Survey: Most Consumers Don't Feel Complaints are Handled Effectively

Do you feel you address your customers’ complaints cerns effectively? If your customers have told you they appreciated how their concerns were handled, be thankful – you’re in the minority.

According to a sampling of 1,094 Americans by the Customer Care Alliance (CCA), 45 percent reported a serious consumer problem or complaint in the past year. Of those, 60 to 70 percent said they were extremely upset with how their complaints were handled by customer service representatives. A quarter of respondents said they yelled or raised their voices, while 6 percent cursed or used profanity.

Additionally, 16 percent of respondents said they planned to take action against the companies they feel wronged them. How? There’s no shortage of solutions these days. Taking complaints to upper management is one line of consumer oppositions, as well as picketing or boycotting a store, seeking legal remedies or posting complaints online. The Web site www.complaints.com has posted 20,000 such reports since its launch three years ago. Consumers also can air their beefs on sites like www.thesqueakywheel.com, www.planetfeedback.com or www.driveyounuts.com.

Still, it may be easier than you think to regain consumer confidence. Apart from getting their product or service fixed, most respondents told CCA they would have settled for an explanation, an apology, or a chance to vent their frustrations as well as assurance that the problem won’t occur again.

Data provided by Weisburger Insurance Brokerage.