What would happen if we told the truth the whole time?

[mgarl10024]

"What terrible service. Your manner is curt, you don't appear to have a single clue about how to engage a paying customer, and quite frankly I'm never going to shop here again because of the way I feel you have dealt with my purchase."

... as opposed to ...

"Thank you" (and never going back to that shop again!)

This one I disagree with. If I've been 'wronged' by a company let's say, then I find that a politely worded letter outlining your expectations and how they deviated can work really well - but the trick is in the wording. I often end mine with something like "I hope that this feedback is taken in the spirit in which it is meant...".
Often I've been offered compensation which is nice, but what I'm really after is offering the company some feedback and (if they agree) and are able to respond to the next customer better, we're all winners.

 

[GM]

Spot on! Just go and live with someone with Aspergers Syndrome for a while and you'll see what happens if a person tells the truth all the time, unhampered by social niceties. Is pretty harsh and hard to deal with sometimes.

I actually have had to teach my aspie son to lie a little and bend the truth a bit occasionally. As a result he now has friends, but before that was utterly alone. From what I witnessed, I wouldn't recommend all out cold honesty.

+1 I couldn't agree more.