Writing Effective Consumer Complaints

You can learn everything you need to know about writing an effective consumer complaint from Mr. Dave Carroll's YouTube megahit, "United Breaks Guitars". Everything except how to write lyrics, compose music, play guitar and sing, that is.

Stay calm when a company has done you wrong. Don't use profanity, don't rant and insult the company or the employees. Notice how polite Mr. Carroll is, despite having his $3500 hand-made favorite guitar rendered useless by what he characterizes as "a vicious act of malice" at the hands of United Airlines baggage handlers at Chicago's O'Hare airport. That's a strong statement, but far from profane.

Next, decide what the core of your complaint of your complaint is. Condense it so you can express the complaint in one brief sentence. Mr. Carroll's complaint is, "United, you broke my Taylor guitar." Six words is all he uses, and it's quite clear what the problem is and who he thinks is responsible.

Third, clearly state the sequence of events, make a clear demand for restitution, and repeat it as often as necessary. Notice how often Mr. Carroll calmly repeats his demand for restitution, "You broke it, you should fix it."

Keep a log of who you have talked to, when you talked to them, and what they said. Don't let their complaint handlers, however kindly, lose the records of your calls. Compliment the personnel who have been helpful, but keep politely repeating your complaint and your demands. "United, you broke my Taylor guitar." "You broke it, you should fix it."

Finally, polish the text of the complaint, write some bouncy country tune to go with it, get a backup band, make a video, and put it on YouTube. If it gets the attention of the viewers, the attention of the company who did you wrong will follow. Mr. Carroll was negotiating with the airline after only 50,000 views.

If the company makes things right, thank them and give them credit. Mr Carroll received satisfaction from United, and was gracious enough to issue a public statement about the complaint's resolution.

As well as getting his guitar fixed, Mr. Carroll exposed hundreds of thousands of people to the Sons of Maxwell, the musical group he and his brother founded. It's the essence of a good club band, true entertainers with a broad range of songs. You want Celtic pub, afro-rock, country, or cry in the beer blues, they do it.

Sources:
The band: http://www.sonsofmaxwell.com/
The full story: www.davecarrollmusic.com/story/united-breaks-guitars
Complaint video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo
Followup video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_X-Qoh__mw