Experience has taught me that if you want speedy customer service these days, nothing works better than stirring up a good stink on the company’s Twitter or Facebook page.

Unfortunately, my fantasies of seeing “Spirit Air Is The Worst” shoot to the top spot as a trending topic were killed when I realized the company had neither an official Twitter or Facebook page to speak of.

Given the airline’s track record of abysmal customer service, it’s not hard to imagine why.

Companies basically open themselves up to a world of hurt when they offer customer service on public forums like social media sites.

These sites have rapidly become the new “town halls” for consumers to bash brands for falling short, much like National Bank Transfer Day gained steam on Facebook after banks announced plans to charge consumers $5 debit card fees.

But a new survey released this month by Conversocial revealed social media isn’t always the surest way to have your voice heard. In fact, some companies are straight up ignoring your tweets and wall posts.

Of ten retail brands surveyed, the worst offenders were Costco, Kmart and Kroger, which were found to ignore 100 percent of all consumer complaints on their Facebook page.

Sears and Safeway scored high marks, answering 57 percent and 40 percent of complaints in less than 30 minutes, respectively.

But overall, the study found the majority of complaints voiced on Twitter and Facebook were largely ignored

Here are some ways to give yourself the best shot at having your voice heard:

Be persistent. I set up a reminder for myself a week after I emailed Spirit with my first complaint so I would remember to email them again. After my second message, I received a response from a representative and had a full refund within a month.

Power in numbers. There were a couple dozen other passengers on my flight just as annoyed as I was when we were stuck overnight without any forewarning. As a group, we decided we would send in complaints and that may have helped us in the long run. It’s far more difficult to ignore a slew of identical messages than a single complaint.

Don’t underestimate the hashtag. Even if the company doesn’t have a Twitter account, that doesn’t mean you can’t cause a ruckus anyway. Tag your tweet with a hashtag and the company’s name (ex: #SpiritAIr, #Costco) and anyone who searches for their name on the site will eventually see your tweet. I tweeted a gripe about Spirit and saw my message retweeted by users who had similar experiences, which gave my message more impact.

Skip the phone. Customer service lines are a labyrinth seemingly designed to make you want to hang up. Going to a store in person to speak with a manager makes you harder to ignore. If that’s not an option, check out Gethuman.com, a great source for tracking down phone numbers for real people in companies.

Track your moves. It’s important to keep a record, so you can back yourself if a company tries to tell you they never received your complaint. Email leaves a trail, but if you call, record the date and time of the call and ask for the full name of whoever you speak with.

Take it to the top. A friend called Subway’s corporate office when he had a terrible experience at one of their shops and received a response in record time. The CEO does not want to be bothered by consumer complaints and it’s likely he or she will put pressure on lower level departments to get back to you if you pester their office too much.

Be nice. I’ll be the first to admit I can be hot headed when it comes to poor customer service. But before I call a company to complain, I give myself at least half an hour to gather my thoughts and calm myself down. You’re far more likely to have a positive result if you are kind and polite.

First Things First

•Give the merchant the first chance to solve the problem. Contact the salesperson, retailer or business when you have a complaint about any goods or services you bought. When there is a complaints department, use it. When there isn’t, talk to someone in authority, such as a manager. A face-to-face discussion is best. Be firm and businesslike, but polite. Calmly and accurately describe the problem and what you want the company to do to resolve it.

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If the problem is not resolved that way, ask for the telephone number of the company headquarters and contact the customer service department. Request specifics about how and when something will be done, and get the company representative’s name in case you have to refer to the conversation later. Write down any details of your complaint and keep them in a file. Make sure to date your notes.

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If your call doesn’t produce satisfactory results, write a letter to someone higher up, such as the general manager or owner (see sample letter). Provide all the details of the problem and explain your efforts to resolve it. Ask for action. In the case of products, send a copy of your letter to the manufacturer, and be sure to keep a copy of it yourself.

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If none of these steps work to your satisfaction, consult the key consumer contacts of this Handbook for government offices and consumer organizations that apply to your situation. If you don’t know where to start, call the federal-provincial-territorial government consumer affairs office where you live. Someone there will direct you to the right organization. Or, use the Complaint Courier to file your complaint online.

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Taking legal action should be your last choice. If you decide to sue, remember that there are often time limitations on filing lawsuits. You may wish to check with a lawyer about the legal process and any limitations that may apply to your case in your province or territory.

Strategies for Success

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Do not be afraid to complain. Good businesses will be pleased to correct any mistake on their part. They know that customer goodwill is the best form of advertising.

•Always keep a file of important information related to your purchase, include the sales receipts, repair orders, warranties, cancelled cheques, contracts and any letters you have written to or received from the company concerned.
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Do not procrastinate. When a product is defective or unsatisfactory, it is important that you return it quickly so that you do not lose the right to get your money back or to collect damages in some cases. Always check the return policy before you buy.

