10 Steps At A Glance
Step 1:
When first confronted with a genuine grievance always address it at that time if possible. Most grievances can be handled by talking to the proper establishment representatives after said grievance has occurred. But be polite and well spoken. State plainly and factually what happened and what you expect to be done about it.
Step 2:
If step one gets you nowhere and you feel you need to pursue further action start gathering data immediately. Start asking for names of parties involved; addresses and phone numbers to register complaints to, names of key players in the establishments levels of hierarchy. Example: Owners, managers, CEO's, VP's, and Presidents exc. taking this course of action usually causes the establishment to take you more seriously. They may even change their minds and begin handling your grievance without further action.
Step 3:
If the establishment was not motivated to action by your inquiries in step 2, then leave after gathering the data and go some place to begin processing it. Call the numbers they gave you. Ask for key people who's names you have already acquired to see if the info is valid. Check addresses for validity as well. If the establishment is reluctant to help you, don't be afraid to be authoritative. You have the right to know this info, Use cover stories to disguise your inquiries if that makes you feel more comfortable, (see previous chapter). Gather any info you were unable to get at the seen of the incident.
Step 4:
Write a detailed account of what happened. It should be composed of the facts only, no opinions, colorful or figurative speech. Write it from an uninvolved or third person perspective. This helps to remove anger and hostility from the grievance. Don't be surprised if when you're done you read it and find no real evidence of any wrong doing on behalf of the establishment. Many incidents are perceived as grievance worthy due to the, "Complainants State of Mind" at the time of the incident. Maybe you were having a bad day when it happened. The point is don't let your emotional state play a role in bringing wrongful grievances against an establishment. The idea is to seek an end result that is justifiable to both you and the establishment, not get revenge for every wrong you have ever suffered before hand.
Step 5:
After having read your written description of the facts, if you still feel that you have a legitimate grievance the next step is to decide whether or not it is a legal issue. In regards to matters of law don't waste time preparing letters. Get legal counseling immediately, once you determined it is necessary. If your grievance concerns large sums of money, racial issues; civil rights; injury, discrimination or any truly serious offense or breakage of law get a legal opinion as soon as possible. However legal counseling does not obligate you to take legal action, it merely makes you aware of the legal options available to you. After talking to an attorney you may not feel like taking legal action. However you may look at your hand written account of the facts and decided to take a letter writing approach.
Step 6:
Combine the info gathered in steps 2 and 3, with the hand written account of the facts you created in step 4. Using all these elements above together, create a rough draft of the letter that will be mailed. You may be more opinionated and colorful than you were in step 4 but remember not to slander; don't use negative tones; no profanity; stick to the facts; be brief and to the point.
Step 7:
Read, reread, and let a person not involved read your rough draft. Don't tell them what happened before hand. Let them draw an unprompted opinion of their own.
See if they agree with you as well as what their course of action would be if they were the one receiving the letter. This doesn't mean you have to accept their reaction as being the equivalent of the one to expect from the actual recipient of the letter. It just means their opinion is valuable data to be used in any editing of the final draft of the letter.
If they agree with your grievance ask what parts of the letter won them over.
Ask if the letter was to long or wordy.
Ask if they think the end result you are seeking is too severe.
If they disagree with your grievance ask why?
Ask if the letter clearly stated what happened or what you expected as an end result.
Ask what part of the letter if any offended them or caused them not to see things from your point of view. You may not agree with them but their input may help you write an improved final draft.
Step 8:
The final draft! If you know someone with a literary educational background or occupation, acquire his or her services for writing the final draft. The final draft must be free from misspelled words, and improper usage of grammar and punctuation. It must also be properly formatted, preferably as a business letter. If you don't have access to this type of individual, a library and a computer should now become your friend. Don't go over board your quest in the library should be brief you are not studying for final exams. Briefly read over other authoritative opinions, quickly make copies of format examples, exit library, create your final draft and get on with life!
Step 9:
After creating it mail it. If you don't get immediate results don't be surprised. Especially if it is a large establishment, they may take longer to answer than a smaller establishment, due to the multi levels of hierarchy. It may take your letter a few days to reach its mark, have an effect, and get a response. However if this period is longer than 2 1\2 weeks' check with the addresses you mailed it to and find out if it was delivered. It may have been lost in the mail. If it was received ask if they planned to reply. If they did, cut out the middleman and ask what the response is without having to wait for a letter or phone call.
Step 10:
If they refuse, take further action. Mail copies of your letter to consumer complaint agencies as well as local and national media representatives of newspapers and TV shows. Along with the copies of the letter mail explanations of why you are sending this info to them. Let them know you did not get a response from the person you mailed the grievance to directly. Ask for their assistance in getting a reply. Don't try to convince them to side with you on the issues merely acquire their support in getting a formal response from the establishment. The agencies and journalist will make up their own mind as to the legitimacy of your complaint. This author will admit that this is new country for me. I have never experienced a "no response" approach by the establishment.
Usually they always respond in one way or another. However lets look at more options if they don't respond or give you the end results you desire. If you wish to question the legitimacy of an establishment that you have or intend to do business with, you need to contact the (Better Business Bureau) in your area or in the area were the establishment in question resides. This is also a great source of information about past grievances filed against the establishment in question. When using the (Better Business Bureau) be sure to contact the bureau in the area where the establishment in question resides.
If you wish to have a formal body outside of the establishment in question perform the necessary inquiries into whether or not the establishment is willing to handle your complaint, you may contact the (Department of Consumer Affairs). Check for one in your area or the area of the establishment in question. The (Department of Consumer Affairs) is an excellent tool to use when you have already written a letter of complaint and have not gotten the desired end results you were seeking. It is also a good choice if you fail to receive a response to your letter of complaint.
These organizations are capable of making a greater impression on the conscience of the establishment in question. This causes the establishment to take your complaint more seriously. However this is not a guarantee that you will receive the desired end results that you are seeking, it is merely a powerful tool that gives the consumer a greater chance of invoking a response and possibly results from the establishment in question. If you decide to elicit the help of an attorney you should be sure not to write a letter of complaint prior to seeking council. Your attorney will instruct you in what he or she wants or doesn't want you to do concerning the incident in question. If you attempt to handle the matter yourself before seeking council it may provide some sort of evidence against you and cause your attorney difficulty.