Everyone complains: rich, poor, educated, old, young
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.According to a new study published on March 4 in the Journal of Consumer Affairs, a social science journal, everyone complains irrespective of age, education, income, gender and ethnicity.
No surprise people are equally annoyed if they are getting customer "disservice" after finding out a new product is damaged, warranty is invalid or doesn't cover the "problem."
Dennis E. Garrett, PhD, the dean of the marketing at Marquette University in Wisconsin, analyzed 24,000 complaints during a 13-year time frame and linked them with the income, ethnicity, age, and education of the complainer using U.S. Census Bureau data.
In the consumer satisfaction sphere, those that are poor, less educated, younger, minority consumers are defined as "disadvantaged" or "vulnerable." These groups did not live up to their labels when it came down to returning damaged goods or demanding refunds.
Garrett concluded, "we found that a consumer's level of education, age, and minority status were not strongly linked to their complaining behavior. However, consumers with lower incomes were less likely to complain as were consumers in rural areas."
If you are timid about speaking up or making a complaint, My3cents.com, a consumer support blog, recommends these easy effective tips: stay calm, act quickly, ask for a manager, be concise and know what you want. For more detail, go to: http://www.my3cents.com/consumerBlog.cgi?id=55
Full study, Are Consumers Disadvantaged or Vulnerable? An Examination of Consumer Complaints to the Better Business Bureau: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123309943/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments