Send This Jerk the Bedbug Letter: How Companies, Politicians, and the Mass Media Deal with Complaints and how to be a more effective complainer [Paperback]

John Bear Ph.D. (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ever feel like you've been screwed over, ripped off, cheated, or treated badly by some company or organization? No? Then don't bother buying this book. If, however, you endure the routine ill treatment one gets in auto repair facilities, tax offices, or with airlines that the rest of us encounter with great regularity, this book will show you how to complain effectively for best results, when to complain and maybe when not, what companies tend to respond to, and, if all else fails, some wonderful examples of consumer revenge when all legitimate attempts to get satisfaction bear no fruit. Useful book, quite funny in places with lots of true case histories of successful complaining.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898158117
• ISBN-13: 978-0898158113
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #928,080 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Bear's book is interesting: of some use, but obsolete, July 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Send This Jerk the Bedbug Letter: How Companies, Politicians, and the Mass Media Deal with Complaints and how to be a more effective complainer (Paperback)

This book, evolving, it appears, from a dissertation, is wellwritten and moderately interestng as an intellectual excursion. Italso provides insights into the contempuous ways in which some companies treat complaining customers, the laws, regulations and recourses that are available to dissatisfied customers, and offers a few useful suggestions. However, the book must now be considered long in the tooth. There are more useful books out there, e.g. by Phillips. Also Bear and his spouse have a more recent book that is more likely to be useful to people who really want to complain. That complaints often wield powerful effects is certain.

One last piece of review and advice. Before entering into a course of customer, read lots of books about the topic(s).

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, in-depth and effective, July 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Send This Jerk the Bedbug Letter: How Companies, Politicians, and the Mass Media Deal with Complaints and how to be a more effective complainer (Paperback)

This book is incredible! It tells you what works and what doesn't, when and how to complain, be persistent, etc, all written quite humorously and with case studies.

7 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bedbug Letter, May 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Send This Jerk the Bedbug Letter: How Companies, Politicians, and the Mass Media Deal with Complaints and how to be a more effective complainer (Paperback)

I chose this book because I was mad and I was not going to take it anymore so I decided to write a letter of complaint to the object of my "affection" (my employer). I thought this book would teach me how. I mean, part of the title reads "How to be a more effective complainer". Unfortunately, the book turned out to be endless in its compilation of data and statistics but falls far short on the very job it's supposed to do: it does not tell you exactly HOW to complain and the examples it gives are very few and far in between. The contents seem more like a boring executive report not expected to be read by anyone.