What to Do When You Have Complained Without Any Results?

If you feel you have given the company enough time and that your problem has not been resolved, send a copy of your complaint letter and copies of supporting documents (not originals) to, or file a consumer complaint with, your provincial or territorial consumer affairs office or Better Business Bureau. If you use the Complaint Courier it will give you the option to automatically forward your complaint to the appropriate government office.

Small Claims Court

Small claims court can be an informal and relatively inexpensive way to resolve disputes when the amount involved is less than $3,000 or, in some provinces, up to $25,000. However, you will have to pay a fee to file a claim. Once the suit is launched, you may have costs for such things as serving orders, payments to witnesses and travel expenses.

You do not need a lawyer to go to small claims court, although in most provinces and territories the help of a lawyer is allowed. The court staff is experienced in helping consumers prepare the necessary forms, and the judges have the power to settle disputes. This court allows each side to explain its story and does not expect consumers to know legal technicalities.

For information on how to proceed, contact the small claims or provincial or territorial court nearest you (look in the government listings in your phone book). The websites of these courts also often list the procedures to follow and have copies of the forms you will need to complete.

On July 21, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will begin accepting complaints about deceptive or abusive financial products and services.

This includes credit cards, check-cashing services, and “pay day loans.” The bureau is already receiving complaints but is directing them to other government agencies.

How the CFPB handles complaints will be closely scrutinized. Every step the bureau takes is likely to be controversial and will probably be disputed by banks and politicians since it will be public information.

The Dodd-Frank regulations require the CFPB to create a way for banking customers to report their problems with financial products and services, and send them to the appropriate state or federal agency.

It can accept complaints by phone, letter, email or on its website. The bureau must also make sure the financial firms respond to consumers.

Banks are protesting what happens to the information after it is filed. They want to keep the complaints as quiet as possible to protectthemselves from trivial or malicious complaints. Nonprofit groups want full disclosure so that anyone can read the complaints.

File a Complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Complaints are processed by the local BBB, usually the BBB where the company is located. Complaints are sent to the company within two business days and the company is asked to respond within 14 days. The consumer will be notified of the company’s response.

Contact Your State Attorney General’s Office

Each state has a state Attorney General’s Office. It is authorized to bring legal action only in the name of the state. It does not serve as an attorney for individual consumers. It does not give advice or conduct research on behalf of individuals or businesses. Always contact the Attorney General’s Office in writing so your file may be kept up to date.

It is generally better to try to resolve the dispute with the company or individual before filing a complaint with your state’s Attorney General’s Office. This Office can’t force a company to respond or make an adjustment. However, there are times when filing a complaint can bring resolution. Patterns of complaints involving the same company or a new issue often help the Attorney General’s Office to allocate law enforcement resources. The AG Office will also help refer to the government agencies that can best address the problem.

File a Complaint with Federal Government Regulators

You can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission’s Division of Credit Practices ( https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/ ).

However, the FTC does not resolve individual complaints. Complaints made to the FTC help the agency detect patterns of wrong-doing, and lead to investigations and prosecutions. The FTC enters complaints into a secure online database that is used by thousands of civil and criminal law enforcement authorities worldwide.

You can file a credit card complaint with the Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ( http://www.helpwithmybank.gov/complaints/ ), a government agency responsible for regulating credit cards issued by national banks in the United States. The agency encourages consumers to first attempt to resolve the complaint with your financial institution.

The bank must also be a National Bank in order for consumers to receive help from the OCC.

You can also file a complaint with the Federal Reserve if your bank has been unfair or misleading, discriminated against you in lending, or violated a federal consumer protection law or regulation (http://www.federalreserveconsumerhelp.gov/).

LowCards.com simplifies the confusion ofshopping for credit cards. It is a free, independent website that helps consumers easily compare credit cards in a variety of categories such as lowest rates, rewards, rebates, balance transfers and lowest introductory rates. It also gives an unbiased ranking and review for each card. The LowCards.com Complete Credit Card Index is the most objective and comprehensive resource on the Internet which allows consumers to compare rates for over 1000 credit cards offered in this country. Created by Hampton & Associates, the company has been analyzing the credit card industry and supplying objective websites on various consumer expenses for eleven years.

If you are away from your family, you must ensure that they are in a high-quality house so that you will not constantly focus your awareness on just thinking of them if they are safe or in danger. If you don’t have a house that you can live in just surf the internet and you will find many techniques and ways on how to buy a house at low quality price. This opportunity is very interesting and this is what we called reselling. What is reselling? Who are the citizens involve in this commotion? What are some practices to make these things easier?

