Being a conscientious consumer isn’t always easy—between monitoring your credit report, reading the fine print on all offers before signing and scrutinizing per-unit costs on merchandise, you’ve got plenty of financial matters to keep your mind occupied.

And, because you work hard to take care of yourself, it’s important to learn how to usefully complain.

The Difference between Complaining & Whining

Many Americans are afraid to complain when something goes wrong because they don’t want to seem rude or ungrateful, but some situations merit complaint—and can both benefit you and save others from negative experiences.

Here are some guidelines for effective complaining about defective goods.

• Protect yourself and your family. Some botched buys (the canned food that smelled strange, the light bulb that had a crack in it) are health and safety hazards. If you discover that a recent purchase has spoiled before its time, you should complain.
• Be polite and concerned. If your complaint involves an isolated incident or purchase, call the retailer in question and explain your situation calmly. Ask about the policy for such cases. In addition to potentially getting a refund or replacement, you’ll be able to alert the manager to what may be a larger problem.
• Act quickly. Report any defects as soon as you notice them, while you still have a receipt handy. Swift action may also prevent other consumers from having to deal with the faulty product.
• Consider the cost. If the prospect of lodging a complaint seems too unpleasant, consider the amount of money you stand to lose by throwing away your defective purchase.

Larger-Scale Complaints: Getting the Government Involved

While sending back your soup or asking for a refund on some tainted beef may seem marginally important (after all, such items only affect a small group of people), filing complaints about fraudulent practices and scams could help protect millions of other consumers.

The Federal Trade Commission, a government agency designed to protect consumer rights, allows Americans to file complaints online about businesses and organizations.

If you’ve had dealings with a group that you think may have scammed or cheated you, do not hesitate to file a complaint. When the FTC receives a certain volume of complaints about a given organization, it can launch investigations and take legal action to prevent the group from doing further damage.

In some cases, the FTC even settles with scammers and requires such organizations to pay restitution to the individuals who were harmed.

Additional Resources

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (PDF)

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