Complaint handling that discourages customers from speaking up includes all or some ofthese reactions:

• apologies and nothing more
• rejection
• promises that aren't delivered
• no response at all
• rude treatment
• being passed on to someone else
• avoiding personal responsibility
• nonverbal rejection
• customer interview, or
• customer interrogation

Apologies and Nothing More
A customer walks into a restaurant and leans against a freshly painted wall, leaving a paint smear on his coat.  All the staff members he talks to say they are sorry but there is no attempt to fix the situation.  "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do."  The customer says, "They're very good at saying 'I'm sorry' but they don't do anything.  'Sorry' isn't good enough.