My first ever letter of complaint.

And probably the best one I will ever write.

Never have I ever been so ANGRY at a shop owner.

Just thought I'd share the letter I wrote with you guys.

And the more people who see, the better!

COMPLAINT: DISPLEASED WITH SERVICE

Sheffield Photographic Centre.
473 Ecclesall Road,
South Yorkshire,
S11 8PP.

January 29^th 2011.

Dear John,

I am writing of a matter which I am confident will be of interest to you.

On Saturday, January 29^th 2011, I came to your shop seeking advice, information and also the possibility of service on my Nikon DSLR. You ‘served’ me and you were very rude, patronising and dishonest. I was spoken down to and talked over numerous times.
I am 21 years old and yet, I can honestly declare that I was very mature as I remained calm, polite, well-spoken and I was sensible and truthful in everything I said as I know that raising your voice and talking over somebody does not solve any problems – which I’m disappointed to say, that’s precisely what you did.
I originally went into your shop not knowing that you do not supply Canon cameras. Instead of being told this simply and in a straight forward manner, I was patronised, made to feel unintelligent and inexperienced as a camera user and told numerous lies.
Firstly, I inquired about the Canon EOS 550D (Rebel T2i). You proceeded to tell me that this is an American product and that the UK does not sell it. Unfortunately for you, I am not a naïve, gullible fool. I knew of course that this is a lie and I told you that it is indeed sold in the UK. In fact, I saw it for sale in Jessops and Currys at Meadowhall, here in Sheffield – two very strongly established retailers, in this very city.
You continued to lie to me and patronise me by saying the following, “Currys doesn’t sell cameras. They sell washing machines.”
Standing up for what I know is the truth, I said, “No, Currys do sell this camera. In fact, my boyfriend bought it from Meadowhall just over a month ago.” And just for your own information, yes, Currys do sell washing machines and also many cameras.
Rather than being convicted by this fact and admitting fault, you retaliated by saying, “I would go to Currys to buy my washing machine – not my camera. [Referring to the Canon EOS 550D (Rebel T2i)] It’s an American import and you can’t trust the warranties and the service that places like Currys provide.”
To confirm your claim for myself, I said, “Oh, you’re talking about the after-sales service – not problems with the camera itself.” And you replied, “No, you can’t trust American products.”
At this point, I was in utter shock with your unsupported statements and poor manners towards a potential customer. You talked over me, interrupted me and patronised me but remaining calm and polite, I asked, “Do you only trust UK products?” You answered yes and finally showed me that your shop mainly sells Nikon, Olympus and Panasonic products – no Canon nor Pentax cameras.
My following question after that, “Are you saying that if I want to buy a Canon camera, I need to avoid specialist shops like this?” And you replied, “No, you need to avoid places like Currys.”
You also expressed this terribly vague and biased opinion. “Nikon is more technologically advanced. This is our opinion.”
Being someone who is not easily swayed by word of mouth and someone who always seeks information from trustworthy sources, I did not fail in asking, “Who is ‘our’? Who’s opinion is this?” To which you responded, “Mine.”
I believe that everybody is entitled to their own opinion but this was extremely inappropriate in a business setting and very unprofessional. In my opinion, it was immature. It was misleading and borderline dishonest. I assume that as a business man, you are aware that the minimum requirements of self-regulatory advertising must be ‘legal, decent, honest and truthful’.
I can say without any hesitation that much of the information you provided me was certainly not honest and truthful.
When I ask for information, it is my right to be given, if obtainable, backed-up facts and up to date specifications – not a single shop owner’s opinion and ungrounded claims about their larger and more established competitors. If I entered an Apple Inc. store and asked why I should convert from using a Windows PC to using a Mac, I guarantee that I would be given up to date, detailed and correct specifications that are truthful and backed-up.

I would like you to know that I had foreseen the possibility of doing business with your firm in the future. Unfortunately, that will not occur if I am to expect this type of service. Nor will I recommend your services to my peers. In fact, I will strongly, with a passion, advise them to avoid your business altogether – regardless of whether they are Canon or Nikon users. Surely, my unfortunate experience is not in alignment with your reputation, which I hear is of high calibre and has been for over 20 years. But seeing as you find it acceptable to express strong opinion and bias as if it were actual fact, I will be sure to pass on details of my experience at your shop in the same manner.


Sincerely,
a Currys customer, Nikon DSLR user and Canon fan,
Garbo Yau.