Get the Help You Need

When You Just Can't Take It Anymore

You have done everything you were supposed to do, given the technicians all the information they've asked for, and followed their instructions to the letter, but the product still doesn't work. And the company refuses to provide further help. Here's how to vent--and make sure it does some good.

1. When repeated phone contact with a vendor doesn't resolve your gripe, send a letter--by snail mail, not e-mail--to the company's CEO. True, the big boss may not read it, but an assistant probably will. Outline your case succinctly and politely, and you just might get results.
   
   
2. Still stuck? Register a complaint with a local, state, or federal consumer affairs agency. Consumerworld.org offers a comprehensive list of these agencies, complete with links to their Web sites.
   
   
3. The Federal Trade Commission's Consumer.gov site offers dozens of helpful tips for resolving complaints, along with a link to the FTC's online complaint form.
   
   
4. Contact your local Better Business Bureau to file a complaint about your experience with any company. The BBB may be able to help resolve the issue--and it will factor your complaint into its overall rating for the vendor.
   
   
5. Web Guardian is a consumer rights site designed specifically to protect you in the world of virtual shopping malls. You can file a complaint here about an ISP or an online vendor.
   
   
6. Check the vibes at PlanetFeedback, a consumer advocacy Web site that posts people's comments about companies. If you submit a complaint yourself, PlanetFeedback will forward your letter directly to the company.
   
   
7. Another site that posts the grievances of unhappy consumers is Complaints.com. It covers everything from clothing to cruise lines, but tales of technology products and services gone wrong dominate the discussions.
   
   
8. If you're dissatisfied with an online merchant or would like to recommend a stellar one, head to ResellerRatings.com. As its name indicates, you can rate your reseller and read reports by other customers, some of whom may have useful advice.
   
   
9. For really serious disputes, log a complaint at the Federal Trade Commission's Web site. The FTC won't resolve your specific problem, but consumer complaints help this government agency investigate fraud.
   
   
10. If all else fails, you may be tempted to go to small claims court. But doing so can be expensive and exasperating--and you may have agreed to a user license that precludes you from suing. Legal-advice site Nolo offers sound counsel on the subject.