If you work on the Internet, you will deal with all sorts of people and will almost certainly purchase goods or services from complete strangers. You might find one day that you have cause to complain about a product or service. It does not take anything as calculated as a scam to turn you into a dissatisfied customer. It might be a case of faulty goods or late delivery or any number of other things that would make you want to complain. If you are new to the world of Internet business, you might not know where or how to make a complaint. If you think you have been cheated or simply received substandard goods or services, you have every right to complain but there are rules to follow if your complaint is to be effective. You need to complain to the right person in the right way.

Be Polite

If you are sure you have genuine grounds for complaint, your first step should be to email the vendor. Write the email in courteous terms, manners are free and polite words don't take any longer to type than rude ones. If your email starts off "Your product is a heap of #*!!ing *@#!" you might as well not bother to send it. Dump it straight in the trash because that's where the recipient will put it. It only takes a mouse click to get rid of an annoying email and nobody will bother to read on if you send one that starts off abusively. I once made the mistake of trying to help a woman who sent me an email that started "Your website's full of garbage". I could understand that she was frustrated: she was looking for something that wasn't on my website, never had been and nobody ever said it was there in the first place. I went out of my way to try to help her but it quickly became clear she didn't want help, she just wanted to whinge. From her emails, I could sense her character and realised that with her negative attitude she would enjoy moaning for the sake of it and not because she expected to achieve anything worthwhile.

You should also remember that you might be writing to the wrong person. If you purchased something through an affiliate website, the owner of that website might not be the end supplier. This person might be able to help you to contact the actual vendor or tell you how to apply for a refund, but if you abuse the innocent affiliate you will be putting an end to any help that might have been available if you had been courteous in the first place. You will also feel very silly if you have taken a heavy handed attitude towards someone who has not injured you and could possibly have helped you if you'd been nicer.

State Your Grounds

There is no point in sending a complaint that just airs your feeling of grievance. If you want help or a refund, you need to set out what you feel are the shortcomings of the product you purchased. Don't send an email that just says the product is "rubbish", or a scam or you are upset. If the vendor is not a scammer, he will want to create a high level of customer satisfaction and will be anxious to find out what exactly caused you to have a problem. He will be keen to reach a solution and will probably email you to ask for precise details of your complaint. If you send a vague complaint and the vendor is a busy person, he might just write you off as a nuisance and ignore your email. Admittedly, this is not the best way for a person to do business, but in the real world it does happen. After the experience with the whining negative woman, I don't read any email that starts out in an abusive tone. I believe my time is better spent helping people who want practical help and not just an echo chamber for their whining. Most website owners who have had their patience tried by whiners will feel the same way. Point out faults, don't moan about how they made you feel. You will get further with a reasoned explanation of a problem than with a vague expression of dissatisfaction.

Say What You Want

When you are composing your email stating the problems you encountered, don't forget to state what it is you want the vendor to do for you. What do you really want? Are you frustrated because something didn't work right for you and you need some help to get things working? Are you completely dissatisfied and just want your money back? Tell the vendor what it is you want, he's not a mind reader and probably doesn't have time for guessing games. Remember, when you send a complaint, that webmasters are human too.

Copyright 2006 Elaine Currie