Consumers get lessons in complaining

Say you arise for breakfast at your -a-night hotel only to encounter a buffet line so long it winds through the atrium. You could skip breakfast. Or you could take a bit of advice from Ron Rosenberg and demand your money back.

A Raleigh consultant who advises companies on customer service, Rosenberg also works the other side of the street, arming consumers with strategies for getting the service he insists they deserve. His Web site (www.Drive-You-Nuts.com) allows consumers to share horror stories, ask questions and get expert advice.

There is no shortage of consumer advice online -- from ClarkHoward.com, hosted by the well-known consumer gadfly, to My3Cents.com, which allows burned consumers to air gripes for the benefit of others. CUSTOMER 'BILL OF RIGHTS'

Ron Rosenberg, president of QualityTalk, a Raleigh consulting firm that sponsors a consumer-advice Web site (www.Drive-You-Nuts.com), has drafted a "customer bill of rights." Here are the principles:
* Customers have a right to receive great service.
* Customers have the right to define, monitor and ultimately enforce the level of service they are provided.
* Customers have the right to expect businesses to honor their commitments.
* Customers have the right to receive help and assistance in a timely and professional manner.
* Customers have the right to be accurately informed of polices and procedures.
* Customers have the right to have policies and procedures treated as general guidelines and waived when it's appropriate to do so.
* Customers have the right to be satisfied with the product they've purchased or the service they've been provided.
* Customers have the right to speak up if they're not satisfied.
* Customers have the right to ask for a supervisor or manager when the initial contact person is unable or unwilling to take the necessary corrective action.
* Finally, customers have the right to receive tangible compensation when the company fails to meet its commitments.

But Rosenberg said consumers too often settle for mediocre service -- and service is only getting worse. Principle No. 1 in his customer "bill of rights" is, "Customers have a right to receive great service."....