Sometimes, real estate transactions simply go bad. This can be due to a myriad of possible reasons: inspections, appraisals, lending … or, from either party to the transaction: the buyer, the seller or the real estate agents. While remediations for incidents vary per individual state legislation-and range from litigation to mediation, and everything in between-whenever there’s a perception that a realtor has acted unjustly, the first action to be taken by a consumer who feels that they have been treated unfairly should always be in the form of a formal real estate agent complaint.

While methods for filing a real estate agent complaint do vary from state to state, generally speaking, the best way in which to submit a complaint about a realtor’s conduct is through their licensing board. Each state has its own licensing authority, and they should each have a web site online, through which you can access their forms and procedures for filing a complaint.

In most cases, you should expect to fill out a standardized form with information such as the names of the parties, the property address to which the complaint is being addressed and specific complaint details. You might also need to be prepared to write a letter explaining the situation. Complaints should be mailed to the appropriate real estate licensing authorities; they will then forward it on to any additional parties to the complaint, if need be. Again, details on this may be found at each individual state’s real estate licensing board web site.

Once the state licensing board has received your complaint, they will typically open a file on both sides of the transaction. The entire transaction will be reviewed, in detail, from both angles to determine if and where there had been any misconduct. (This often goes well beyond the initial complaint, and if they exist, this process will discover problems on either side of the transaction, regardless of which side of the party has issued the complaint.) In some instances, if there is evidence of wrongdoing on the part of a realtor, they will face any one of several punishments, ranging from fines to losing their license-and beyond, depending on the severity of the crime. In other instances, the case may be referred to mediation or litigation in order to be handled by a neutral third party. Again, the procedures will vary by state, but this is a good general idea of what to expect when sending in a realtor complaint.

The number one complaint by music fans (who tend to agree on little) is the additional cost which are disclosed late in the ordering process when you have more invested in closing the deal.

Ticketmaster’s fees are divided between Ticketmaster, venues, promoters, artists, managers, tour managers, etc. on a sliding scale depending on how the deal is structured. They aren’t trivial: As the illustration to the right shows, this fee can add 45 percent to the cost of the transaction.

This new system is not totally transparent because Ticketmaster doesn’t explain the exact breakdown of the fees between the various stakeholders in each transaction. (As Azoff tweeted, “The fees don’t go to TM. Only a portion do.”) If transparency is the point, why not tell fans where these fees are going?

That’s not all. When you select a certain number of tickets from the dropdown menu, Ticketmaster does not update its prices to include the total price and fees for all the tickets, but instead, keeps listing the single ticket price. To that charge, Azoff tweeted in response last night that Ticketmaster “can’t boil all fees down to a per ticket fee until we know how many tix are bought and shipping method chosen, so it has to happen later.”

Ticketmaster as much as acknowledges that it’s ridiculous to list the fees separately, saying in its blog post, “You will begin to see many of our clients move to truly all-in pricing, because they know it sells more tickets and makes you happier.”

We understand that the bit about the shipping method, but why not reveal the fees as pertain to single versus group purchases earlier in the process? Ticketmaster charges a flat per-ticket fee now, so it has nothing to hide on this front other than the way those fees add up.

Well according to a Consumer Reports survey that asked 2,000 Americans to rank their complaints about rental cars companies, airlines and hotels and found that luggage fees caused the most resentment.

Granted this is an American survey and we in Canada are somewhat spared the burden of baggage fees when flying Westjet or Air Canada but we still have to doll out the cash for our luggage when flying on a US based carrier. But the survey also found that rude behavior by staff was not far behind.
According to Mark Kotkin, of Consumer Reports “Two themes emerged. One of them was added fees. That really irritated people regardless of the industry. For airlines, in particular, it was the new luggage charges.”

The other main irritant was rude or unhelpful staff. (I’d like to see a survey from people who work on the other side of the counter to see if rude customers are their top complaint).

One reason passengers find charges for luggage so irritating may be because they are new and they are expensive. ($15 – $25 per bag/per person each way depending on the airline)

Surprisingly consumers questioned in the poll said lack of information about airline delays was more aggravating than the delays themselves. Passengers were also annoyed by fellow airline passengers who hog seats and carry-on space.

Personally I find it extremely aggravating when someone’s carry-on stowed in the compartment above is the size of a small car and takes up all the, barely leaving room to shut the door.

On a more positive note, airline passengers seem to have accepted waiting in long lines to go through security and check-ins at airports and the lack of snacks on flights.

So what’s the message in all this? Get used to extra fees, there here to stay and if you’re in the hospitality or travel industry, no matter how rude or demanding the customer gets, smile.

Jeanne Marie Hackema, 68, was arrested Thursday and charged Friday. She has since been released.

The victim of the alleged assault is a 55-year-old woman who no longer lives at the facility, which is housed in a bungalow at 115th Street and 9th Avenue.

The woman filed the complaint in May 2009 and left the facility two months later, said Acting Staff Sgt. Roxanne McKean.

