Reputation Management Blog

By: Luke Axton

As like any other person who works in a customer service job, I surely get to see my fair share of customer complaints. Just about on a daily basis, some one or the other comes in to our store to complain about the product or the service or perhaps even both. Although it would not be right to say that all customers are annoying, there are those customers, who especially aggravate me with their right to customer complaints. Please allow me to explain.

Few weeks back, there was this guy who ‘mistakenly’ bought a pair of shoes with two left feet. Well, that is the truth. As a matter of fact the shoes department is the one with a fairly high number of customer complaints. This gentleman bought the shoes alright, but if he were like you or me, he would have realized that there was something wrong the first time he tried them on. To top it off, he managed to wear these shoes for an almost continuous period of three months before a colleague pointed out that there was something wrong. That is when he came back to the store to lodge a customer complaints about the service offered to him.

As a rule, if he had brought the shoes back in a near new condition, we would have handed him a refund and considered the case closed. However in this particular case, the shoes were not only worn out. They were almost in tatters. And despite everything he only insisted upon his right to file a customer complaint and seek a refund. No matter how much I tried to explain to him politely that though he had purchased and taken home two left shoes, he should have brought the matter to our notice through customer complaints well in advance. And besides he nearly destroyed the shoes that would be of no use to us. Though his loss was one pair, our loss was in effect two good pairs of shoes.Except of course there was another customer who could ‘mistakenly’ purchase two right shoes!

In another case, there was this customer complaint with regards to the lady who bought an artificial mink coat and returned back to the store almost six months later to lodge a customer complaint. Want to know her issue? Well, she had been deceived into buying an artificial mink coat and wanted a refund. Needless to mention, the offending mink coat had been well used and was in fact the worse for wear. But nonetheless file a customer complaint she would.

At times there are customer complaint cases that I find extremely taxing. To help out someone who accidentally made a shopping gaffe is all fine. And the gratitude for such customers is well worth the initial hostility they show. Unlike customers who are determined to take stores for a ride and then demand on the right to file customer complaints to cover their own faults are the ones who get my goat. Even as I am all for encouraging customer complaints as a ration course of action, I find myself ever more reluctant to help out such people.

Author: Uchenna Ani-Okoye

Most Dental Assistants work hard to ensure the best quality treatment available to all patients. However, there are those who don’t live up to the expectations of the patient. The patient has the right to address this issue with the dental facility. If they do not feel their complaint has been properly handled, they can then file a complaint with the State Dental Board.

State Dental Boards are responsible for regulating dental practices. They work hard to protect the public against improper behaviours by Dental Assistants, Dental Hygienists, and Dentists. They are to thoroughly investigate all complaints filed that involve competency. State Dental Boards do not handle complaints such as fee disputes, personality conflicts, rude behaviours, or difficulty with scheduling appointments in a timely manner. Such issues are to be referred to the Better Business Bureau.

It is important to file a complaint with the State Dental Board as soon as possible to allow then to be of the most help. Most states allow you to file your complaint online, over the phone, or you can request a form be sent to you in the mail. Some states will only accept a complaint in writing.

Dental Assistants need to be aware of the process that patients can go through if they have a complaint. Dental Assistants need to be cooperative during the investigation. If a Dental Assistant feels a patient may file a complaint, it is important to write down as much information as possible. This information needs to include the patient’s name, date, time, and what took place. Also document any verbal interactions and who all was present to observe the incident. This information will be very useful to you and to the State Dental Board.

The Dental Board works hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. However, it will not rush the efforts to investigate it properly. Some complaints are resolved in a matter of days while others linger for years. Once a complaint has been filed, a copy of it is sent to the dental facility for a response. Generally, the dental facility is given a specific time frame to have their response back to the State Dental Board.

Once the response is received and reviewed, the Dental Board will compare the information to that on the complaint. From there, a course of action will be mapped out. This generally involved conducting interviews of all parties present during the incident. A panel is set up to investigate if any dental laws were violated. If there appears to be a violation, a hearing will be scheduled. The Dental Assistant will be notified as well as required to show up for the hearing.

If the Dental Assistant is found to be in violation of dental laws, the Dental Board will issue a reprimand. This will depend on the state guidelines as well as the violation. Reprimands may include a letter of apology, suspension, probation, or even revocation of the Dental Assistant’s license. The Dental Board is not allowed to require monetary compensation. If the person filing the complaint wants to be compensated in that manner, they will need to file a civil suit with their local judicial system.

Dental Assistants who find themselves in the middle of a complaint issue with the Dental Board are likely to experience anxiety and fear. Many dental facilities will provide the individual with counseling as well as legal consultation. In most cases, it will depend on the issue the Dental Board is investigating. If the dental facility backs the Dental Assistant they will do all they can? However, if they feel the Dental Assistant is in violation of dental regulations they may terminate the individual, leaving them to pay for their own defence.