HOW TO SOLVE CUSTOMER SERVICE ISSUES

All of us at some point have to deal with someone who is providing us a service of some sort, after all, with the good union jobs leaving the country, all that we're left with are the service industry jobs.  So why is it that some folks haven't learned that it's almost never a good idea to yell, scream and generally dump on the poor sole who is trying his/her best to provide your service? When will people learn that their mother was right when she tried to teach that you catch more flies with honey than crap?  Now, I know that sometimes people screw things up, and that when you get that bill and it's wrong, or your cell phone hasn't worked for 2 days, or there's something on your credit card that shouldn't be there, it's annoying, however do you really think your problem is going to get solved by acting like an ass, and threatening everyone that you come into contact with?  The answer is simply that your problem might get solved, but if you act like an ass, it will take twice as long to get things fixed.

The next time that you have a problem with your service, try the following:
RULE #1 BE SURE THAT YOU'RE RIGHT!  
RULE #2 MAKE SURE THAT WHAT YOU'RE ASKING AS A REMEDY IS REASONABLE!!
RULE #3 IF YOU'RE ALREADY ANGRY, WAIT UNTIL YOU CALM DOWN BEFORE     TRYING TO GET THE PROBLEM FIXED! DON'T CALL RIGHT AWAY AND START YELLING AND SWEARING AT PEOPLE!

Once you've followed rules above, just try being polite to the person to whom you're talking, and try to remember that  this person probably has limited authority to fix your problem.  Also note that in most cases you're going to have to talk to two or three more people and yes, it may get frustrating before the problem actually gets solved you have to follow the process.  My rule is that once I've talked to the third person and my problem hasn't been solved, I just look up the phone number for the corporate offices.   Companies hate it when someone calls corporate, which is why I do it.  Yep that's right I know that they hate it and I do it anyway, and I highly recommend it once you've gone through the process above.  Now you have to be extra special nice to the folks at corporate, because they are ultimately the folks who are going to fix your problem.

When you call corporate, always ask for the President's Office.  I know, you won't get the president of the company, but I've done this enough to know that if you ask for the President, your problem will be sent to an assistant who can ensure that your problem is worked on right away, and that everything possible is done to resolve the issue in your favor.  Having said that, don't forget RULE #2.  If your remedy is beyond reason, they label you a Crack Pot and you get nothing.  You will go away mad, but their logic is you will go away; and as much as most companies want to keep your business, if you're unreasonable and rude, they are left with little choice but to cut you loose. 

Now I'm Just Sayin, you can use your own methods to try and get your customer service issues resolved, but I assure you that if they don't closely resemble the steps in this article, you'll just keep getting angrier and angrier until your head explodes.