Mike Carruthers

Most of us avoid complaining because, well, we don't want to seem difficult or awkward or entitled.

But it turns out that not complaining often costs us more than speaking up.

And that when you do it the right way, complaining can actually work in your favor.

So, when should you complain?

How do you do it without sounding angry or unreasonable?

And what separates a complaint that gets ignored from one that actually leads to a fair outcome?

That's what we're going to talk about with Eric Z. He's author of a book called The Art of the Constructive Complaint.

How to speak up, get heard, and turn everyday frustrations into fair outcomes.

Hey, Eric, welcome to Something You Should Know.

Hi, Mike.

Thanks for having me.

Sure.

So to answer my own question that I just posed a moment ago, the reason I often don't complain, and I do complain sometimes, but often I don't complain because it doesn't feel like it's worth it.

There's not going to be any big payoff.

It's too much trouble.

And I think that's how most people feel.

If you're at a restaurant and you want to complain about something, say, I'm always worried about possible retaliation.

Maybe they'll spit in my food or the service will get even worse.

And so I'm wondering, maybe you've researched this, generally speaking, what does the waitstaff think when you complain?

Yeah, well, I don't like to hear complaints.