It Pays To Complain

I’m currently on the 12.15 from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston. Except they decided to merge it with the 12.35 (without telling us) and then held the train again at Stockport for another 20 minutes. There’s also the chance we’ll be diverted via Birmingham. So I’ll be at least 40 minutes late. It’s frustrating, and the lack of communication annoying. So I’m going to complain.

I should get half my fare back as the delay is definitely over 30 minutes (Read our 10 Cheap Train Tickets guide for how to do this). It won’t be much as I booked well in advance to get the lowest fare, but it all helps.

I’ll only complain if something has left me out of pocket, been incredibly poor service, and has been more than a minor inconvenience. I know many people can’t be bothered, and think it’s not worth the hassle. But sometimes I think it’s important to let companies know something’s not good enough, and it might make them change how they do things. Here are some occasions when I’ve felt the need to complain:

When I switched banks to Halifax I was due £100. It didn’t come and calls to customer service failed to find out why, so I had to complain. When it finally was sorted after two months, I was offered another £40 as an apology and compensation for phone costs and my time spent chasing.

The other week, The Sun+ membership scheme (Keep an eye on any of their deals we post) was giving away two free pints at certain pubs. We arranged to meet friends at the nearest pub, however none of the staff had heard of the deal so wouldn’t accept the vouchers. I sent a quick email. Today I received an apology and a £20 e-voucher to spend in their pubs.

A car we hired from Europcar at Christmas was leaking oil, meaning we used up twice as much petrol. Complaining got us a tank’s worth refunded.

I got some headphones from Amazon. They lasted two weeks. Some chasing later I got a full refund.

We bought vouchers for half price cocktails at the London Cocktail Club. There were no restrictions when we paid, but later we were told we could only go Monday to Wednesday. Complaining means we can now use them on weekends as we originally intended.

Whether you’d do the same is your choice, but I think it’s worth it. Both to make sure companies don’t fob us off, and to get what you’re entitled to.

If you feel the need to complain, read our 6 Tips on how to make it easier.

photo credit: hey mr glen via photopin cc