Last updated 12:43, Friday, 21 March 2008

IF there is one thing we are experts on in this office it is complaining. Trained to get wound-up on a daily basis over injustices, my colleagues and I find it impossible to back down when we believe we are on a moral mission. (Yes, my tongue is in my cheek here).

Julie Morgan

So we are all very confident when contacting the customer services departments of various companies and organisations regarding their bad attitudes, incompetence and general patronising snottiness.

One of my colleagues, who wishes to remain anonymous, is the bane of customer services across the land. Not one badly-worded insurance quote, faulty lipstick brush, noisy hotel or under-cooked meal is allowed to go without a call for the manager, a dashed-off letter of complaint or a phone call to “someone who can ACTUALLY help me’’.

So good is she at complaining that she is the best example I know of not letting things lie. It simply never crosses her mind to politely tell fibs about the standard of service she received or to just fume away in silence. Even in our office of thick-skinned, professional complainers, we are in awe of her success.

Her latest mission was to obtain compensation following the disaster which was her internet-ordered 37-inch TV. It arrived without instructions, cables or a remote control. When she rang the company for them to send these items on she was told the whole TV would have to be repackaged and sent back.

Annoyed but at this point compliant, she wrapped it up and then waited in all day for a delivery van to pick it up. The van never came.

She then rang the customer services department who told her she would only receive a new TV when the instruction-less TV was returned. “Forget it,’’ she said, “I’m having my money back.’’

The TV was eventually picked up, but no cash was deposited in her account. “Where’s my money?’’ she asked the customer services when she finally got hold of them a week later. “We haven’t received the TV, madam, so we can’t send your money. I’ll have to investigate and it will take five days,’’ said customer services.

My colleague then rang the delivery firm, tracked down the CORRECT invoice number and discovered the TV had been delivered back to the company six days previous. “Oh yes,’’ said the less-cocky customer service manager, 45 minutes later. “You are right.’’

“Well,’’ my friend said, “what are you going to do about it?’’

To cut a long story short, she demanded an apology with a named person signing it and compensation. They offered her 10 per cent off any purchase from their company up to £250. “Do you expect me to spend my money again with you simply to get a discount? Not good enough,’’ she said. The company subsequently sent her a grovelling apology and £25.

“That was certainly less than I hoped for,’’ she said. “But sometimes you just have to let things go.”