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The fine art of complaining
Topic Started: Feb 19 2007, 12:20 AM (138 Views)
Eral
Kopi Luwak
http://www.theage.com.au/news/tips/the-art...1405373236.html

Mr.FPS is a first class whinger. Polite, gentle voiced, but determined. The first few hours of any holiday are always the same. I walk in and go "Oh, this is lovely." He looks for goo round the bath or immediately detects a lack of view, and says "This looks like a job for Hassle-Boy!" Room changes? I'm a veteran.

Articles like this seem a bit misleading to me. "Complain and you will get what you want." Don't we have to have a legitamite complaint first? Are we becoming a world of nit-pickers? The woman who said she didn't feel safe was lying. Should that be encouraged?
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Bex
puppet dictator
Ah, sense of entitlement.

Reminds me of pretty much any meal out with my mother-in-law (so thankful J laughs with me about this instead of insisting there's no problem). Service is too slow, drinks not refilled often enough, food too cold, portions not large enough (though she never can eat her whole meal), not enough garlic in her salad, bring more bread NOW....

We make a game out of "what'll it be this time?" because it's not possible to go anyplace where she doesn't find something to complain about. I think mostly to justify tipping poorly, or to try to get something for free.

If I really have a problem, I'll say something. Hell, J and I and a friend walked out of a restaurant where we were shushed by the hostess while talking and waiting to be seated, then ignored for 20 minutes after getting a table. Some things are beyond even my patience.

But I dunno. Maybe it's because I'm young and poor and don't get to go really nice places very often. Low expectations.
I belong to one of those families that does not speak to or see its members as often as we should,
but if someone needed anyone to fall on a sword for her, there would be a queue waiting to commit the deed.
-Min Jin Lee
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Krazy
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I haz powah!
Ahh, yes restaurants. I think I am from a family of whingers. Big family meals are a major source of complaints. Normally my grand mother, but I have been guilty of it as well. However if someone smokes then my Grandfather who is usually very patient goes insane.

It is an interesting question though, given the supposed British stiff upper lip putting up with poor service that the flip side is that companies are providing poor service knowing that no-one complains. They reckon that we don't as a people complain enough.

I however am an expert complainer (I prefer that to whinger), although I'll only complain if I feel aggrieved, I don't complain for the sake of it.
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Eral
Kopi Luwak
I get too cross to be an expert whing- complainer. Although the deadly look in my eye, frozen facial expression and words ground out through gritted teeth usually do get me a solution pretty quickly.

I tend to put up with stuff, if it isn't important, and doesn't seriously inconvenience me. I never complain in restaurants: I'm always happy with the food. Admittedly, I don't like well-done steaks and thus am spared a major source of grievance. If a place isn't up to scratch, I just don't go back there.
I wouldn't have complained to the manager about the sports team -I would have considered that an act of God. But I would have told the boys to get back in their rooms, or found the person in charge of them. Let's get a solution that works for everybody.
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lara
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Kopi Luwak
My husband's a whinger and it's rubbing off on me and I HATE IT. His mom is a first-class "I am entitled" type, and he learned it from her. He figures it is a service person's job to provide perfect service every time or, if a mistake is made, to go overboard atoning for said error. It's ridiculous. People make mistakes.

Of course, once you please him, he is the most loyal customer ever and will forgive many faults, so he does have his good side.

And there are situations where complaints are justified and something should be done to make up for the inconvenience.
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Eral
Kopi Luwak
People with delusions of entitlement are THE most annoying in the world. And yet, I admire their chutzpah. I hate being the person trying to please them, but the idea "I deserve a perfect life" is somehow attractive. :lol:

On my holiday, I saw two groups of people who were very disappointed with the weather. The first group did a bit of bitching and moaning, and then tried to make the best of it: making jokes, finding things that they did enjoy. The second group were relentlessly negative. They seemed to expect the manager would reimburse them because they were dissatisfied. They were appalled that this wasn't the case.
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Boeing
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Yellow
I don't really complain or suchlike. I mostly keep my mouth shut, and in the case of restaurants, make sure I never go there again.
I want you. I want you so bad. I want you so bad it's driving me mad. She's so heavy!
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Regullus
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Reliant
I hate complaining in general. When I was young, in my late teens and early twenties, I never complained for two reasons, one, everything was fine for me, I was going to school and I wasn't tired as you can get when you have more responsibilities, two, I was probably more easily intimidated but I don't really recall a situation where complaint was warranted. If I do need to complain then I usually very mellow about it, my ego doesn't get involved. Also, so often the person or employee you would complain to isn't directly responsible for the situation. There's no point being unpleasant to them.

The first time I really remember being irritable and bitchy about something was when we went to Puerto Rico to visit my in-laws and they arranged for us to stay at a friend's condo at the beach. Sounds fantastic, right? No, the place was dirty and moldy and the bedroom was right on a busy roadway. BTW, we did pay, I think, $75.00 a night, not a huge sum but not nothing either. I was so tired and nothing worked and it was gross and I do remember just rolling my eyes at my husband and feeling ripped off but I can't say I complained to anyone directly but I do remember being really disappointed. We went for a long weekend and there wasn't any need to find something else which we would have done if we had stayed longer.

I've been thinking as I have been writing and trying to recall bad service and situations where the companies' mess up some arrangement and I do remember mistakes but I don't remember being particularly fussed about it. On the whole, everybody has been very nice.

Today, if there is something to complain about, I will make a complaint but as I said, I just point it out and expect it to be rectified, if possible. I'm not going to complain about the weather or traffic.

Also, if I do complain, I don't do it for freebies, I do it because the situation is sub par and needs to be rectified.

Bex: My mother in law complains and hostilely complains about everything too. She'll go to MacDonald's and complain because they can't make her an egg white omelet. :lol: She's a total nut, really.
tempus_teapot
 
I'd like to add that at this point I have taken my Spider Jerusalem action figure and tied his wrist to my Cassidy (from Preacher) action figure just so I can work out which positions are feasible with them and which aren't.

Read that and weep, internet. Weep!

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Blood_Raven
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Come burn with me.
Some of us complain too much? Some say I do, but like whatever. :D
TheFrozen North forums. Where it's at.
Mood for today: Perfection
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