Effective Complaints Resource Blog

Disclaimer: The views and opinions stated in this podcast are just that, one person’s views and opinions shared freely on the internet while exercising the freedom of speech guaranteed in the United States Constitution. Visit the Effective Complaints WebsiteIn today's podcast, I talk about how Why Apple Computers Suck in A Final Letter to Steve Jobs who announced that he'd be retiring from the company.  In it, I detail my experience with visiting my first Apple retail store, and writing two (2) letters to Steve Jobs that were never acknowledged.  Here's what happened:I had been ruminating over sharing this experience on this blog, but I never seemed to find the time to get around to it, but today, upon hearing the news of Apple CEO Steve Jobs resigning, I thought it was the perfect time to share my story and express both my disappointment in the brand and my hope that the new face of Apple does a better job with their company’s operations.The very first computer that I ever got was an Apple tha

Disclaimer: The views and opinions stated in this podcast are just that, one person’s views and opinions shared freely on the internet while exercising the freedom of speech guaranteed in the United States Constitution. Visit the Effective Complaints WebsiteIn today's podcast, I talk about how Facebook is holding my email address hostage by allowing someone that has fraudulently signed up for an account using my email address to continue using it with reckless abandon!This is a really good example of a company that uses a variety of underhanded tactics to keep from being contacted, and there's irony in the fact that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is a proponent of so many "open policies" in terms of making everyone's information available to the world, yet Facebook itself employs a variety of means to insure that you can't find out any information about contacting their company directly. Feel free to click on the podcast in the player below, or read the following for my "rant": More than a month ago,

Disclaimer: The views and opinions stated in this podcast are just that, one person’s views and opinions shared freely on the internet while exercising the freedom of speech guaranteed in the United States Constitution. Visit the Effective Complaints WebsiteIn this week's podcast, entitled "Who To Write Your Effective Complaints To", I talk about the importance of addressing your effective complaint letter to the right person.A written complaint can end up going nowhere if it’s not address to the right person.  And while there are times when it's best to "follow the chain of command" up from the front-line manager all the way to the CEO, there are also times when the best course of action is to find the head people in charge.How do you determine who that person is? It can be tricky, but with a little investment of time, you can figure it out.  For instance, if you're looking for a person within the federal government, start at USA.gov, where you can find Government Agencies and the names and ti

Disclaimer: The views and opinions stated in this podcast are just that, one person’s views and opinions shared freely on the internet while exercising the freedom of speech guaranteed in the United States Constitution. Visit the Effective Complaints WebsiteIn this week's podcast, entitled "When to Write Effective Complaints", I talk about the importance of writing with a "cool head".  Writing when you’re angry isn’t a good idea. I find, it’s best to jot down major points of how you feel when you’re angry to jog your memory for later, then wait 24 hours from the time of your injustice is a "cool down period".When you return, try to view the situation as third-party or "outsider" would, then script a narrative in your letter that concisely conveys your message and shows what your expectations were, and exactly where the company failed to meet them.Here are some tips that can help you cool down when you’re really steamed:Take a Walk.Have a Cold Shower.Meditate.Get a Good Night's Sleep.Take Deep Breath

Disclaimer: The views and opinions stated in this podcast are just that, one person’s views and opinions shared freely on the internet while exercising the freedom of speech guaranteed in the United States Constitution. Visit the Effective Complaints WebsiteIn this week's podcast, entitled "What To Write for Effective Complaints", I talk about things to keep in mind when deciding what to include in your effective complaint letter. The goal of the EffectiveComplaints.com website and this blog is to be a resource for people seeking complaint resolution, thus you are invited to join in and become active in the community: Visit EffectiveComplaints.com and send a message through the Contact Us page, Continue to visit this blog, blog.EffectiveComplaints.com, and comment on our blog posts and subscribe to our RSS feed, Become a Fan on Facebook at the Effective Complaints Fan Page, Follow us on Twitter (@complaint_help), or Give us a Call on our Google Voice line at 920-543-HELP (4357). How we can help? If the

Disclaimer: The views and opinions stated in this podcast are just that, one person’s views and opinions shared freely on the internet while exercising the freedom of speech guaranteed in the United States Constitution. Visit the Effective Complaints WebsiteIn this week's podcast, entitled "How To Write Effective Complaints", I detail the 10 Key Steps for Writing an Effective Complaint Letter:Be Business-like: Type your letter on your own stationery using your own personal letterhead. It’s very easy to create your own stationery using a program like Microsoft Word, or Open Office 3.Include contact information and the date on each page. Address your letter to a real person, and CC (carbon copy) key people: To Whom It May Concern" generally concerns no one.  Visit the EffectiveComplaints.com/who/ page, and find a video tutorial of how to find CEOs and key executives at major companies in the U.S.Start with a good lead-in story. Clearly state the problem.Back up your facts with documentation whenever p

Disclaimer: The views and opinions stated in this podcast are just that, one person’s views and opinions shared freely on the internet while exercising the freedom of speech guaranteed in the United States Constitution. Visit the Effective Complaints WebsiteIn this week's podcast, I share a story about an effective complaint letter I sent to U.S. Bank President and CEO Richard K. Davis. I hold several accounts with this company, and recently my account security was breached several times in a major metropolitan/high crime area.  Essentially, someone made a deposit into my account and was able to access my balance on more than one occasion.  This angered and disturbed me, because a criminal could just as easily do the same thing, and abscond with everything in your account by being able to so easily retrieve the information by simply making a deposit in the first place. I initially voiced my concerns with the bank branch in question, but their response was that they assumed there was a level of

Disclaimer: The views and opinions stated in this podcast are just that, one person’s views and opinions shared freely on the internet while exercising the freedom of speech guaranteed in the United States Constitution. Visit the Effective Complaints WebsiteHello, my name is Kindra Cotton, and I don’t like to complain.  I like when things are done right the first time, and when they aren’t, I’d like to see a swift and effective resolution to the issue.  A complaint is merely an expression of an unmet expectation.  I am a reasonable person and so are my expectations.  I wish in my heart of hearts that people would do the right things, for no other reason than the fact that it simply is the right thing to do.  I wish people would start treating others the way they want to be treated, for if they did, we’d not only have happier people, but the world would be a better place.There’s a cliché about “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”, but I'm not sure if that’s still the case.&nb