Most credit cards work well, but there are times when a credit card falls short of what a customer needs. In these cases it may be a good idea to complain.
Many credit card companies actually welcome complaints. This is for three main reasons. The first is that if a complaint is dealt with successfully then it will not need to go to an outside agency, such as the government or a consumer group. This can save a lot of trouble in the long term.
The second reason why a credit card company is likely to welcome a complaint is that the credit card company is likely to find that a customer who has a complaint dealt with successfully is more likely to remain a loyal customer. Consumer research has shown that customers who have a complaint about a product are more likely to stay with that product than customers who have no complaint at all about a product. Complaints are a way of getting customer loyalty.
The third reason why credit card companies welcome complaints is that they find out what the perception of their product is in the market. This will mean that they can deal with incipient problems and changed expectations on a wider scale sooner than if they were to rely on consumer research. Dealing effectively with complaints and making the complaints process simple and meaningful is in fact far cheaper than not dealing with any complaints at all.
There are two ways of dealing with a complaint with the credit card company, phoning up the credit card provider or writing to them.
Phoning up a credit card provider to complain can be done through the normal phone number, or there may be a specific number on their web site. If phoning up directly it is a good idea to ask for the complaints line. There may not be a complaints line, particularly with smaller providers, but there is likely to be a script or a point at which a person is supposed to give the call to their supervisor. It is often the case that the first person who answers the call is not likely to be the person who can sort out a problem on the card, unless it is a relatively minor problem.
Writing to the company can also be done. This should be done in more serious cases or when the phone call has not worked. The card number and account number should be on the card as with any dates and times of transactions of phone calls.
