Request By Consumer Institute On Name

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32394, 5 September 1970, Page 9

Request By Consumer Institute On Name

The Consumers’ Institute has asked its 64,000 members, and any non-members, not to use its name to threaten retailers or manufacturers.

An editorial in the latest issue of “Consumer” says that occasionally a disgruntled customer threatens to take the matter up with the Consumer's Institute if his grievance is not settled.

The institute says it does not like this attitude and that it is not at all certain that it would support a customer in his complaint. “We would have a look at both sides of the story before coming to an opinion,” the editorial says. “When we do take up a complaint by a member, the first, thing we do is to get the other side of the story, usually by writing to the firm concerned. We may then be able to form an opinion and say to the firm that we think the complaint is justified—or to say to our member that we think it is unjustified. "Alternatively, we may need to search for more information, or.we may decide that we cannot, without considerable expense, obtain the information we need,” the editorial says.

“Frequently, we do give our opinion that the complaint is unjustified. This is reason enough for us to ask members not to use our name as a threat—you may be wrong in thinking you have a genuine grievance. “But, more important, we are not a police organisation

—we use persuasion and publicity to achieve our ends. It would be out of character for us to use threats, or to allow our name to be used in this connection,” it says.

If they feel they have a genuine grievance, members of the institute should present the facts clearly and quietly

to a person in authority without abuse or threats. Only if this fails should members write to the institute.