Writing the post below, and making the comment that no complaints were necessary because issues, problems and queries were sorted out made me think about the definition of  "a complaint", and when an issue, problem or query becomes a complaint. My favourite definition of a complaint is - "an expression of dissatisfaction about the standard of goods/services provided by or on behalf of an organisation." A deceptively simple definition, but I like it because it seems to me to cover all the essentials. Firstly something has to be "expressed" in order to be a complaint - you have to KNOW that someone is not happy about something. But importantly, it doesn't have to be expressed in any particular form - one of my pet hates is organisations that only treat something as "a complaint" if it is in writing ! Secondly, to be a complaint, it just has to be "dissatisfaction" - my second pet hate is organisations that don't treat anything as a complaint unless you specifically say  "I am COMPLAINING...". Thirdly,  to be a complaint it has to be ABOUT something - it's really not enough for a customer to just be generally unhappy. Next, its not just the actual product you provide which can make your customers happy or unhappy - you can have great products but still make your customer unhappy because your customer service is poor. Finally, never forget that to your customer it hardly matters if, for example, you use another company to deliver goods. If I order from you, and my goods don't arrive, I don't really care whether its your fault or the fault of the company you pay to deliver my goods. I want what I have ordered and paid for, and I want YOU to sort it out, not expect me to chase from pillar to post. I'd love to hear thoughts about this definition, and any suggestions for improvements or alternative definitions !