To  answer this question bluntly, I say 100% yes.  However, there is a method in doing so.  Recently I reserved an external hard drive online.  When I went to the store, I was informed that the item was not in stock.  I was absolutely livid and demanded to speak to the manager.  He instructed the sales advisor to reduce any external hardrive above £75 by £10.  Initially, this sounded great, but as I went to inspect the products, there weren’t any with similar specifications which would be equal or less than the original item I had reserved.  What at first sounded like a fair deal actually put me in a worse position and allowed the company to make even more money out of me! The sales advisor then directed me to go to another store and if that wasn’t enough insult to injury he then decided to walk away.

For me, this was the nail in the coffin. Before leaving the store, I noted all the staff members I had spoken to and logged the time the incident occurred.  I immediately knew what my mission was when I returned home.

In my opinion, I think the beauty of technology today is that you can do almost anything you want instantly and you don’t have to sit down to hand write a letter and wait till the letter arrives at the appointed destination. There are many sites online that give users free template complaint letters which consist of all the vital information that you should include in a letter.

Here are some key points to ensure you CREATE a credible complaint letter:

• It may sound obvious, but some people forget to note down their name, date and their preferred contact details.
• State all factual information of what occurred or about the product/service that you were not satisfied with.
• List the store location and all the relevant people you may have spoken to.  In addition, attaching dates/times of conversations, strengthens your grievance.
• With any additional documents that you may have previously been received or sent, ensure you send a copy to accompany your letter.
• Explain how you feel this issue could be reasonably and appropriately resolved.

After assessing all of my points, the company then offered me a £30 voucher, valid for 2 years, which I was able to use on any of their products.

Many people would just complain to their friends or family about the inadequate service they received, whereas complaining in the correct way, whether it’s face to face or in a letter, gives you a better chance of being compensated for your negative experience.

Remember the customer is always right!

Keep up with our Finance Editor and Features Writer La-Toya Kadesha on TWITTER@Toyz305

W| By La-Toya Kadesha