A Complaint Is a Gift, 2nd Edition

5 In the Mind of the Complaining Customer

When customers have problems with products they have purchased, few will bother to complain if the products are low in price. The research group TARP found that somewhere between 1 and 5 percent will complain to management or headquarters—that is, to someone who will or can do something about the problem.¹ About half the customers who are dissatisfied will just walk away and not return. What about the other 45 percent? They will complain to customer-facing staff. So, if service representatives are inclined ...