Mondays offer lessons in complaints

It's unlikely that Monday mornings are ever fun for anyone who works in a traditional office environment.

The Enterprise is no exception to that rule, but some Mondays are worse than others -- like the Mondays when we accidentally leave out one of our regular features.

Monday's Enterprise failed to include the Jumble puzzle, a feature that's very popular among readers who like to enjoy a little brain teaser with their morning coffee and newspaper.

As a result, the phone didn't stop ringing.

In fact, there were a dozen voice mails before 9 a. m., and the pattern roughout the day.

Frequently I was talking to a customer on one line while another was leaving voice mail on a second line.

Needless to say, I didn't manage to call everyone back, for which I apologize.

More than that, I apologize for the error.

Obviously we don't make these mistakes on purpose, and we hate it when we disappoint our readers like this.

This particular mistake seemed to be magnified a bit because of other recent changes.

There actually were readers who thought we might be discontinuing the Jumble and they wanted to get their protests in early.

As The Enterprise's reader representative, I listen to people's complaints and work to fix them.

It's even my job to listen to people's complaints about other people who they don't feel listened to their complaints.

The task has taught me a lot about complaining, and, like everything else in life, there's a right way and a wrong way to do it.

So, hoping next Monday morning will be better than this one, here are my hints for successful complaining, which might actually get your complaint resolved:

* Anger and frustration certainly are understandable, but they aren't productive.

Anything you can do to moderate negative behavior will help you voice your complaint more effectively.

* Don't be mean.

Remember the person you are speaking to likely isn't responsible for your problem, but, instead is responsible for resolving your problem.

They WANT to help you. Give them a chance.

* Don't use foul language, and remember some people have a lower threshold for that than others.

Pretend like you're talking to your mother (or grandmother), sister or daughter on the phone and use language you would want someone to use in speaking to them.

* Don't make unproductive, hurtful comments.

The people you will talk to generally are employees, not decision-makers.

They can pass along those decisions and maybe even tell you the reasoning behind them, but they can't change them.

They also might personally disagree with them but can't say that.

* If you have a disagreement you feel isn't being resolved, ask for the name and address of a supervisor and put it in writing -- either by way of e-mail or a regular letter.

That's easy to pass along to the appropriate person and might get you the attention you really want.

* Have complete and specific information about your complaint at the ready -- the date and page number of an error or the last time you made a subscription payment.

Those details might help resolve your complaint more quickly.

* Don't be afraid to leave a voice mail message or to call back if you don't get an answer . . . and don't forget to include your telephone number.

* If you're nice, or even have a sense of humor, you might make someone's day -- or make their Monday a better day.