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Complaint department: take a number
Nise Note's
By Denise Schoppe
The Marlin Democrat
November 03, 2004
Earlier this year, a national food chain ran a series of commercials in which they promoted their meals by complaining to the other chains for not offering everything they themselves do. It was executed in the form of two men going to their "competition's" drive-through windows and hassling the person working the window. The chain attempted to show their meals were bigger, fresher and had far more options than their competitors.
Every time one of these commercials aired, my blood would boil. My blood pressure would go sky-high, and I could barely contain my annoyance.
Now, this food chain is one of my favorites. I am a regular, and I don't see that fact changing over a commercial -- even one that angers me to that point. I always told myself I'd write a letter to the corporate offices conveying my distaste, but I admittedly never did.
(As a side note, the same characters are used still being used in commercials, and I actually find the current batch of promotions rather amusing.)
These commercials were a perfect example of what happens in all types of business. Complaints are lodged to those who have no way of changing the way things run. The people running the window had no way of changing the size of the portions offered. They couldn't run out and buy condiments to add to the order. They couldn't make things better and make the changes the men requested at a drop of a hat. They were there to do their job, and the best they could have possibly offered was to pass along the men's complaints to their manager. As a result of all of this, they were made to look dumb and incompetent as the men continued to practically heckle the person working the window.
I don't care if it was "just a commercial," it's something that should be looked at and learned from. The two men in the car were rude and their behavior uncalled for -- even if it was to be considered satirical and not taken seriously.
Time and again, the wrong person is complained to for various things. If the men didn't like the food portions, talk to a manager or send a complaint to the home office -- don't ridicule the drive-through attendant.
Similarly, if you don't like the level of taxes owed on April 15th, don't complain to your tax preparer. Write your representatives, and attempt to contact people in government who have the power to do something about the tax rate. If you're upset about how much you were charged by your lawyer, don't fuss to their receptionist. Speak to them or their billing department directly. If you are unhappy about a certain song being played on the radio, don't yell at the station's accountant. Speak direction to the program manager.
Sometimes going to the source isn't possible; I'm aware of this. In that case, you do have to talk to someone else. However, keep in mind that this person is just a conduit for your complaint to reach its desired destination. Don't take all your frustrations out on that person. They did nothing wrong.
Sometimes you don't really expect anything to be done and all you want to do is vent your frustrations. That's understandable. Everyone has days when annoyance and frustration bubbles over.
However, if at all possible, take a moment to think of feelings of the person to which you complain. Imagine their helplessness and frustration that grows right along with yours. Imagine if they were already having a bad day, and how much you may compound that fact.
The next time you want to complain about something, think about the drive through attendant in the commercial. How did they feel as they were treated that way? Lost? Helpless? Frustrated?
What were they supposed to say? Were they supposed to apologize for something they had no control over? Was it really their fault? If not, why bring them down? To make yourself feel better? That's a selfish response.
Consider how they felt after the incident. Were they angry? Annoyed? Apprehensive of the next customer? Did you possibly ruin what had been a really good day?
Perhaps it's silly of me to think that we really should all consider the other person's feelings in all interaction. Perhaps that's naive and living in some sort of dream world. But I don't see what is so hard about asking yourself mentally two questions before launching into a complaint: How would YOU feel after being complained to about something you had no control over? Why would you subject that feeling to others?
Nise Note's
By Denise Schoppe
The Marlin Democrat
November 03, 2004
Earlier this year, a national food chain ran a series of commercials in which they promoted their meals by complaining to the other chains for not offering everything they themselves do. It was executed in the form of two men going to their "competition's" drive-through windows and hassling the person working the window. The chain attempted to show their meals were bigger, fresher and had far more options than their competitors.
Every time one of these commercials aired, my blood would boil. My blood pressure would go sky-high, and I could barely contain my annoyance.
Now, this food chain is one of my favorites. I am a regular, and I don't see that fact changing over a commercial -- even one that angers me to that point. I always told myself I'd write a letter to the corporate offices conveying my distaste, but I admittedly never did.
(As a side note, the same characters are used still being used in commercials, and I actually find the current batch of promotions rather amusing.)
These commercials were a perfect example of what happens in all types of business. Complaints are lodged to those who have no way of changing the way things run. The people running the window had no way of changing the size of the portions offered. They couldn't run out and buy condiments to add to the order. They couldn't make things better and make the changes the men requested at a drop of a hat. They were there to do their job, and the best they could have possibly offered was to pass along the men's complaints to their manager. As a result of all of this, they were made to look dumb and incompetent as the men continued to practically heckle the person working the window.
I don't care if it was "just a commercial," it's something that should be looked at and learned from. The two men in the car were rude and their behavior uncalled for -- even if it was to be considered satirical and not taken seriously.
Time and again, the wrong person is complained to for various things. If the men didn't like the food portions, talk to a manager or send a complaint to the home office -- don't ridicule the drive-through attendant.
Similarly, if you don't like the level of taxes owed on April 15th, don't complain to your tax preparer. Write your representatives, and attempt to contact people in government who have the power to do something about the tax rate. If you're upset about how much you were charged by your lawyer, don't fuss to their receptionist. Speak to them or their billing department directly. If you are unhappy about a certain song being played on the radio, don't yell at the station's accountant. Speak direction to the program manager.
Sometimes going to the source isn't possible; I'm aware of this. In that case, you do have to talk to someone else. However, keep in mind that this person is just a conduit for your complaint to reach its desired destination. Don't take all your frustrations out on that person. They did nothing wrong.
Sometimes you don't really expect anything to be done and all you want to do is vent your frustrations. That's understandable. Everyone has days when annoyance and frustration bubbles over.
However, if at all possible, take a moment to think of feelings of the person to which you complain. Imagine their helplessness and frustration that grows right along with yours. Imagine if they were already having a bad day, and how much you may compound that fact.
The next time you want to complain about something, think about the drive through attendant in the commercial. How did they feel as they were treated that way? Lost? Helpless? Frustrated?
What were they supposed to say? Were they supposed to apologize for something they had no control over? Was it really their fault? If not, why bring them down? To make yourself feel better? That's a selfish response.
Consider how they felt after the incident. Were they angry? Annoyed? Apprehensive of the next customer? Did you possibly ruin what had been a really good day?
Perhaps it's silly of me to think that we really should all consider the other person's feelings in all interaction. Perhaps that's naive and living in some sort of dream world. But I don't see what is so hard about asking yourself mentally two questions before launching into a complaint: How would YOU feel after being complained to about something you had no control over? Why would you subject that feeling to others?
