This is the Way to Complain?

I noticed a report the other day which said that most Filipino people believe that their complaints are not dealt with in a satisfactory manner. Apparently, they think that when they complain to official bodies like LTO, SSS, Globe, SEC, POEA, etc., the public, generally, think their complaints are ignored?

 For some reason it is now commonly believed that the only way to get what you want in life is to be as strident as possible in making known your objectives. Whether it is wanting more money in your job, seeking a promotion, or just complaining at your neighborhood store that some product wasn’t up to expectation.

 I was brought up to think that complaining was not “the done thing” and that if something was wrong, your objections should be raised quietly and politely. In this way, I was informed, the recipient of your complaint would be far more likely to be sympathetic to your cause, and rectify the wrong more speedily.

 Yes, well. That may have been all right in yester-years. But in this day and age, it doesn’t work. As we’ve all come to learn from bitter experience.

 For example, the other day I went to a shop and asked to see the manager, as I wanted to return a product which was unsatisfactory. I know from the past that it’s no good telling the salesman all about why I want to return the product. They are told to sell, not receive returns and credits. So even if they agreed that the item was faulty, they’d still have to go running off to find the manager, and relate the tale of woe I’d brought in. And the manager, hidden away in some office in the rear, would say “no” because it’s easier to say “no” when you don’t have to face the customer. So the salesman runs back and repeats “no” and the customer becomes angry, and demands to see the manager, and the manager comes out and says “yes” making the salesman look like an idiot.

 So I asked to see the manager (it usually saves time in the long run). And the sales person asked me “why?” And I said because I have something I wish to speak to him about, regarding the return of an item. And the salesman said “Maybe I can help?”

 I asked whether he was empowered to replace or credit returned items which had been sold, and he said no. So I asked to see the manager who, I imagined, would have such powers. But the salesman was more protective of his manager than the most personal of personal secretaries. I couldn’t get him to go get the manager. So I became angry and started shouting the place down. And the manager arrived. He heard my complaint and replaced the item in a matter of moments – merely to get me out of the shop, as it was causing a disturbance which was upsetting the other customers.

 Which set me wondering why it is necessary, in this day and age, to behave in such a boorish manner in order to get one’s way. And I could only come up with the conclusion that like many other members of the Filipino public, I probably think that the only way I’ll get proper attention is to shout and scream, and generally cause a disturbance. It may not be very nice, but it can be effective.
 

Published Link: THAT'S THE WAY TO COMPLAIN?