The Delicate Art of Complaining.

The Delicate Art of Complaining

How to complain is a great social skill (as is its mirror-image, how to express appreciation). Get it right through what you might call "constructive complaining" and you can expect service beyond the call of duty, at least the next time.

The best thing that can happen to you with an airline or a hotel is to have some kind of problem: It gives you the excuse to build a relationship with the folks on the front line. This could be the fast track to surprise upgrades and a better class of junk mail. If you have a complaint, complaints experts in the travel trade want to hear from you. Whether they`ll listen is another matter. The axiom is that of all people who have a reason to complain only one third do. And they each will tell 10 more people whose complaints are answered will be more loyal than those who have never had a problem.

People respond to "problems" depending on their mood ( or mode) or how crucial the consequences. Flying back from a successful meeting, I`m going to be fairly relaxed at the prospect of a two-hour delay at Frankfurt, the same glitch on the way out might send me ballistic. Many problems should never become " complaints," and vice versa. Most can be solved on the spot with a modicum of grace and complicity. " Could you ask the pilot to turn up the air-conditioning?" Or "Do you have a quieter room?" Sending back a steak or a corked bottle of wine is an art form that can deliver dividends.

But for serious complaints -- flight cancellations, lost luggage, overcharging or hours spent stranded on runway without food or drink- - it is often tough and time-consuming to get redress.

Help is at hand at www.passengerright.com, where travelers can file complaints directly to such official organizations as the Department of transportation in United States, airlines, hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines, tour operators, even individuals. PassengerRight.com files complaints direct to selected parties and e-mail the traveler with a receipt once their message has been forwarded. The site enables you to research your rights and gives advice on how to articulate a complaint. The site claims to have processed more than one million complaints since it was born in April 1999. The transportation Department admits that the site was responsible for a third of the complaints filed in September last year.

Arduous Process

Pamela Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Web site in Maitland, Florida, says: "DOT statistics showed a dramatic increase in airline complaints in the last 11 years, which tells us that people either chose not to complain, but never go around to it because it`s a very arduous process. But every person who doesn`t is in some way saying that it`s O.K. to treat me this way."

Roger Lakin, assistant editor of Holiday Which? Magazine, published by the Consumer`s Association in London says: "I think complaints are growing. Consumers are getting more knowledgeable about what to do, and more successful. But in the same breath, so are companies getting better in dealing with them, brushing them off. Hence the need for persistence. the first line of defense of most organizations is to send out a letter, Sorry about that, here`s a 50$ voucher for another trip with us, hoping that people will go away. At which pointyou have to get back in there. If you don`t get satisfaction, You have to think about more formal ways of seeking redress."

Here`s a checklist for making a crisp complaint:

Be prepared. Preempt problems by asking what market-research people call "forced choice" questions when you call reservations. Don't say: " Hi, I'm John Doe, just to confirm that I`m on the flight from New York to Paris. " Do say: "I'm johnDoe, which flight am I booked on out of New York?" Ask for names and note the time of your call. Read the small print of rules and conditions, especially on discounted airline tickets.

Know you rights on maters like denied boarding compensation, flight cancellation, lost luggage. There are a battery of consumer protection laws to protect travelers against unfair contract terms and misleading descriptions. Check your insurance policy.

Try to sort out problems on the spot in a low-key manner with the minimum of hassle. Be polite but firm. Don't overreact to trifles. Match your demeanor with the size of the problem. Note the names of employees who were rude or especially helpful.

Reserve your rights. Refuse to sign any disclaimer attached to payment of on-the-spot compensation.

Keep a diary of events, nothing all phone calls and meeting and any response made-along with any offers of on-the-spot recompense such as drinks, meals or overnight accommodation. take photographs, and video cameras are useful for recording noise and remarks (including one`s own!).

Swap names and addresses with witnesses or other disgruntled travelers so that you can corroborate each other`s claims.

Complain as soon as possible. If you don't, you have deprived the travel supplier of a chance to put things right - in legal talk, you have "failed to mitigate your loss." This may affect the amount of compensation you win, whether by negotiation or from court action.

Don`t complain to "Customer Care" or "The President." Seek out the name of a senior person.

Be calm and stick to facts. Do not exaggerate what happened or clutter your complaint with petty gripes that obscure what you`re really angry about. Inform the company about any special inconvenience, monetary loss, loss of business because of a dislocated schedule or loss of enjoyment because of spoiled vacation. Say what you expect the company to do to make amends. What would be a fair out come in your mind? Make a deadline for response.

Logic usually gets better response that anger. It never hurts to sleep on a complain before you fire it off.

Be reasonable: If your demands are way out of line your complaint could earn a polite apology and a place in the cranks file.

Persistence pays. travel companies will offer the minimum recompense they think you might accept. Don`t be pressured into accepting vouchers or a discount on a future trip - better to hold out for cash.