Book Review

"How to Complain for Fun and Profit"
by Bruce Silverman

First, let me say that this is an e-book. If you search for it on the web, you'll find the site that sells it and you can download it as a .pdf file. Since the book isn't terribly long, and since I learned that you can hold down Ctrl and roll the mouse wheel to change text size on your computer screen, reading it on the computer was easy. I still prefer a physical book so I can read while laying on my bed, but this was a workable substitute.

So what's it about? Hopefully you can tell from the name that this is a non-fiction book. It is basically one man's experience writing complaint letters to different companies when he had problems with their goods and/or services. He explains what he learned, what type of letter worked, and what type of letter got no response at all. He also lists the 'perks' he got as compensation for his troubles, and they are impressive: free flights to Europe - first class, free week-long stays at nice hotels, free meals, etc.

Silverman uses what he calls "praise with faint damn" to get these companies to go out of their way to help him. And he targets his complaint to someone with real power, not to a random customer service center employee. These two factors combined have a powerful effect: attention and restitution.

What made this book interesting to me was my own recent experiences in the same area. For the past several years I have had trouble with multiple companies. Maybe I have bad luck. Maybe it is a sign of the decline of customer-centricity in America. Or maybe I'm just too darn picky. In any case, it all started with American Airlines and their fiasco with our trip in Hades (which I blogged about - search my archives if you want to know more). When I had trouble getting them to fix their mistakes, I ended up contacting Clark Howard, a radio host and consumer advocate, for help. His crew eventually got me more money back, but American Airlines never really apologized or took responsibility.

Ever since then, when something stupid happens or when customer service is really bad, I write a letter.

Note that I didn't say "email." While emails are good for general complaints, I agree with the author of this book that they aren't effective for real problems. But if you take the time to sit down, type out a letter, find the right person to send it to, address an envelope, etc., the business knows that you are A) intelligent B) serious and C) not playing around.

I've recently dealt with several companies via letter, including a letter I sent last week to Arnold Scwarzenegger complaining about recent "violations" I received in the mail from the California department of transportation.

Have they worked? You be the judge...

Sony shipped me a brand new Playstation 3 less than a week after I complained about my broken one. Most people only get a refurbished unit and it takes 3-4 weeks.

Comcast lowered my bill as requested, then invited me to a special dinner with their VP of customer satisfaction. They listened to my complaints and gave me a $100 Visa check card for my input. (Then this week they didn't show up to install my cable on Monday like they were supposed to - I had to wait until Thursday and take an extra day and a half off work, so they're getting a new letter today).

And last week I sent a letter to the CEO of Del Taco to complain about a couple of recent bad experiences. Yesterday her assistant called me and said she is mailing me some gift certificates. Then today the regional manager called and invited me and my family to the grand opening of their new restaurant for free dinner in two weeks.

So although the book wasn't revolutionary for me (I've figured out a lot of the same stuff), it was a good read and worth the time. And if you don't know how to write a complaint letter, I really suggest you read it. Fun and profit are just a few stamps away...