File a Complaint Properly, Do Not Enquire About Status Frequently

It's always important to check with all the available options before you file a complaint and start bragging about the help desk inefficiency. There is a hand book accompanying the product or service you buy. Very often we do not go through the troubleshooting section. Step by step checks and remedial measures are detailed in such a book. The maintenance manual also contains relevant, easy-to-understand diagrams which route you to fault clearance. If the fault persists even after the course you have taken then it's best to file a complaint. Also take care while attempting to repair or restore yourself not to touch such parts as would cause to break the warranty norms.

There is a system at every help desk to file a complaint. First of all, try to understand the system clearly. Most grievance redressal systems nowadays provide an IVRS (Interactive Voice Response System) interface. This interface is your gateway to complaint lodging and disposal thereof. However, time permitting, I prefer lodging a complain through email or on line form options provided by the seller.

Generally when you dial the telephone number of the company from where you have purchased the product or the service you are guided through announcements and options to make a complaint. You may also have to speak to an operator which is also one of the options.

The proper way consists in choosing the right options and book the complain with specifications. Mind that you are likely to be asked product serial number, make or model, date of purchase, address, validity date of warranty etc. So make it a point to have noted down all such details neatly before hand.

If you are not quite clear on how to choose the best options then opt for speaking to the operator straight away. Get all the minutest details entered.

In the end, do not forget to receive the complain ID number, likely date and time of visit of the technician/ service engineer and also the closing time by which the complaint is likely to be resolved. To avoid dealing with the technician you should also ask whether the service would incur any charges and how much the same may be.

When you lodge a complain in respect of a product or service not functioning up to the standard specified by the provider or seller you are said to have lodged a complaint or a grievance. When the grievance redressal system starts consuming time you complaint will have a status, that is, 'resolved' or 'being attended' or 'closed' etc. This 'status' is the one being referred to here.

If you had bought your product or service from a good brand and if you have lodged your complaint appropriately, chances are, the complain will be resolved in the stipulated time. This is the hall mark of a reputed brand. They know it very well that apart from the quality of their product or service, complaint redressal is one of the most important factors which helps to rise above their peers.

This article is all about telling you why you should not repeatedly enquire about your complain status. You must have observed that sellers and service providers rate customers nowadays. If you hire a cab often you must have observed that you get to rate your UBER or OLA cab driver. At the same time the driver also rates the customer. If the company feels you are a valuable customer or subscriber they may offer special coupons, discounts and other facilities. For example, a package tour provider company offers more discounts on stay and journey fairs to their loyal existing customers. On the contrary, if you shout at every petty fault and pursue your cases too frequently you may be under-rated and you may not figure on the potential valuable subscriber on the company list. Thus you stand to lose the discounts and amenities which would otherwise have been offered to you.

Sometimes a better way is to check your e-mail or your account with the company from where you made the purchase. Good sellers/ providers have a system of step wise updating of status till the end result is reached. For instance, when I file a complaint with my health insurance company they start updating the status from the time I hit the 'SUBMIT' button. All their insurance complaints are neatly stacked with customer IDs on a separate web page. You can see the current complaint status with a click and entering your password thereafter.

I generally try to guess within the first 24 hours whether an initiation has been made. If I get a call asking me my presence at home at the time technician is likely to visit or an SMS or email informing me whether I need to incur some expenditure etc., I understand that my case is being taken up. Once it so happened that there was no response against my complain regarding non-functioning of my fridge in the first 24 hours. When I enquired the operator he reacted as if their support desk was sleeping. Moreover, the service said that since the items to be replaced were not covered under warranty a cost of INR 2300/- would be incurred. I immediately called up a private maintenance firm and they fixed it for INR 1400/-. I have opted out of warranty now.

I know, that irks. The buyer feels that the advantages of the product must match the amount of money paid for it. She has every right to feel so. But as a customer one must sometimes sympathise with the service provider since it's not always possible for them to deal with the problems instantaneously. This may be due to technical complexity, non-availability of spare parts of a product gradually being phased out by the company, lack of man power etc.

If you are sure that the service provider or the seller is unable to provide the service immediately you may

(i) Ask the next possible closing dead line

(ii) Ask them if they have a compensation for non-redressal on time. If yes, avail it. As for example, some telephone companies have such kind of compensation. Even some appliance sellers provide a secondary arrangement till the time your appliance gets repaired.

(iii) Ask the operator the contact number or email address of a higher office. If you get such a contact, communicate about the non-disposal of your complain. Even just asking such a contact to the help desk may cause them to expedite your case.

(iv) Opt for a private maintenance to look into your problems and solve it. Compare the options of moving away from or remaining in and extending the warranty. Your main concerns should be time taken for redressal, quality of redressal and efficiency and behaviour of the service staff.

(v) File a case with local consumer forum or grievance redressal authorities. However, it's best to keep this option as a last one.

I request my esteemed readers to suggest anything else that I might have missed out or anything that could improve this hub.