A skilled expert in the art of complaining has shared her strategies for helping customers recover their funds from companies.
Helen Dewdney has dedicated her life to challenging tech firms and retail businesses, earning the moniker ‘The Complaining Cow,’ which she has also adopted as her company name.
To encapsulate her work, her own biography provides insight.
“She empowers consumers to gain the redress to which they are entitled,” states her website.
“As the ‘go-to’ consumer expert to talk about how to complain effectively, consumer rights, and topical consumer issues, she regularly appears in the media to advise on how to complain effectively, taking up cases and providing opinions and information about topical consumer issues and consumer rights.”
Helen is a respected advocate for consumers, and one individual who sought her assistance was a man named ‘Matty.’
Detailing how she helped Matty reclaim his money, she wrote for The Metro: “A few weeks ago, Matty emailed about his faulty, two-year-old TV.
“He was frustrated and increasingly worried about being out of pocket as the store had reportedly told him they wouldn’t do anything as he hadn’t bought a warranty. He was facing the loss of nearly £2,000 [$2,700].”
With over a decade of experience in consumer rights, she instructed Matty to invoke the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) – a UK law safeguarding customers from substandard goods and services.
“The CRA entitles all customers to a full refund within 30 days of purchase and repair or replacement after that,” she explained. “You only need to give a trader one chance at repair. If that fails, they must replace or refund.”
Matty sent a complaint using her guidance, and within hours, the store agreed to retrieve the faulty TV and provide a replacement.
In 2008, after leaving her role in children’s services to become a parent, she transformed her hobby into a blog called The Complaining Cow. This evolved into a full-time career, and she has shared her expertise through books as well.
Her top tips for complaining include keeping communication polite, objective, and always documented in writing.
Reference the relevant law, clearly state your desired outcome, and outline your next steps if the company doesn’t comply—be it involving the ombudsman or taking the small claims court route.
“Too often, companies rely on people not knowing their rights,” she stated. “But when individuals stand up for themselves, it not only helps them, it pushes businesses to do better for everyone.”