How to complain Japanese style

What do you think of this complaint?

"Customer service, may I help you?"

"The television set I bought at your store has a ghost in it!"

"I beg your pardon?"

"A ghost! A ghost! He won't let me sleep at night, and it's your fault!"

If you were the customer service person, would you not smell a rat?

"At first, we didn't know what she was talking about," a store employee tells Shukan Jitsuwa. "She's a woman in her 60s, she'd bought the TV the week before, and she insisted it was haunted. We said we'd take back the set and give her a refund. No, she said, that wouldn't do, the ghost wouldn't allow it.

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So what did they do? Tell her to go sling her hook, on her bike, be off with her...? No.

We went to her house. She pointed to the set and said, 'Look, there he is!' Of course we saw nothing. We finally settled it by giving her 30,000 yen for an exorcism.

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Yes. They gave her 30,000 yen. Der!

Later we heard from other stores in her neighborhood that she's pulled the same stunt with them. She's famous for it. Everything she buys has a ghost in it.

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You mean there wasn't really one?

But she's not alone. There's this man...

a 42-year-old Nara man who apparently goes around hunting for bumps in the road to drive his Porsche over, so that he can demand compensation from the city for scratches on the car.

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And this man...

"A middle-aged salaryman-type came back into the store after buying some canned coffee," relates a convenience store cashier. " 'This coffee I bought is cold,' he said. It was true -- it had just been put into the warmer. I offered to give him another can. No, he wanted his money back. Fine. I gave it to him. Then he said, 'No point in wasting the coffee' -- and drank it down. He'd done it on purpose, deliberately taking a can from the very back of the warmer."

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And how about this man...

"There was a guy standing by the magazine rack, reading magazines. Not only reading -- he was ripping open the sealed pages to look at the nude photos. 'Don't do that,' I said. He got mad and shot back, 'They're not even completely nude!' Instead of apologizing, he was complaining! I said, 'Since you've torn it, you'll have to buy it.' 'Like hell,' he said. 'I'm not buying a magazine that lies!' He gave in when I threatened to call the police."

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And lastly the bizarre story of an angry fan...

A certain CD shop was handling reservations for a local enka performance. Somehow one customer failed to get his ticket. He stormed into the shop. "Bring the singer here!" he demanded. "I'm entitled to a live performance!" The manager admitted his responsibility, but what the customer asked was impossible. Was there nothing else he could do to make amends?

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Money? A voucher? A free CD?

"All right then," said the customer, "you sing. Right here. Now. In front of everybody."

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OK. Time to call the police. No one in their right minds would sing....would they?

"Clutching a broom like a microphone, in an agony of embarrassment -- because, you see, I'm totally tone-deaf -- I sang. I croaked out four numbers before finally the guy says, 'You stink. That's enough' -- and let me off the hook."

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So the message here seems quite simple - if you can think of any reason - any reason at all - no matter how bizarre and plain crazy - to make a complaint in Japan, you've got a good chance of getting what you want.

Based on an article in the Japan Times: 'Claimers' revel in causing a scene

It is truely amazing how service-oriented the Japanese are. My girl works in a Burberry store in Japan, and the stories I hear from her are (not as extreme as the stories posted here but..) sometimes very bad too. I used to work as store manager for a few years too, so I know how it can be in Holland; people over here are more impolite overall. But it seems like that the few demanding/cheating/irritating customers in Japan are very nerve-wrecking.

The stories are a kind of revelation, though usually most service people here will only do what is in the manual?!

Here's my cheeseburger story again;

A Japanese-American went into a chain family restaurant (a Royal Host or something like it). He notices on the menu that they have rissoto with cheese and he also sees a hamburger on the menu. He really feels like a cheeseburger. The following conversation ensues;

C Excuse me? I want to order a cheeseburger.

W I'm sorry, it is not on the menu.

C But you have cheese, right (pointing to the risotto).?

W Uh, wait a moment. (runs to consult with the manager)

Manager (M) I'm sorry sir, we don't have cheeseburgers in the menu. We cannot serve something we don't have on the menu.

C Ok, I'll take a risotto but please put the cheese on the side. And please bring me a hamburger.

M Certainly sir (happy to be escaping)!

Later the order arrives, the cusomer pulls his bun off his hamburger, and puts the melted cheese on his hamburger.


And the American version

A regular customer comes into an upscale French restaurant.

C You know, I really feel like a Big Mac today.

W A bit stunned. Just a moment sir.
(Goes to confer with the headwaiter. The headwaiter says, "Look, he is a regular customer, get him what he wants).

W Sir, I will return in a few minutes.
(trots down the road to the nearest McD's, orders a Big Mac, gets it, and returns to the restaurant via the back door. The chef puts the Big Mac on a plate, which the waiter delivers to the customer)

W Here you are sir!

C Fantastic, just what I wanted. (later the customer leaves a large tip)


So, you see, that's what I call service (not some bad singing).

Heh, in Britain your just kicked out the door, with police esco0rt if necissary.

Ah, to live in a country where even common sense and genuine gripes are dealt with, but if its not a health and safety violation then nothing happens.

Or at least they try and be as stingy as possible.


Its gotten to the stage i dont even complain, i went to an Italian American resturaunt yesterday, and undecided I went for the spaghetti and meatballs because it was apparently a reccomended dish.

It was really that great at all, I've microwaved better.....

I didnt have the ehart to say anything.
This resturaunt is known for good food so it was just dissapointing really...

If I was Japanese and In Japan no doubt I'de be making a right fuss over it.

A cut-n-paste from a post I made to a mailing list earlier this year:

We had a case at the beginning of the school year when my son started
elementary school and the local shoe store sold us the wrong style
uwabaki for his school. Naturally, she wrote his name on the shoes and
sent him to school....where he discovered he was the only one with the
wrong shoes.

I told her to take the shoes back to the store and either get our
money back or exchange them for the right pair of shoes. The shoe
store had signs up saying they had all the designated styles for all
the schools in town, and the manager picked out the style for his
school and sold them to her. I think this makes them responsible.

My wife went to the store and came back about 40 minutes later,
carrying a bag still containing the wrong shoes. The store refused to
accept them because they had been worn and because his name was
written on them. (Naturally, the name had to be written prior to
starting school and, naturally, he had no choice but to wear them that
first day of school).

I took the bag and headed to the shoe store. I came back home about 5
minutes later and in reply to "What happened?" I laid the money for
the shoes on the table and said "It took me about 20 seconds. You just
don't know how to talk to people."

Good going Mike !

If I had been the clerk, I would have probably given you all the cash in the register and begged you not to hurt me, LOL.

Uncle Frank

I'd imagine that having the physique like the current governor of California may help some.

ArmandV said:

I'd imagine that having the physique like the current governor of California may help some.

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Strong as an ox and twice as smart, yeah, that's me.

Seriously, though, the only thing Arny and I have in common is a bad accent.

What's there to complain,Japanese customer service workers are generally polite

taeter_tot said:

What's there to complain,Japanese customer service workers are generally polite

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So you would accept inequitable resolutions to your complaint or having your complaint totally dismissed, just so long as it is done politely?