Personal Finance Lesson: Effective Consumer Complaints
Lesson Background
Always Check Over Your Bills
We have all been there at some point. You receive a bill in the mail that just isn’t right. Or maybe you purchased a product and were less than satisfied.
Knowing how to handle these situations is part of being a smart consumer. So, in my Personal Finance classes, we cover the process for filing a complaint.
Having just covered cell phone comparison shopping in the previous lesson, I use that as a starting point and play a news clip of a consumer who received a $16,000 cell phone bill (there are plenty of news clips of these types out there…any one will work).
The video clip leads into a discussion in which the class provides personal examples of instances in which they (or a family member) had to have an issue resolved.
I then go through a short PowerPoint presentation in which I cover the complaint process as well as the mechanics of writing an effective complaint letter.
The lesson concludes with the students writing their own complaint letter, following a sample letter included in the US Consumer Action Handbook. Rather than having the students completely make up a letter, I have them randomly draw from a group of scenarios I have written up. An example being:
You recently received your monthly Cable Bill from Time Warner Cable (Account #8914651). Normally your bill consists of charges for Basic Cable and Internet, with a total of $89.99. However, this month HBO and Cinemax appear to have been added to your bill. You did not order these stations, and do not want them, but because they are on your bill, it is now $14.99 higher.
I intentionally leave a few items off of the scenario. First of all, I leave off the company’s address, so the student can practice going online and looking up an appropriate customer service address.
Also, there is no mention of how the problem should be resolved in the scenario. It is up to the student to decide what to request.
Some may say letter writing is an outdated mode of communication, and I agree. However, this activity helps students understand the basic information they would need to communicate in a consumer complaint. That knowledge can be applied to complaints sent via e-mail, telephone, or in person.
Lesson Resources
Website: www.consumeraction.gov (Government Consumer Education Website)
Video Clip: The $16,000 Cell Phone Bill
PowerPoint Presentation: Consumer Complaints
Resource: Scenarios for Student Complaint Letters
Resource: Complaint Letter Template (from Consumer Action Handbook)
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