NORFOLK, Va. — Consumers facing issues with contractors, apartments, or retail purchases can get better results by handling their complaints the right way.
Problems can pop up unexpectedly and ruin daily life or holidays. Jonathan Burke, a producer with WTKR News 3, experienced burst pipes in his apartment.
"We opened the door and about one to two inches of water was down on the floors, pouring through the vents, pouring through any holes like at the center of the apartment," Burke said.
Bill Emigh faced delays with a third-party vendor during the holidays.
"Even before Christmas, I'm sending emails to the company, hey, look, where, where's this game system? It's supposed to have been here originally on the 14th of December," Emigh said.
Kevin Brasler, executive editor of Consumers' Checkbook, recommends making demands and explanations short and to the point.
"I've worked in consumer advocacy now for 30 years, and I can tell you that one thing I've learned is that when you have a problem, it's best to supply a succinct reason," Brasler said.
Consumers should be firm but polite and avoid name-calling.
"The other thing to do is avoid using terms like crooks and scammed and cheated. Even if you were cheated, and the reason is, is that, you know, when you start throwing out things like accusations of illegal behavior, when you start calling people names, you're rarely going to get good results," Brasler said.
Brasler advises being persistent but reasonable with requests.
"[Let's say] you had a trip to Europe planned and one of the hotels wasn't very good. Don't demand a full refund for the whole trip," Brasler said.
To protect purchases, consumers should first use a credit card. When issues arise, put complaints in writing and go to the top of the company.
"It's best to complain to someone who has the authority to make a decision about your case," Brasler said.
If a consumer is a victim of a crime, they should report it to the Federal Trade Commission, the attorney general's office, or the Better Business Bureau.
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