Complaining Effectively
 

We've all been there: the airline/hotel screwed up, either big time or small time, and you'd like some compensation. I thought it might be nice to have a thread discussing strategies for effectively getting the hotel, airline, or other service provider to compensate you for your inconvenience. After all, shouting on twitter about how you'll never stay with them again might be super cathartic, but probably won't get you much.

I recently had an atrocious stay at a Hampton Inn in New York (long story, but in short their elevators trapped me in the hotel because the front desk wouldn't send them up to me). I thought I might use that as a starting point for a discussion of how to effectively receive compensation.

I obviously sent in a complaint to Hilton (via twitter messaging, seriously, because I couldn't find the hotel's e-mail anywhere), and from there I heard from about 5 different people, who offered me five different things (a BMG certificate for a particular hotel, then for all Hilton hotels, then for a particular hotel, etc, etc....) I'm a Diamond member, and the hotel itself can't seem to agree with the chain on how to compensate me. The latest is, I said I don't usually stay at Hampton Inns and they offered me 20,000 points, which I find kind of laughable as a compensation offer.

So what are my do's and don't's?

Obviously, I find politeness is key. I always start with being polite but firm, explaining my issues and the negative consequences they had on me. I find it's useful to keep it cordial at first instead of getting angry, because this gives the possibility of "escalating" if things don't go your way.

Having a detailed list of not only complaints, but how/why they were particularly trying. For example, I have several conditions that make me extremely sensitive to noise, so when there's bad soundproofing, noisy neighbors, etc.... I can point that out to the hotel. Similarly, if I'm on a business trip and something the hotel does prevents me from conducting business (like trapping me on the 12th floor and not sending the elevator up for 15 minutes) I point out that this was not just an inconvenience, but directly interfered with my ability to conduct business on my trip.

Regarding the "I'm never going to stay at this hotel again/I'm never staing with X chain again!" statement.....for me, it's not a blanket "never use" statement, but I try to use it very sparingly, and when I've "escalated" the issue. I think it's most effective after you've given the hotel a chance to offer compensation; if you find it inadequate (or non-existent) then a polite statement such as "this kind of treatment is making me reconsider my loyalty" is, I think, appropriate. Stating it as information, rather than a threat (i.e. "This chain no longer satisfies my needs" rather than "I'm never staying with you again!!" is, I think, more effective). Thoughts?

Any additions? I've gotten a lot of miles by complaining about (perfectly legitimate, and not made-up) issues so I like to think the above is not too useless.

A short, well written summary, stating only the facts and your desired outcome.

Well paragraphed for ease of reading.

No excessive verbiage or irrelevant details, no threats, no hyperpole.

Don't bang on about your status (they can look at your account if they are interested), or how much business they will lose if they don't do what you say (they don't care).


GOOD COMPLAINT:

On mm/dd/yy, I stayed at the Hampton Inn, New York.

I was trapped by an unserviceable elevator for x hours/minutes.

Due to this I missed my flight/meeting/dinner, etc. resulting is additional costs of $xxx.

I request that you reimburse my consequential costs, and refund the cost of the nights accommodation.


BAD COMPLAINT:

On mm/dd/yy I stayed at your hotel and it was the worst night of my life!!!!! I got stuck in your elevator and couldn't contact my friend who was supposed to be meeting me for dinner. By the time I finally got there my lobster thermidor was completely spoiled!!!! All this after my friend had spent three hours cooking while I was stuck in your crumby elevator. You have totally ruined my social life and I am sue you and complain to your CEO. This really is the most disgusting way to treat such a wonderful customer as me!!!!!!! I will never stay at any of your hotels ever again!!!!!!!!

- Be polite and concise.
- Ask for what you want and explain why it's reasonable.
- Don't ramble on about irrelevant details or sound like a crazy person.
- Use spell check.
- Don't make empty threats (they know you won't sue over $200 and they probably don't care if you never stay at their hotel again).
- If that fails, you could mention that you don't want this isolated incident to prevent you from posting a positive tripadviser review.
- If you happen to be a lawyer, attaching your business card ("to provide contact details") usually gets a result without having to make any actual threat ;)

Good thinking on the review front. I so far haven't posted any bad reviews or tweets. I wonder what kind of "leverage" is best to hold over a hotel/what do they "fear" the most? Is it having to reimburse my stay, or is it bad reviews? (of course nobody actually sues, that qualifies under the ridiculous category, I think). My take is also that if you have status such as Diamond, saying "despite my elite status, I am reconsidering my loyalty to this hotel chain" might be effective if communicating with the corporate end, not a particular hotel. I think corporate would certainly care if they lost someone who makes numerous stays per year at their various hotels?

