Have you ever had a bad experience when dealing with a company? Chances are you have. Maybe the fast-food joint forgot to put one of your items in your bag at the drive through. Maybe you went to a store and couldn't find any help or experienced an unacceptably long wait. Maybe a staff member was just down right rude to you.
Whatever the case may be, most people just "grin and bear it," accepting these inconveniences as one of life's little hassles. But, if you're willing to speak up and share your experience with the company, you may be compensated for your trouble. That's right...many people already know this, but if you take the time to write a letter of complaint to the corporate headquarters, you will almost always receive a letter of apology in response, usually in addition to some sort of refund, gift certificate, coupon, etc.
Some people would say that it's not worth the time or effort to sit down and actually send a letter to a company, but I disagree. The letter does not have to be very long, just a paragraph or two. Briefly explained exactly what happened, and why you were upset. Include the date and time of your experience, if available, and if you remember the names of any staff involved, be sure to include those two. You don't need to ask for any sort of compensation--just let the company know that you are unhappy and that you will remember this experience in the future when deciding where to do business.
You can send an actual "snail mail" letter if you prefer, but in today's online world, it is usually cheaper and easier to send an e-mail. Just go to the company's website and look for the "Contact Us" button or a corporate e-mail address. Usually, once you send your letter or e-mail, the company will respond within a couple of weeks. If you include your phone number, you will likely get a call from a company representative to offer an apology. In any case, as long as you provide your mailing address, you will almost always receive some sort of small "token of apology," usually a gift card or a coupon.
You might be surprised at the value of these. I had an unpleasant experience at a casual dining restaurant, wrote a letter, and was promptly mailed a $75 gift card, even though the value of our original meal was only $37. I've received coupons for free meals, free products, and even free oil changes. These things can really start to add up. Plus, these gift cards and coupons are for companies you already do business with, so you're sure to use them.
One last thing...don't take advantage of the willingness of these companies to try to make things right. Only write a letter if you've truly had a bad experience, and don't "nit-pick" just to get free stuff. But if you've had a bad experience, it can certainly be worth it to take the time to let the company know. Not only might you score some free stuff, but you're also letting the company know where they can improve so hopefully you won't have a repeat of your bad experience.
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