Resolving Consumer Problems Section 1.5 Notes

Registering a Complaint Must State problem clearly Know what you want the outcome to be Money back, other types of redress Gather all receipts or info. on product

Contacting the Merchant Complaint on Service Talk to person who did the service Complaint on Item Salesperson that helped you Customer Service Purchase over the Internet Contact merchant through e-mail or phone Follow up if not resolved over a certain period of time

Always be Polite Problem always has a better chance of being resolved if you are polite

Letter of Complaint Write to manager or customer service dept Short, to the point, honest Include copies of receipts Make copy for your records If nothing happens, write another letter to a higher level Send copy to the Better Business Bureau (BBB)

Dispute resolution Mediation – two parties try to resolve a dispute with the help of neutral party Mediator = neutral party Two sides don’t have to agree to mediator’s suggestion Arbitration – neutral party listens to both sides and makes a decision Binding Arbitration – parties agree arbitrators decision is final

Small Claims Court Small claims court Resolved by a judge for sums under a certain amount Usually $1,000 - $5,000 Don’t need a lawyer

Lawsuit Hire a Lawyer For amounts higher than $5,000 Can be expensive Should be last resort

Class Action Suit Lawsuit filed for a group of people w/same complaint Example: Car has a bad part and company won’t fix it. The group of consumers who have been affected by this file a Class Action Suit