Karen Love knew she had a problem the minute she picked up her car from the shop. In replacing a damaged door, the mechanic had knocked out the air-conditioning vent and dripped solvent on the steering wheel, dissolving the leather grip. "I went right back in and complained," says Love, who lives in Fairfax, Va. "They said it was an old car and blew the whole thing off."

When Love persisted, the foreman finally agreed to replace the vent. Two months later, the part still hadn't arrived.

Sound familiar? These days, lousy service, a bad attitude and an endless runaround represent the norm in customer relations rather than the exception, says James Hood, of ConsumerAffairs.com, which posts customer complaints online. "It is beyond appalling how unresponsive retailers have become," he says.

Confronted with impenetrable phone trees and daunting paperwork, most customers never even bother to complain. "Companies count on that," says Hood.

But that doesn't mean your problem has to go unresolved. Knowing how to push back, or how to find someone who will push on your behalf, improves your chances of prevailing against inefficiency, incompetence and outright fraud. Here's how to get your way, one step at a time.

1| Ladle on the honey. Ticket agents, hotel clerks and other frontline personnel face complaints daily; they're inured to tantrums. Rather than scream at employees, says Hood, "I try to approach them as another ordinary person caught in the system and ask what they would do in my situation. The worse the problem gets, the nicer I become."

2| Focus on fixers. It's fair to give the person behind the counter or on the phone first crack at resolving the problem, especially if it originated there, says Ed Gagnon, president of Customer Service Solutions, in Charlotte, N.C. But if that employee lacks authority to address the issue, go to the supervisor, advises Gagnon.

For serious or systemic problems, write to the chief executive officer or the company's customer-service manager. Stung by surly treatment from Northwest Airlines personnel, Julie Ganser wrote to the company's customer-relations manager and received an apology and a $100 travel voucher -- although she found both cold comfort. "At this point, I don't know if I would ever fly Northwest again," says Ganser, who lives in Madison, Wis.

3| Cut to the chase. Call centers often evaluate employees not by how they handle a complaint but by how long the conversation lasts, therefore customer reps have a target call time. To use your time as efficiently as possible and avoid getting the bum's rush, arm yourself with specifics and lay them out succinctly, including your expectations. If a phone rep tries to transfer you, put your foot down. "Say, 'I expect you or your manager to take ownership of this right now. I'm not going to be put on hold,' " advises Gagnon.

Use the same strategy with letters and e-mails. State the problem, provide details -- including dates and times -- and propose a solution in no more than one page or one screen. Propose a time frame -- say, 14 days -- in which you expect a resolution. After 15 days, move on to the next step.

MORE: Kiplinger.com | Your Money

TOOLS:   E-Mail Article  |  Print Article  |  Reprint Article  |  Content Licensing & Partnerships

E-MAIL ALERTS: Keep up-to-date with the latest Kiplinger has to offer

SAVE, SHARE & DISCUSS:    |   |   |   |   |    

ADD HEADLINES: