I'm sorry ma'am, I can't help you. It's policy
Odds are you've heard these words before. They seem to go hand in hand with merchant disputes. You feel as if you've been wronged and the merchant is not holding up his end of the deal in some way. What follows is a round of hoop jumping worthy of a Ringling Brothers Circus performance.
You will get ton's of commiseration but no actual results. Even worse is when they start doing the "department shuffle" on you. You know what the department shuffle is. That's when no matter who you call they tell you your problem is handled by a different department. Now you've moved up from hoop jumping to tennis ball being lobbed back and forth through every depart and supervisor they can find to pawn you off on.
Sooner or later you just get worn out and write the whole thing off as a loss. Admit it somewhere along the line this has happened to you. It's happened to me too in the past. The dispute is just not worth the hassle. You could call a lawyer but unless it is a huge amount of money it's not worth paying the attorney's fee.
Well that scenario does not have to be in your future anymore. Add up how much money you've written off in the past. Maybe not a lot individually but collectively is another matter. Perhaps you're close to affording attorney's fees when you add it all up.
When you write your complaint letters or make phone calls to a business you get directed to "Customer Service". If an attorney writes a letter or makes a phone call he gets directed to the Legal Department. Big difference isn't it. Instead of customer service reps telling him about policy, he get lawyers looking at liability and weighing the consequences of a lawsuit. That's why having a lawyer handle a dispute gets different results from you trying to do it yourself. Often he gets positive results.
Imagine having a lawyer write a letter on your behalf the next time you have a dispute with a merchant. It doesn't matter what the value of that product is. $30 blouse falling apart at the seams after wearing it once? Call your lawyer. Let them handle it.
You will get ton's of commiseration but no actual results. Even worse is when they start doing the "department shuffle" on you. You know what the department shuffle is. That's when no matter who you call they tell you your problem is handled by a different department. Now you've moved up from hoop jumping to tennis ball being lobbed back and forth through every depart and supervisor they can find to pawn you off on.
Sooner or later you just get worn out and write the whole thing off as a loss. Admit it somewhere along the line this has happened to you. It's happened to me too in the past. The dispute is just not worth the hassle. You could call a lawyer but unless it is a huge amount of money it's not worth paying the attorney's fee.
Well that scenario does not have to be in your future anymore. Add up how much money you've written off in the past. Maybe not a lot individually but collectively is another matter. Perhaps you're close to affording attorney's fees when you add it all up.
When you write your complaint letters or make phone calls to a business you get directed to "Customer Service". If an attorney writes a letter or makes a phone call he gets directed to the Legal Department. Big difference isn't it. Instead of customer service reps telling him about policy, he get lawyers looking at liability and weighing the consequences of a lawsuit. That's why having a lawyer handle a dispute gets different results from you trying to do it yourself. Often he gets positive results.
Imagine having a lawyer write a letter on your behalf the next time you have a dispute with a merchant. It doesn't matter what the value of that product is. $30 blouse falling apart at the seams after wearing it once? Call your lawyer. Let them handle it.
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Comments (7)
Cheryl Baumgartner12
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
I admit is is a very "American" solution in that our company is limited to North America. The idea around this company is not a new one. These types of plans have been in effect in parts of Europe since the turn of the century(1900). This was a need noticed and filled by our founder here in America in 1969 when he realized people could not afford to take advantage of the protection provided by law. Most of us only think of lawyers for criminal issues or wills. Most people in America do not
Jeff Greene8
Online Marketing Specialist/Consultant
The power of the people expressed electronically has weight BIGTIME, and don't you Corporations ever forget it!
Also, the Legal community, for good or ill, has discovered this power, so many law firms have set up blogs.
Jenny Stewart11
Hi Cheryl,
You have suggested a very American solution here. In most of the western world - the threat of legal action does not have as much of a "scare" factor as it does in the US. And also, in many countries it is very difficult to find a lawyer willing to take up a case like a consumer complaint for free. They often want money up front - which is a major deterrant to many people.
In Spain - small civil actions like this take so long that most people wouldnt even think of it asa threat
Cheryl Baumgartner12
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
The whole problem is the run-around. What we do puts an end to it. Where a customer service department passes the buck, the legal department addresses the issue. That's the advantage of having a lawyer to handle it for you!
Robert Coaster9
Independent Business Owner
Doesn't always work but i've found if i don't get a satisfactory answer from one customer service rep sometimes if you call back at a different time of the day you will. Guess it depends on who & what country they are outsourcing your calls to.
Robert
Cheryl Baumgartner12
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
Unfortunately we aren't in Australia but they may have something similar to us. I've used my plan several times and it allows me to use lawyers for little things like $30 blouses.
Jean DAndrea7
Retired
Hi Cheryl,
In principle, it's a great idea, but personally, I'd have to think twice about whether
the lawyer's fees would be worth it for a $30 blouse.
If it was an item worth hundreds, it would be different.
You're right, though, too many times one gets the runaround from merchants
and others, when the quality of their goods is poor, and not what is paid for.
Wish I could send them all a lawyer's letter! :-)
Jean