A bad review can cost a hotel much more than a few hundred bucks compensation. Many hotels proudly post their tripadviser ratings, so they are aware of its power. Tweets come and go, but bad reviews hang around for years. However, I think it's fair to give a hotel a chance to make things right before posting a bad review.

I think status does matter. If you stay at their chain alot, they are more likely to help you than if you only make an occasional stay. So if you've got it, flaunt it.

Good points both. I usually review on places like Yelp and the hotel's own website, if it allows it. I haven't done many TripAdvisor reviews, though I"m thinking of getting into it. They have a "points" system for reviews, but those points get you nothing - except maybe status, so that your reviews are more visible?

I think in this particular case I've given them more than a fair chance. It's been a week and they've emailed me multiple times. Now they're insisting I was informed beforehand of the non-functioning elevators (I wasn't) and that I could have cancelled a nonrefundable rate. Refusing to honor the 100% guarantee, offering me 20,000 points as a "goodwill gesture." I'm thinking this is laughable. Not even enough for one night. Probably time to casually mention bad reviews and changing my loyalty to another chain....

Tripadviser points and badges seem like they were designed by a kindergarten teacher. They don't actually get you anything. However, I rely on their reviews when researching hotels, so I will generally leave honest reviews of places where I have stayed.

This point is one that many people don't consider.

One of my previous jobs was Night Manager during the soft opening of a hotel. The place was closed, gutted, and reopened. Unfortunately, we opened sooner than we should and charged market-rate for rooms that were not completely ready for guests.

My job essentially was listening to multiple (legitimate) complaints every day. [Worst job ever!]

What I quickly discovered is that different people may react diametrically opposite when it comes to offers of compensation. For example, offering to comp a night may thrill someone paying their own way. But, that same gesture might infuriate a business traveler who sees that as only benefiting her or his employer.

So, I think Low Rider's suggestion to say what you'd like is good advice.

Remaining calm, being polite, and sticking to the facts tends to work better as most upset customers rant about peripheral stuff.

Add to that effective use of the industry lingo, and they know you are not your average kettle. Particularly with airline staff...using terms like "IDB" and "NRSA" and calling the airline by it's two letter code works wonders.

I once thwarted a non-rev seat poacher who had the support of her FA buddy by saying something along the lines of "Come on, you know the UA rules on NRSA's and displacing rev pax, and if I VDB myself I will tell the station sup that you two ladies will take the late". They moved damn quick while apologizing and I got a free drink from the FA who was terrified I would make trouble for her.

I did anyhow.

That's some impressive lingo! i should learn some (probably more for hotels than airlines, since that's where I seem to have most of my problems).

What does "take the late" mean? I understand everything else.

On some airlines, it means being responsible for the late departure due to an action that a particular staff member performed. That member is cited on the logistics report explaining the delay for that flight. It usually ends up being gate staff or the pilots, but FA's get stuck with it too if there was an issue involving them. Most are not unusual and they are even expected, but excessive lates can reflect poorly on an employee.

All good points from the OP.

One thing I'd add is be reasonable about the compensation you request. Admittedly that goes hand-in-hand with a) avoiding hyperbole and b) being specific about what real inconvenience you suffered, but I call it out separately because I see people so often demanding extreme compensation for relatively minor problems.

For example, suppose you check in to a hotel a find your room isn't clean. You report the problem to the front desk, which promptly takes corrective action-- often by assigning you to a different room of equal or better type, or if they're full having your room serviced while you wait 20 minutes. Your stay is not "ruined". Demanding a free night or more is absurd. It's completely out of proportion to the severity and impact of the problem. More reasonable would be to request a few thousand points (whatever is a small fraction of the nightly cost, even when you're not paying with points) or a comp of a meal in the restaurant, one day's parking charge, etc.

