We have all been in a situation where we have gotten less than stellar service, or had a flight cancelled, or got bumped to the smoking room next door to the frat party…it happens. When you are in one of these situations, what do you do? Do you complain or do you grin and bear it? If you are like me, you are prone to speak up when things go wrong, but there is a right way and a wrong way to complain.

This article on Yahoo Travel  details some of the ways you can effectively complain to get yourself heard and hopefully remedy the situation.

An excerpt: Control your emotions “I can tell you that, hands down, being polite and reasonable when you complain will get you the farthest,” says an airline reservation agent who prefers to remain anonymous. “My coworkers and I often talk about how we dig our heels in when someone talks down to us, screams, swears, or threatens us.” Bear in mind that you want action, not simply a chance to vent. “If customer-service employees think there’s nothing they can do to make you happy, they won’t bother,” says David Rowell, publisher of The Travel Insider website.

Keep that point in mind…kill em with kindness. You start acting like a big ol’ b!tch and guess what? You are going to get the brush off.

One thing I like to do is when I receive extraordinary customer service is tell someone. Either a manager or the actual person helping me. Just letting someone know that they did an awesome job can mean a  lot. Especially if right after you they get a screamer and a curser! Remember, don’t just complain, speak up when you are happy too!

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