The Art of Complaining
James Wright
Professor Duke
English 1301
30 April 2014
The Fine Art of Complaining Whenever we have an issue in life that we feel deserves complaining, we often tend to get it wrong in a few different ways. We stay silent and don’t shed light on the issue; we over react by yelling and or jumping down someone’s throat; or we present the issue but reframe from standing firm and having it ameliorated. This causes us, as customers, to be unsatisfied with the service that is being given. “The Fine Are of Complaining” gives you the steps on what to do when presented these circumstances. While it gives you the step-by-step to verbal (over the phone) complaints, it also shows you how to approach complaining in person, and properly write a letter of complain. “The Fine Are of Complaining” is literally a brief description on how to properly and successfully complain, keeping you satisfied and not over worked. In the text it says, “Don’t Say, Sorry to bother you about this, but… or I, uh, was sort of expecting... “. It expresses how important it is to not be apologetic about something someone has done wrong. “Your only asking people to remedy a problem, after all; that is not grounds for an apology.” The funny thing is, I often find myself in that position. It’s as if I apologize for inconveniencing someone’s time, when in fact, they should be inconvenienced due to their mistake, not mine! Recently, I dealt with a situation concerning my apartment complex. I had a problem with my washing machine; it wasn’t properly washing my clothes. Also, my central air conditioning stopped working as soon as the weather became excessively hot. Due to the fact that both of these things are included in my rent, I didn’t think it was appropriate to go an extended period without them being fixed. So in a sense, I literally went through exactly what “The Art of Complaining” describes. I called and complained after putting in a work order for both issues a week prior. I
Professor Duke
English 1301
30 April 2014
The Fine Art of Complaining Whenever we have an issue in life that we feel deserves complaining, we often tend to get it wrong in a few different ways. We stay silent and don’t shed light on the issue; we over react by yelling and or jumping down someone’s throat; or we present the issue but reframe from standing firm and having it ameliorated. This causes us, as customers, to be unsatisfied with the service that is being given. “The Fine Are of Complaining” gives you the steps on what to do when presented these circumstances. While it gives you the step-by-step to verbal (over the phone) complaints, it also shows you how to approach complaining in person, and properly write a letter of complain. “The Fine Are of Complaining” is literally a brief description on how to properly and successfully complain, keeping you satisfied and not over worked. In the text it says, “Don’t Say, Sorry to bother you about this, but… or I, uh, was sort of expecting... “. It expresses how important it is to not be apologetic about something someone has done wrong. “Your only asking people to remedy a problem, after all; that is not grounds for an apology.” The funny thing is, I often find myself in that position. It’s as if I apologize for inconveniencing someone’s time, when in fact, they should be inconvenienced due to their mistake, not mine! Recently, I dealt with a situation concerning my apartment complex. I had a problem with my washing machine; it wasn’t properly washing my clothes. Also, my central air conditioning stopped working as soon as the weather became excessively hot. Due to the fact that both of these things are included in my rent, I didn’t think it was appropriate to go an extended period without them being fixed. So in a sense, I literally went through exactly what “The Art of Complaining” describes. I called and complained after putting in a work order for both issues a week prior. I