“We are very gratified to know she has been charged and held accountable. The main issue is when you’re vulnerable, you can’t complain, your families can’t complain, because they need 24-hour care,” she said.

In 2004, the Elder Advocates of Alberta filed a complaint about the Open Arms care home alleging overcrowding, insufficient food, delays in helping with bathroom needs and a lack of trained staff.

According to Alberta Seniors and Community Supports, a separate complaint was filed against the care home in February, but has since been resolved. The department would not release further information, citing privacy concerns.

McKean said the alleged victim was in the care home because of a brain injury. Brain injuries can affect memory, mental focus and a variety of emotional, intellectual and physical attributes.

Police laid a “global” assault charge in the case, which means they believe more than one assault may have occurred during a set period.

McKean said officers are looking for other potential victims, but do not have any other suspects.

Elan on March 29 filed a complaint with the ITC asserting that Apple had violated a patent relating to the ability to detect the simultaneous presence of multiple fingers on touch devices. The technology involved is used in the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, MacBook and Magic Mouse products.

Elan asked the ITC to issue an order barring importation of those products into the U.S. Elan also asked the ITC to bar Apple from selling any of these products it had already imported into the U.S.

Elan is alleging that Apple infringed patent number 5,825,352, which is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Elan is a semiconductor design company, which also develops products focused on touch technology.

An Apple spokeswoman declined comment on ITC’s initiation of an investigation into its products.

The company received its first complaint of unintended acceleration in late October, but MPs wanted to know why the world’s No. 1 car maker didn’t notify Transport Canada and Toyota owners until January, after it issued a recall for Canadian cars.

They acknowledged Canadian regulators had recently received 17 complaints regarding Toyota vehicles — but only one of those was related to unintended acceleration. Further, a review of its Canadian models, with all-weather floor mats built specifically for this market, did not share some of the same potential flaws as Toyota’s U.S. models.
Still, “we have 100% on the remedies for the floor mat and pedal assemblies,” Mr. Beatty said, adding nearly two-thirds of recalled Canadian cars have been repaired.

Over a quarter of million Toyota-made vehicles, or 270,000, were recalled across Canada – a.nd eight million worldwide — in an effort to address issues leading to unintended acceleration.

The Japanese car maker, No. 1 worldwide, has blamed sticky accelerators and floor mats for the cases of unintended acceleration. When he appeared before U.S. legislators, Mr. Toyoda apologized, and acknowledged the company’s rapid expansion in recent years might have affected the quality of its vehicles.

As a precautionary measure, Toyota temporarily halted production of eight models in Canada and the United States as it searched for a solution to the accelerator glitch. Production has since resumed.

“There was a serious safety problem, and you are talking to [the supplier] about a redesign but no one told Transport Canada until after the recall [in January]?,” a frustrated Mr. Watson told Toyota officials.
Mr. Beatty later explained the potential pedal problem in Canada was due to wear and condensation, and the company could not “trigger” a response before it had “a solution it could deploy.”

The acceleration cases have caused a public relations nightmare for Toyota. Last week, just as the car maker had appeared to put the worst behind it, a California driver claimed his Toyota Prius raced out of control on a California highway. But both Toyota and U.S. regulators said they found no evidence to support the driver’s claims.

Car analysts have focused on the prospect that drivers could be making mistakes — hitting the accelerator instead of the brake — or that Toyota vehicles could be subject to a software glitch or other problem that is hard to replicate.

The carrier has offered $16 million in cash, plus $2 million in “non-cash benefits” as a settlement to those who submit a claim by June 14.

“The Settlement Class includes all current or former customers of AT&T Mobility or its predecessor in the U.S. who paid or were charged a flat-rate ETF at some time during the period January 1, 1998 through November 4, 2009; and/or who have or had a contract for service with AT&T Mobility that included a flat-rate ETF…” a document posted to a site not run by AT&T states
The move follows government criticism of Verizon Wireless’ ETF, which the carrier announced on Nov. 5 would double, to $350, for certain subscribers who cancel their contracts early.

“Changing your wireless provider shouldn’t break the bank,” said Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar in a Dec. 3 statement. “Forcing consumers to pay outrageous fees bearing little to no relation to the cost of their handset devices is anti-consumer and anti-competitive.”

That day, Klobuchar, with three other senators, introduced a new piece of legislation, the Cell Phone Early Termination Fee, Transparency and Fairness Act, which would prevent carriers from charging ETFs higher than the discount that the carriers offer to consumers for entering into multiyear contracts.

The FCC legislation would additionally prorate ETFs, enabling customers who remained in their contracts longer to pay less. In this vein, the AT&T settlement offers repayment reflective of the amount of time left on a contract when an ETF was applied.
“The Court has not decided whether the claims in the lawsuit have any merit. However, if you are a member of the Settlement Class, you have a choice to make now,” states the settlement document.