OP - what compensation were you requesting? Doesn't Hampton Inn have an unconditional money back guarantee? Are you asking for something in addition to not paying for the room?

We stayed at a Hampton Inn a few years ago and at check in there was this big sign saying "If you aren't 100% happy with your stay, then it is on us"
So, do they still have those signs ?
I did think it was a foolish sign because, really, who is EVER 100% happy???

Just checked....still has the same policy

Why stay at Hampton?
We know balancing family, friends, work and other free time keeps you busy. We want to help you start your day off right. Whether you're visiting for business or pleasure, you'll always have high-quality and consistent accommodations and amenities. Enjoy a clean and fresh Hampton bed® and free Wi-Fi. Wake up each morning to our free, hot breakfast with fresh baked waffles and hearty oatmeal with toppings. Plus, you can count on friendly, helpful service and so much more. Guaranteed. If you're not satisfied, we don't expect you to pay. That's our commitment and your guarantee. That's 100% Hampton®.

Among my favorite letdowns is a hotel selling its rooms for the same/inflated prices (e.g. during a event) even while construction is taking place inside/next door.

Also, on a recent trip to Egypt, the manager at a 3 star (according to Egyptian standards) hotel mentioned that wi-fi wasn't necessary to have in guest rooms because "we're simply a 3 star hotel..." though, I only brought it up because some OTAs mentioned that wifi was also offered in rooms.

The main 4 Ps when dealing with any bureaucracy: Patience, Persistence, Politeness and Paperwork. These are the most important.

The 5th P is Perspective. The person you are talking to is the only person who can help you even if it is only to pass you on to their superior. They listen to complaints all the time. There was someone crabbing at them before you and will be someone next in line. Don't make it personal and take your frustration out on them.

I think this is they key to it all and it is amazing how many people ignore it. Dealing with complaints is a crappy job and making it worse will not make that person want to help you more. I generally open with "I'm hoping you can help me with a problem."

I have a few rules I try to abide by when complaining:

I try to do it as soon as possible - for example, in a hotel I am not going to fume for the entire stay but instead try to get it resolved so I can enjoy the rest of the trip

I try to be reasonable in my expectations, and my expectations for resolution.

I try to work with the person helping - in some situations, a refund of money is a lot harder than, for example, upgrading a room, comping the parking, getting a bottle of champagne delivered so I am willing to see what e.g. the front desk agent has the power to do if it would be satisfactory to me. I thank the people who helped once the issue is resolved to my satisfaction. In some instances I have sought out their manager, to complement them on their staff member.

I try to remember that the person I am speaking to is rarely the one who caused the issue (I have seen too many people lay into front desk staff, waiters, FAs etc.) If they lack the power, seniority, or simply language abilities to help, I will ask for management but I find it more effective giving the first point of contact the respect that they are authorized to help.

I try to keep my tone moderate and my body language neutral.

I try to be factual about the complaint and avoid rhetoric.

When all else fails, I have no problem cracking out a more hard line version of myself but honestly I find I have to do that very infrequently.

I never get why people feel the need to vent out and throw tantrum over your service person. I always try to be as polite and as understanding as possible.

Just a few weeks ago I got stuck at ORD due to weather, and I went over to service desk to ask for amenities. The service person told me I'm not eligible because it's weather related. Having been through this situation just a few weeks ago, I'm well aware that my frequent flyer status would more than qualify me for the amenity and that he doesn't know .....

Now, I could either choose to be a [edited] because that guy obviously is an idiot, but it doesn't help anyone but to irritate both parties and waste my time. So instead I politely told him, "I'm pretty sure that's not how it works". He then walked to his sup and got confirmed what I already know. He profusely apologized and we went on our business.

I wish him a good night and comment that I hope he gets to go home soon because his shift was already over but there were still 30+ people in the line.

So I was completely in the right and he was trying to rob me off my benefits (due to being ignorant about my rights), but come on, it was a long line and he probably has hours to go before he could return home. In the end I got what I was asking for and we both felt a little better about our experiences. Decency goes a long way. It doesn't matter who's in the right or the wrong.

Was there an emergency at this hotel? What caused the elevators to be taken out of commission and under manual control for 15 minutes?

