How to Complain Online

10 Effective Ways to Complain About a Company Online

Why does it sometimes seem like prices keep going up and the level of customer service keeps going down? In this economy, we want to make sure that every dime we spend is warranted. Everywhere you go, the prices are higher, and it seems you are getting less for your money. Or maybe you’re okay spending the money for an item, but when you get it home the quality is bad or the item arrives broken. Can you do anything about this trend? Yes, you can.

Check out 10 effective ways and online destinations to file complaints that a company will pay attention to.

1. Go to the company website.

The first thing you should do is go to the company website and contact customer service with an explanation of what happened. Don’t go in expecting a lot, but if you received rude service, they will probably apologize and offer you some sort of discount to entice you back. If there is no customer service, write to the manager or CEO. Direct your complaint to whoever is listed on the site, and let them know specifically what happened, when it happened, and where it happened. Many times problems can be resolved without a lot of fuss.

2. Contact the Better Business Bureau.

Write to your Better Business Bureau. This used to mean taking out pen and paper and snail mailing a letter to them, but not anymore. You can go online to this site and fill out a complaint about a company. The nature of the complaint will determine where you go from there.

3. Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

The Federal Trade Commission will investigate a company if it knows about wrongdoing. In order for it to know, people need to file complaints. These complaints often display a pattern of wrongdoing that the FTC will then investigate, which will be beneficial for you and anyone else who has been scammed by a company. Go to this website, and there’s a button you can click on and fill out your complaint. It’s as easy as that. You don’t have to provide a lot of personal information, but if you don’t, that may limit the amount of investigating the FTC can do.

4. Check out the Ripoff Report.

Not only is this a good site to post your complaint on; it’s a good site to check out before you go and spend money at businesses. Problems that people have had are listed here. This site prides itself on the fact that it will not remove complaining posts from the site even if threatened. While that might not be good if someone chooses to complain about a competitor and the complaint is full of false information, it is good in light of deep-pocket companies that think they can buy and bully people into doing what they want.

5. Email spam@uce.gov.

This is the email address to use to file your complaint with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission Consumer Fraud department. This is the place to send complaints about spam and frauds on the internet.

6. Try Yelp.

This powerhouse site lets customers rate local businesses of all kinds. If a business is not delivering on its promises, you can write a review on Yelp. Many businesses work hard to protect their online reputation, and public forums like Yelp are a great way to offer your experiences, good or bad.

7. Post on Planet Feedback.

Similar to Ripoff Report, this is a site where you can post a complaint and other people can weigh in on what you are complaining about. Sometimes they will agree with you, but often they don’t and try to point out another point of view.

8. Google your attorney general.

If you google your state, you will be able to find an email address for your attorney general. Once you have an email address, sit down and write a concise letter that includes the details of what happened. If the attorney general gets several letters on the same subject, they are more likely to launch an investigation.

9. Post on Pissed Consumer.

If you don’t get satisfaction from one of these sites, try another one. Here is yet another site (Pissed Consumer) where you can post a complaint.  There’s no telling which one of these sites someone will read, so if you are trying to warn people about a rip-off you may want to post your experience on multiple sites.

10. Visit Resolver.

This site is different from others in that you don’t just vent herein order to get something off your chest or to warn others away from a business. If you want a resolution to your situation, try this site because you complain through this site, and it makes sure that your complaint gets to where it needs to go. Seventy-six percent of the people who complain through this site get a response. Of those who got a response, 86% were happy or satisfied with the end results. It’s definitely worth a try.

While some of us enjoy going toe-to-toe with people at a store, I understand that others don’t like conflict. But these individuals also don’t want to be a victim and want to prevent the same thing from happening to other people.

That said, we highly recommend that you cool off before posting your complaints. This way you can speak to the facts. One way of ensuring you’re not just reacting emotionally is to wait a day or two before posting a review, so that you’re working with a clear mind unmuddled by emotion. It’s only fair.