I've always admired people with artistic gifts. Whether they can sing, dance, draw, or just create something beautiful, it's a blessing I don't have. That doesn't stop me from singing in the shower or dancing at a wedding (with enough liquid courage). However, I think I've mastered one art: complaining. I'm not talking about going full "Karen" here. Being able to constructively, politely, and effectively complain may seem way off topic for a personal finance and career advice blog. But take a step back and think about it. If you pay for a product or service in your personal life and you don't believe you received what you've paid for, you can and should take action to resolve it. In the workplace, you may need to take concerns about a situation to a leader, co-worker, or even human resources. I believe there is a right way - and a whole bunch of wrong ways - to go about this. Let me break down the strategy behind petitioning to get your way.
This is what my image database gave me for "complaint". She looks a little upset, I guess...
Just The Facts?
Humans have brains that are capable of objective thought, but we can also operate in a highly subjective state. We can reason through situations by breaking down the facts, but then put them against an emotional canvas that will sway us away from the most logical conclusion. Imagine you are driving to work and get cut off by another car on the highway. It bothers us, as it's dangerous and can cause us a minor delay. If you are having an otherwise good morning, this may just be a bump in the road (pun heavily intended) and you move on. But if you've overslept, rushed to get kids to school, and spilled coffee on your white shirt in the madness, then this happens? You're probably going to react a little more emotionally. Our experiences are always processed through our own lens. When we need to convey our disappointment with an experience, we need to do our best to stick to the facts. Is it okay to pepper in some personal emotion? Of course! Calmly and rationally, explain some context and the other person could respond with empathy that may help get you the desired resolution. Focus on the specifics and you'll have better results.
My mom was a waitress, so treat all servers like Mom by sending flowers on Mother's Day.
Don't Escalate Unless Necessary
Whether you're a customer or in a workplace situation, and you have a complaint, you need to start with the person who may be able to resolve the issue first. If you're at a restaurant and your order is wrong, address it with the waiter or waitress first. Your server will no doubt do what they can to resolve the issue. Now, let's say your server is rude, food order was wrong, the restaurant is dirty, and they are playing Justin Bieber deep cuts on a continuous loop. Those are manager-level issues. The right thing to do is politely ask your server to speak to the manager, then explain your concerns in a calm and quiet manner. Raising your voice and causing a scene gets you nowhere, except maybe TMZ. In a workplace situation, what if you have a co-worker who did or said something that upset you? If it's someone who you feel comfortable addressing, I suggest being direct with that person, one on one. If the person doesn't take you seriously and/or continues their behavior, then a conversation with a leader or HR may be warranted. In some circumstances where the implications are severe (say, accounting fraud), you may want to escalate right away. Before doing so, though, make sure you have your facts straight. You will risk damaging your standing with the company (and even career) making unfounded accusations. Also, if others have witnessed these transgressions, ask them to speak up as well. Strength in numbers!
If you start off this upset - and shirtless - things are not going to go your way.
Example #1: Coming in HOT
Sometimes we learn more from our mistakes, and I certainly can tell you about a time I did it all wrong. As those of you have read my blog before, one of my proudest financial accomplishments is buying a home at age 23 all on my own. Yes, it was a "fixer-upper" in a very low-cost market, but it was all mine. To put it in context, I closed on this home well before mortgage paperwork was done electronically. I had provided the bank who managed the mortgage (with whom I had my checking/savings) my automatic withdrawal information at the closing and just assumed I was all set. I was not as diligent in my early 20's and failed to confirm the first mortgage payment came out weeks after I closed. Two months go by, and I get a call from the bank about needing to pay my mortgage. I was incredibly frustrated and upset, and decided I should go to bank and talk about it in person with the loan officer. I came into the bank branch hot, and just lit into the loan officer. After unloading on this poor guy, he checked my account to see what happened. Turns out they had mailed me some documentation to finalize automatic payments - but to my old apartment, not my home. Within a minute, the loan officer was able to update my address going forward. However, when I demanded he remove charges for late payment and ensure my credit score isn't damaged as a result, he gave me an 800 number to call. Now, could he (and should he) have made the effort to do so himself? Perhaps, but in hindsight, my approach was all wrong. Had I walked in with a calm demeanor, explained the situation, and sought understanding rather than get wrapped up in my emotions, he may have been willing to champion this issue for me. Instead, I was left to fight this battle myself. After several calls and weeks of follow-up, I was eventually able to get it all resolved. Lesson learned: if you let your emotions get the best of you, the content of your complaint gets overshadowed.
Example #2: Own Your Mistakes, Hope for Mercy
From my experience doing it wrong, I've learned how to be more effective and professional in these situations. Here's a recent example. We have our credit cards set to pay the monthly balance automatically from our checking account. I was in the midst of moving some money around from our lower-interest-bearing checking to our higher-interest-bearing savings, and didn't leave enough to cover our credit card payment. As a result, we got a $25 non-sufficient funds (NSF) fee as well as a $50 penalty from the credit card company for not making the minimum payment! This was 100% my fault, and I was very frustrated with myself for chasing a couple of dollars in interest only to have to pay $75 for my oversight. I immediately transferred enough money back to checking and paid the credit card balance. Then, I sent messages online to both the bank's and credit card's customer service departments. I was concise, and simply explained I made a mistake and have taken steps to resolve the issue and hoped the institutions would waive the fees. Guess what? Both removed the fees. It never hurts to ask, and doing so politely and factually will pay off!
From leading man to clip art as a customer service rep? Bradley Cooper has fallen off.
Example #3: When The Tables Turn
Many of us have worked some form of customer service in our lifetimes - restaurants, retail, call center, sales, etc. In one of my previous roles, I manged a team responsible for customer service. One day, I had a "VIP" customer that needed my department to handle an "urgent" request. Instead of being honest and just telling me it was urgent, he lied about the actions he took (which I confirmed by timestamps in our software). Then, he blamed someone in my department for dropping the ball, and she had retired a month before his project started! I helped him... but can I be honest with you? I didn't exactly push my team to get it done by his "deadline", and we followed our standard delivery timeline. I think it's human nature that we will do our best to help someone who has been wronged, but a person who lies about the circumstance? We're not putting our all into satisfying them.
Here's to hoping you found this interesting and worth your time. Oh, you're not satisfied with this week's blog? I'm SO sorry! I will issue you a refund immediately! Just send a message to my Chief Complaint Officer, and she will address within 24 hours.
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