I'd be more concerned that there was no way to simply walk downstairs and out of the hotel. Or, if you are mobility-impaired, that the hotel couldn't do an assisted evacuation faster than 15 minutes - if there was really an emergency.

On the Hilton side, they may see a guest who's been offered BMG's (those can be valuable), then 20,000 points, all for a 15-minute inconvenience. It seems like they've made a pretty good offer already and at some point may just think you're complaining to complain.

Value - The property (carrier/car rental outfit) knows more about you than you know about you. Don't bother telling them about how much you spend or your status. They know whether you control your organization's spend or simply stay where you are booked. So, stick to the facts they don't know.

Loaded terms - "Lie", "Rude" and the like require qualification. If you use them, explain exactly what you mean. When you ask for a freebie 3-bedroom suite upgrade suite and the front desk says no, that is not rude.

Culture - It may be OK to be rude in the US, but in some countries it is not. Once the tone of your note takes a rude tone, you are done. It does not matter who you are.

Threats - If you are going to sue if the property does not send you $1 Million, then say so. Otherwise, don't say so. When you threaten to jump ship, why waste more time?

Realism - Comping 10 days of a $900/night room because a light bulb was not replaced is a bit over the top.

:confused: "polite and understanding" to the individual in question, yet insulting and demeaning about the same individual in your FT post

I suggest he was neither "ignorant" nor deliberately "trying to rob you" ... I suggest a better description might be "uninformed" and therefore following what he thought was policy

again, true when spoken in the moment but more credible when written in the recap after the fact

My apology if I came out insulting or demeaning. I was just trying to make a point here. I was just repeating what I have witness most other would have said if they were put in my situation. I do not, in any way, think that way.

100% spot on.

Trumpeting your status just makes you sound like a DYKWIA. If they're interested (and they're probably not), they can check in two seconds.

Apparently they had a plumbing problem a few days before. They also insist that because of this fact, they can't meet their 100% satisfaction guarantee since I was "made aware" of this before checking in and offered a refund on my non-refundable rate (I was not). It turned into a "I say, they said" situation - I"m pretty sure if they told me I could cancel a nonrefundable rate I would have asked about the small print.

The hotel does have stairs, but I was on the 12th floor. I'm not mobility impaired, but it sounded like a disaster waiting to happen if there was someone mobility impaired in the hotel. Also, the hotel fiasco happened at least several times, and I also booked that particular hotel so that I could be close to where I was for business in NYC, since being late was not an option. The non-functional elevators that were not disclosed to me at check-in really threw me for a loop because of that, since I was essentially stuck. So it was less of an inconvenience and more of a "I was late to my business meeting and it looked very bad and you were responsible and gave me no other options" kind of thing.

In the end, I called the Diamond line, and they offered me 50,000 points (the actual price of one night at that hotel). I was good with that, then they ended up sending me a $150 gift certificate on top of that, probably because they sent me in an endless loop of "we'll refer you to the hotel" and the hotel kept insisting I was lying.

I'm glad you finally got a satisfactory result. Effective complaining can be a valuable skill!

I get the sense that they threw a lot of money/points at me to get me to shut up. Left me with a bit of a negative feeling, but on the bright side, I now have a two-night stay at the Waldorf Astoria on Valentine's Day that's costing me a total of $71 for the entire stay so...I'm pretty satisfied (if still ticked off about the hotel lying to my face about informing me of the issue at check-in).

Perfectly said about the 4 P's.

They have rewarded me well over the years.

Being polite and friendly will get you remembered if they are researching the issue.

You must be patient as it might take time to get a satisfactory resolution.

You must be persistent. Most people give up and that is what they are counting on. Even if they say "this our final decision," give it one more shot. This is when the need to escalate to the top comes into play.

Always keep the paperwork to back up your claim.

Lots of good advice in this thread, and some not so good.

Another approach would be to use the "case study" approach, as in many med schools/biz schools/law schools. There you study actual cases and learn by example what works and what doesn't.

Pick any FT forum that seems relevant, and start looking at the complaints posted (there will be hundreds too choose from). Which ones seem effective to you? Why? Which ones seem to be a waste of time? Why? By looking at several, some patterns, both good and bad, should emerge.

If you stop reading after the first three sentences, it's not an effective complaint.

The genuine article.