# Dealing with complaints

Dealing with an angry customer https://youtu.be/T20hV4ynU7o

Handling complaints

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Causes of complaints

Even in the best-run shops there will be customers who are not completely satisfied and who will complain. Major causes of complaint are products not being in stock (when advertised), unsatisfactory performance of a product or unsatisfactory repair or service. Many complaints are easily resolved but there should be procedures to deal with them. Same customers are habitual complainers and may politely be encouraged to shop somewhere else.

Complaint-handling procedure

Minor complaints may be handled by the sales assistants, but customers will often appreciate the attention of a higher level of employee. In larger stores a customer service department will handle complaints.

Whatever the appropriate complaint-handling procedure, it should be clear to both employees and customers where to go to complain and who to speak to. Standard procedures should be adopted, and all employees should know about them.

Returns

A customer who returns merchandise which was found to be damaged or broken when it was unpacked is

obviously entitled to return it and demand a replacement or refund. Returns or refunds are normally offered

only on the production of a receipt but here common sense must prevail, for example, a customer who received an item as a gift will not have a receipt.

Some stores do not give refunds but offer credit notes instead. The customer can use the credit note at some later date to pay for articles he wants to buy from the same shop.

Product adjustments

Retailers can satisfy most complaints about damaged or unsuitable products by exchanging them, but complaints about poor quality of products should be handled very carefully, so that the store image is not damaged. Complaints about products not being in stock can be dealt with by agreeing to stock the product, explaining why the product is not stocked and offering an alternative or directing the customer to a store

which does stock that product.

Price adjustments

Since it is not always possible or practicable to exchange or adjust a product (for example, a refrigerator delivered to the customer's home), the retailer can often satisfy the customer by offering to reduce the price. A price reduction is often an effective way of showing the customer that the store is making a special effort to

correct a problem, and it is usually possible for the retailer to make a claim on the manufacturer.