101 Habits of an Effective Complainer by Helen Dewdney Review

DISCLOSURE -THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by Rebecca Wong
I hate complaining. I often find it quite difficult as I have too much empathy for the person that I’m talking to, especially when I know it’s not down to them. I don’t feel comfortable putting people out, yet at the same time I think we need to demand a higher level of service in this country. I think we need to stop accepting inadequate products and services. We need to be a little bit more assertive as consumers. This book, 101 habits of an Effective Complainer by Helen Dewdney, who you may know as Social Media’s the Complaining Cow – https://thecomplainingcow.co.uk/ – takes a reluctant complainer like myself through lots of tips and advice that can help to get the results you want more effectively. There’s not much that Helen Dewdney doesn’t know about consumer rights, the law and the most effective way to make a complaint.
The book isn’t what I expected. In fact I was pleasantly surprised to find that it’s not a heavy read about consumer rights and the law, but instead is a collection of digestible and well-set-out pieces of advice.
It’s not just for those who are ‘big readers’ and is very accessible to all. You can read through from start to finish or skim through and go to sections that might be of more interest or may be your particular area of weakness. It’s easy to focus on and take in bite-size chunks of information. There are lots of real-life examples, both good and bad that help put the advice into context and make it more relevant.
However you decide to take-in the contents this book will absolutely help you to put together an effective strategy in any situation where a complaint is necessary. It will keep you on track by helping you to identify what you want to get out of the process and walk you through your options from using social media and knowing your rights to being assertive, concise and relentless in contacting the right people and putting your case across. All with the aim of ensuring you’re listened to and your requests are given the attention they need.
There is nothing worse than being fobbed off when you put in a complaint whether that be face-to-face or via email and Helen helps you to identify the best way forward to ensure this doesn’t happen and if it does, how you can then escalate your complaint.
In this country there seems to be a culture of not wanting to be a nuisance and not wanting to complain. This book is here to give us all real shake. It has helped me to understand the importance of sticking up for ourselves when we have spent money and effectively entered into a contract with a retailer or supplier of a service. I certainly don’t want to tempt fate but I am now prepared for the next time I feel a complaint is necessary. The tips and advice have armed me with a way forward but not only that, the book is great for referring to and checking in and getting some encouragement when the situation arises.
This is a very useful book, especially for people who struggle with complaining and being assertive in such situations. It retails at £12.99 and is currently on offer for £11.50 at thecomplainingcow.co.uk.
It’s a great tool in helping with clear communication, boosting confidence and identifying your goals; stopping you from being emotional about complaints – which often is what hinders us, and helps to be a little bit more objective. I think this will make a great Christmas present for those who feel the ick around complaining and I give it a 5/5.
Rating: 5/5