Consumer dissatisfaction is on the rise and has the potential to turn from mere discontent to rage, consumer experts say.

The sources of displeasure remain the same "three buckets of issues that customers constantly experience," says Paula Courtney, president of the Toronto-based consulting company, The Verde Group, which conducts extensive annual surveys about consumer behaviour.

"(The) physical quality of a product itself ... peripheral services, such as after-sales support ... and how a consumer feels about being recognized and appreciated by a vendor, which is manifested in various ways. For example, you don't respect me as a customer because I wait too long in line," she says.

"There is more competition, which puts more pressure on pricing," Courtney says, which can result in understaffing and/or poorly trained staff.

Paula Courtney

Consumers also have more choices, she says. "The Internet has opened up a whole new world. Stores are competing with online shopping."

Eleanor Friedland, vice-president of the Consumers Council of Canada, says there are many factors contributing to increasing consumer dissatisfaction. "Gas prices keep going up ... there's so much construction and traffic ... Energy costs are increasing, the bank rate has gone up three times in the last year. There's so much stress, it's almost overwhelming."

Joel Gorlick, a spokesman for the provincial Ministry of Government Services, says that the top three consumer complaints received by the ministry in each of the past three years concern, in order, collection agencies, home renovations and health/fitness clubs.

Friedland, Courtney and Gorlick each recognize that dissatisfaction may turn to rage.

"Losing your temper, being rude, yelling at people" can happen, Friedland says. "It depends on what's going on in the rest of your life, if there are additional stressors, like the loss of a job."

Courtney says: "The emotional impact of a specific problem which is very important to the consumer is exacerbated when a consumer tries to contact an organization and gets little or nothing, or the situation is made worse. This has the potential for rage."

Gorlick says that while the ministry does not track incidents of consumer rage, "I'm sure that there are some calls that fall into that category."

Barry Elliott, creator and co-ordinator with Phonebusters, a national anti-fraud call centre jointly operated by the OPP and the RCMP, says the bulk of complaints "are about identity theft for individuals, which has the potential for consumer rage."

"Rage comes from other sources, not just the consumer aspect ... little tiny frustrations added up," says Elliott, who is a staff sergeant with the OPP.

Courtney says consumers should keep their disappointment in check.

Barry Elliott

"Don't ever exhibit rage to anyone in the company, regardless of how awful the problem is," Courtney notes. "Rage does nothing to mitigate loss or stress. It just invites more rage. You get nowhere."

Gorlick says Ontario's new Consumer Protection Act, which took effect July 30, addresses the most common complaints. "Certain agreements can be cancelled within 10 days of signing ... A 30-day delivery rule provides for the right to receive goods and services within 30 days ... Consumers can refuse to pay for a service or good received and not requested."

The new act applies to goods and services and also provides protection for Internet sales.

Elliott views Canadian consumers as "pretty wise ... among the smartest consumers in the world."

Courtney agrees, describing Canadians as "a savvy bunch."

"As markets become more commoditized and there is greater competition, consumers have more choices," Courtney says. "Businesses must work harder.

"Our expectation curve is getting sharper. What we consider good service now may be base service five years from now," she says.

"Our ability to complain has gotten easier. The Internet makes it easier to spread word of mouth about bad service. It is much more difficult to wow consumers."

Courtney is convinced that the expression of consumer displeasure does make a difference.

"We can quantify the impact on the company's bottom line," she says, adding that such dissatisfaction "has a quantifiable effect on existing and potential customer relationships."

"It's dangerous when a consumer tells others. Fifty per cent of those told won't buy from the company. When customers say they won't return or buy from the company again, almost 100 per cent won't," Courtney says.

But it is not the same thing when a customer is thrilled and has a positive experience. "When people say 'will' as opposed to 'won't,' the probability of them following through on the negative rather than the positive is greater, especially in terms of market behaviour," she says.

To guard against mounting consumer dissatisfaction, Elliott advises businesses to "make sure sales staff are knowledgeable. There is nothing more frustrating than when the frontline doesn't know the answer to a question."

"Please, businesses, return phone calls," he says.

Friedland directs businesses to "provide full disclosure ... Talk about the downside as well as the up, for instance, with a home purchase."

Courtney says: "It doesn't take very much for companies to create an important experience for customers to get them to come back. They should establish a baseline of what problems customers experience today - get an inventory by talking to customers.

"Understand the relative impact of specific problems on customer loyalty," she says. "Prioritize resources to address problems that will hurt most. Use impact, rather than frequency, as a guide."

Consumers should "verbalize a complaint. Put it in writing," Elliott says. "Do a little legwork. Consumers have a responsibility, too, to get the necessary information. If they don't get any satisfaction, send a letter to the Ministry of Government Services and ask them to handle the complaint ... They can always write their MP or MPP, depending on the nature of the problem."

Friedland suggests that consumers ask about cash refunds before buying, check for the expiry date and conditions associated with such things as a gift card, and "look at the signage in the store. Don't be afraid to speak out."

Customers should "contact the frontline of the organization, to try and solve the problem where it happened," Courtney says. "Take it up slowly, escalating but acknowledging how the first person really did try to help you. Put yourself in the other person's shoes ... Get them to go to bat for you.

"Be professional, not emotional. If you're emotional right now, wait. If you've gone as far as you are willing to go and aren't satisfied, shop with your feet. Don't ever go back. Tell as many people as you can," Courtney says.

(Anastasia MacLean can be reached at maclean@businessedge.ca)