Recently, the sagas and tales of poor or inexcusable service within the retail and service industry seem to be bountiful.

Perhaps they revolve around social and news media revealing a lack of personnel or training for such workers or technology that does not fully perform.

Rising to the top of the list is the self checkout process. Systems which don’t fully work, customers who bring a zillion items to the scanner, or at the exit door or parking lot, personnel challenge you by requesting your payment receipt.

Let me share with you several incidents I have faced and how I addressed them:

My first account goes back decades, when I was on active duty with the U.S. Navy.

I entered a Sears store to purchase a bicycle. I had a Sears credit card in good standing. At that time, my credit limit was $100. When I went to purchase the bike, the price neared $110. I requested a minor extension of my credit limit. The cashier informed me by stating something like, “We consider military members to be a credit risk.”

It was 30-plus years before I again entered a Sears store.

More recently, a dear friend was celebrating a significant birthday.

We wanted to purchase a magazine from the month and year she was born. On the Web, I found Big Chicken Barn Books in the state of Maine. They could offer a specific Life magazine. I ordered online with detailed notations to ship directly to our friend in St. Louis.

A subsequent telephone call confirmed the order and where to ship.

The historic magazine arrived at our address instead of in St. Louis. I repackaged and shipped off to St. Louis.

Numerous emails and telephone calls were directed to Big Chicken, requesting a refund of $33.40 for the magazine and the reshipping. No response.

I then turned over my order request and emails to the Better Business Bureau, the local small claims court magistrate, and the state of Maine’s Attorney General’s Office for assistance.

Big Chicken never responded to any of them.

Finally, I sent a letter to Big Chicken’s owner with all my order and email documentation. I copied the Better Business Bureau, the attorney general, and the local daily newspaper.

My letter cited a response deadline.

Alas, a $33.40 check arrived with a notation to do better with my shipping request. I let this comment pass.

A recent stay at a Hilton brand hotel in Kalamazoo offered a well-priced and well-located hotel. Upon entering the room, we found the commode featured fecal matter and the wash basin and floor were not cleaned.

Within hours, I wrote a detailed email with a supporting photo to the hotel’s general manager.

He never acknowledged my email.

I then reached out via email to the corporation that operates the property, copying the email I directed the general manager. I commented in my transmission that county and state regulatory and inspection agencies would frown upon the conditions I cited.

Within 20 minutes of my transmission, I received a telephone call from a corporate office representative with a sincere apology, a full refund of our stay, and 20,000 additional reward points.

Finally, I had a tissue biopsy undertaken by my dermatologist.

She informed me I could go to any Henry Ford Health clinic to have the sutures removed. I made an appointment at a Ford urgent care facility and made my copayment.

The attending physician stated I needed to return to my dermatologist. I directed the physician to my electronic medical record which stated I could go to any Ford facility. The physician continued to refuse suture removal.

I reached out to a Ford senior vice president with that issue and added that that is Medicare fraud in that I made payment and no service was rendered. I received a full refund, and that physician has moved on.

In summary, you have rights as a paying customer when you have been wronged.

My general guidelines are:

∫ Document all your moves and requests. You need a trail.

∫ In all instances, be coolheaded. Do not be loud and very angry. Just state the facts and what you must have for a fair settlement.

∫ Ask to speak to the appropriate manager.

∫ Seek assistance from the Better Business Bureau and the state attorney general’s office for consumer/retail affairs.

∫ If the organization has a corporate office, reach out to the CEO, COO, or leader of customer relations.

∫ State you will take all documentation to small claims court and cite you will win.

∫ Consider reaching out to a media contact with your issue.

∫ Never honor or shop again at the business that wronged you, and share the facts of your experience with family and friends.

∫ Consider posting factual comments and experience online.

Jeffrey D. Brasie is a retired health care CEO. He frequently writes historic feature stories and op-eds for various Michigan newspapers. As a Vietnam-era veteran, he served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Naval Reserve. He served on the public affairs staff of the secretary of the Navy. He grew up in Alpena and resides in suburban Detroit.