Motley says: "The best way to get what you want is to complain… loudly"
Summary
Motley: The best way to get what you want is to complain… loudly.
Maven: Complainers can get ahead, but try being pleasant and nicely asking for what you want. You often end up with more than you counted on.
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[Context: Motley just had a poor experience ordering software from a vendor]
Motley: Hey Mave, I just got off the phone with a vendor and managed to score us 5 free copies of that development tool we talked about. I definitely rock!
Maven: Very cool! How did you manage to do that?
Motley: They misplaced a shipment when I ordered one copy of the tool. I was livid, so I called up, talked to two separate people and let 'em have it. The caved to my every desired and now we have 4 copies on top of the one that I originally ordered!
Maven: Hmmm… I bet you really didn't make the day of the people you spoke with.
Motley: Yeah, whatever. The only way to get what you want in this world is to complain loudly. Very loudly.
Maven: You should try the opposite approach next time - you'll be surprised at how much better things work out.
Motley: What? You mean don't complain to get what you want? The good guys get screwed over all the time. There are all kinds of stories here at work around the cable company in particular. The best way to get your bill chopped in half is to call up, complain loudly about their pricing structure relative to competitors, and then threaten to quit. It works all the time. The catch is that you really have be willing to follow through on your threat, which can be really inconvenient. It's really sad that we have to do this, but otherwise, the good guy who keeps paying his bill on time and is their "best" customer gets screwed paying higher rates than the complainers.
Maven: There is some truth to that - I'll give you that. It's sad that you have to make a phone call to prevent getting the shaft, but a lot of good can come out of the positive approach. Here are two stories from my own personal experience.
Motley: Ooooo, can't wait to see how you got screwed!
Maven: Au contraire! After hearing all the stories about the cable company, I decided to give them a call. I first told my story to a standard service representative, who then transferred me to "customer care". I would save time next time around and ask to speak directly to "customer care." I explained that I was a happy customer, but I was disappointed by how all the complainers get ahead and the best customers constantly get the shaft. I was as pleasant as could be on the phone, and the woman on the other end was extremely nice. We chatted for a while and I ended up getting an even better deal than the complainers for the next 6 months. Of course, it's pathetic that I'll have to call again in 6 months, but the complainers also have to keep calling.
Motley: So you got a slightly better deal - you still had to call in.
Maven: Yeah, I still had to call, but in the end I felt good about the phone call and I'm sure she was pleased she did not have to deal with an angry customer, which was probably a refreshing change. In fact, I probably made her day!
Motley: I bet that was a freak occurrence - usually nice guys finish last.
Maven: Here's another one. I was on a flight from Fargo, ND to Minneapolis, MN, to Winnipeg, MB a couple week ago. When I reached the Fargo airport, they told me my flight from Minneapolis to Winnipeg had been cancelled. Obviously, I was not pleased. They said I had been booked on a flight the next evening. In addition, it was on another airline on a connection that was far out of the way. That sucked. I decided to take the flight to Minneapolis and deal with the problem there. I got off the plane and approached the ticket counter, and had decided to be nice to the gate agent. She was very friendly did everything she could to help me, including escalating the problem up 3 levels of management without me asking. She ended up getting me on a "full" direct flight first thing the next morning. She also put me a nice hotel room close to the airport and to restaurants, and gave me a meal voucher. Out of curiosity, I asked "how many people would be standing here screaming at you about this situation?" Her reply, "99% would be ripping me apart. You are a refreshing change. That's why I am trying to do everything possible to get around a bad situation."
Motley: Well, maybe I'll give it a try next time. What should I have done in the software shipping case?
Maven: I'd need more details on that, but you could have stated in a nice way how inconvenienced you were and how the lack of having the tool would affect the deadline. We were considering purchasing multiple copies, but to be honest, are a little concerned about the reliability of the receiving them. See what they come back with. Maybe you get less than you would have had you complained, maybe you get more. Everyone usually walks away fairly happy, however.
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Maven's Pointer: You won't always get what you want by being "Mr. Nice Guy" or "Ms. Nice Girl", but more often than not, the customer service representative will see it as such a refreshing change that they will bend over backwards to make you happy and keep you as a customer. Try it!
Maven's Resources: None this time.
