as a problem. However, in all cases, I would suggest that you save your fights for the ones that matter. Let minor things roll off your back (Yes, I know that you are special and should be treated like a combination of the Pope, Shah, and King). Remember, the person you are dealing with may also be a customer of your company and may in the future have a less-than-perfect interaction with someone in your organization.

You can always take your business elsewhere if the company is treating you that badly constantly.

(PS - I dropped my AMEX card when it became more work than it was worth to keep it. Now, I have no complaints with that company.)


Edited for spelink (sic)

[This message has been edited by AA since 85 (edited 07-02-2001).]