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Tackling poor customer service is a challenge. Whether you are stuck on hold, trying to communicate with a chatbot or sending emails into an abyss with no hope of a reply — getting a company to take your complaint seriously is often far too difficult.
It never ceases to amaze me how companies can let problems fester, leaving their customers to feel ignored and unimportant. This is often where I step in: so far this year I have won back more than £2 million for Times and Sunday Times readers, including long-overdue refunds, insurance payouts, and rescued savings. I have helped to reverse unfair debt, recoup losses and secure hard-fought compensation.
Many of the complaints I see are complicated, and persuading companies to play fair can take some persistence. One notable example involved the rental management company Smarthost, which had been hired to rent out a family’s home on Airbnb while they were in Australia. The family were horrified to come home to a damaged house with their keys and belongings stolen. Smarthost then left the guest a positive review on Airbnb.
While I eventually managed to get the couple a £15,942 payout from Airbnb’s insurance policy, Smarthost insisted that it had acted within its terms and conditions and wanted a 20 per cent cut of the payment. Only when I challenged the company to justify this unreasonable demand did it finally back down.
Some of the trickier complaints involve several organisations, made worse if they are also intent on blaming each other for the problems. The Department for Work and Pensions and Barnet council, for example, were at loggerheads after mistakes that caused an elderly man to miss out on nearly £9,000 of disability benefits over 18 months. After my intervention, this vulnerable man was finally paid, but he had been seriously let down by these public bodies and I am certain that he would still be out of pocket without my help.
Sadly we can’t help everyone who writes in. But even if you do not have the clout of a national newspaper to help resolve your complaint, if you follow these tips, you have a far better chance of being heard.
Keep records
By the time readers ask for my help, they have usually been in battle with a company or department for months, years even. While I hope that doesn’t happen to you, it’s always a good idea to keep a record of what’s happened to ensure that you don’t forget any of the gritty detail.
Every time you interact with a company, make a note of the date, time, who you spoke to and what was discussed. Having a timeline can show how much time and effort you have put into trying to fix a problem.
Evidence can make all the difference; I recently persuaded a company to resolve a complaint for a reader after producing a transcript of an online conversation, which showed that he had been given the wrong information by one of its agents. Hold onto any written correspondence and take screenshots of online conversations. If you have spoken to a company over the phone, ask it to confirm anything in writing after the call. And keep any documents, photos and receipts.
Be polite
There are times when you are probably tearing your hair out from sheer frustration and you might be tempted to raise your voice and use every swear word under the sun, but being rude rarely gets you anywhere. It’s important to be polite but firm, which I appreciate is easier said than done when a company is driving you round the bend.
Remember that the person on the other end of the line is going to be far less inclined to help if you’re being antagonistic.
• My son died. His widow is still waiting for his £2,000 bond
Make it official
If you’re not happy with the way that a company has treated you, be clear that you want to make a formal complaint. It’s usually best to do this in writing and it’s also worth checking to see if the company has contact details for a complaints department. Try to keep your complaint concise without ranting or repeating yourself.
Escalate it
If you still feel that a company isn’t listening, there are ways of taking your complaint further. Sometimes an email to the chief executive can do the trick (for big companies, you can usually find an email address online). The chief executive may not reply directly, but you should get a response from someone at head office.
Companies should respond to a formal complaint within eight weeks, but if you’re still not happy or you haven’t had a response after that time, you might be able to take your complaint to an ombudsman. Once you have had a final response from a company, you have six months to contact an ombudsman, so don’t leave it too long.
If the company isn’t covered by an ombudsman scheme you could speak to an alternative dispute resolution service, which would mediate between you and the firm. Some of these services are free, others may charge.
Usually the last port of call is to take the company to the small claims court, which is generally for claims worth up to £10,000. You would have to pay a fee to go down this route, but if you win, the firm could be ordered to reimburse your legal costs.
• Royal Mail lost my £4,000 watch but it won’t refund me
Tell them how you feel
It’s rarely just about the money. Consumer issues can take a huge mental and emotional toll. There have been times this year when I’ve fought back tears as readers have shared details of how painful an experience has been for them, especially if someone they loved has recently died and they are trying to sort out their affairs.
That detail is so important when speaking to companies: being clear about the personal impact of an issue can affect how quickly it is resolved, and also should also ensure it is taken into account when the company offers compensation.
Make clear demands
Rather than expecting a company to read between the lines, it’s always a good idea to spell out exactly what you want it to do to fix your problem. You can even be upfront about how much compensation you expect, which can save a lot of back and forth.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
People can be quick to accept the first offer of compensation, even if they think the amount is too low. Perhaps it’s partly down to our anti-haggling British mentality or because many don’t realise that this is something they can negotiate.
In some cases readers just want to draw a line under their experience, which is understandable, but I do think companies should pay an amount that reflects the stress and inconvenience they suffered. A big part of my job is negotiating compensation and most of the time I am successful, but the trick is to always spell out why I don’t believe the amount being offered is good enough.
Know your rights
Thankfully there are laws and regulations that protect consumers, and being able to quote the relevant rules can make a company sit up and pay attention.
Becoming well acquainted with the 2015 Consumer Rights Act is handy when a company has done a shoddy job or lumbered you with a defective product. If more than one company is involved, make sure you understand which one is legally responsible for fixing your problem. I regularly speak to readers whose first instinct was to complain to the delivery company after something they ordered didn’t turn up, when their contract was actually with the retailer.
The Consumer Credit Act 1974 is also worth knowing about. That’s because your credit card company is jointly liable if something goes wrong with your purchase (as long as the item cost more than £100 and less than £30,000). It can give you another route to go down if a retailer isn’t being reasonable.
• We need Mum’s £100k for care but the bank has locked us out
Seek our help
While these tactics should help you to advocate for yourself, if a company still isn’t playing fair, you can speak to the Money team at The Times and Sunday Times and we might be able to step in on your behalf.
If you have a money problem you would like us to investigate, email yourmoneymatters@thetimes.co.uk. Please include a phone number.
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