I would like to add that people are not added to a “blacklist” lightly. Those are reserved for people who complain about every hotel they stay in; some just like to nitpick, but others are just out to get a free room wherever they go. Let me be clear- this is a definite minority, and a guest would not be “blacklisted” for wanting a legitimate complaint to be addressed.

Furthermore, I would like guests to realize that if I don’t know about a problem, I can’t fix it- and most “satisfaction guarantee” programs are contingent on the customer allowing the company to attempt to rectify the problem.

It does sound highly inappropriate that Customer service reps would take angry or less pleasant notes personally and send out a “form” letter or put it in a dumpster.
This is unacceptable. A good customer service agent should be able to suck it up quite frankly and not take the notes personally. If they are not able to this and act arbitrarily because they don’t like the tone of letter or what not, they should find a new job where they do not have to deal with people.

The ignoring of a customer is also a bad idea. This is not customer service. It is just bad business and petty behavior that should not be occurring. Could you imagine if every business just ignored the complaints? It is a terrible idea to invalidate someone. If a complaint is important to them it is legitimate. Dismissing someone or ignoring them will only make a bad situation worse.

The threatening of a “black list” is also just awful. I can understand it for people who are truly stupid enough to make threats of violence or such. Honestly, how juvenile is it to threaten a person to be put on “black list” for simply frustrating moment. A good customer service rep would be able to filter those comments without the “black list”. It won’t really matter if they are on that black list if they don’t use the company again anyway. It is just another lost customer.

We will just have to see if this elitist attitude that exudes from so many in the travel industry can weather the down turn in the economy. You get what you give so to speak. Those companies who truly respect their customers will get it in return. The same goes for the ones who don’t. You can’t threaten customer loyalty and satisfaction. You have to earn it one person at a time.

One other thing I’ll mention. Not everyone is a great writer. However, spell-checking your letter before you send it will help your case. If a customer service agent doesn’t have to wade through your awful spelling and grammar, your letter will be taken much more seriously. This doesn’t mean you should strive for eloquence and use $2 words. Not at all. As Chris mentioned, over-written is just as bad. Yes, it may sound elitist, but that’s life. If you don’t think you can write a good letter, have a friend help you. If it carries your signature and says what you want it to say, that’s what’s important.

One other thing: put yourself in the customer service rep’s shoes. If you were a rep reading your letter, would you be inclined to help this person or throw the letter in the round file with a bang and a curse?

If you’re really angry, write the letter you WANT to write, then wait two days. Then, write the letter likely to get results.