Six steps to consumer satisfaction
Clark Howard, WSB-TV consumer adviser
Part II: What to do when all else fails
Roxy Owen and Barbara Smith have been neighbors in their Cherokee County subdivision for two years and every time it rains, they watch their front yards wash away.
"During the rainy season, it's like a flash flood," says Roxy Owen. "It is a raging force of water."
Rushing water has exposed pipes, undermined driveways, and flooded their basements. It even knocked over Barbara's last line of defense, a 3-foot tall retaining wall.
"Gravel is down the street," Smith says. "All my plants are dead or gone."
Owen believes the developer and the builder are both responsible.
Builder complaints light up the phone lines here in my Consumer Action Center.
But whether your problem is big or small, whether it is with your neighbor or a Fortune 500 company, the advice my volunteers give is the same advice I would give you. Here's your blueprint for success:
Step 1: Clearly identify what the problem is?
Step 2: Determine what specifically do you want done to fix it?
In Smith's case, she wants a house that she can resell and that looks pleasant.
Step 3: Find the person to whom you should complain.
Step 4: Determine who has the decision making power to fix your problem?
Owen says she has been fighting with the builder and has called the city numerous times.
Step 5: Document all your attempts to solve the problem.
Owen has kept a log of all phone calls and of countless letters. She even kept the cardboard blueprints of failed fixes.
Smith has kept all receipts for dirt and blocks she has bought.
In the back of my book, I have included a workbook section for you to document your efforts, and some sample complaint letters. A letter sent by certified mail is the most effective way I have found to get problems resolved. Send it certified so you have proof that they received it.
Step 6: Make sure your letter clearly states what your problem is, what you want done to fix it and what time frame you expect it to be completed.
And don't give up.
Smith and Owen aren't letting their builder or developer walk away. They've tried twice now, and a third letter is in the works. Their final stop may be small claims court.
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