If you have a complaint, how do you complain in an efficient manner? Like what governing bodies are there? In the UK, if I had a problem with BT, I would threaten them with ofcom, which used to do the trick, or if I had a complaint with a supermarket over out of date / bad / damaged products, I would complain to trading standards. If I had been unfairly treated in any way by a company, I would tell them I was going to Citizens Advice Bureau about them, what have we got here?

Better Business Bureaus might be able to help you with retail issues.

It depends on the problem -you have state bodies, you have federal ones, you even have the local BBB.

Just complain loudly and incessently to anybody unwitting enough to listen.

It's how my wife's family does it.

My FIL does that too.. It's very embarrassing (for the rest of us) but it works..

It's an excellent question!

Generally, if you have a complaint here you sue the b*st*rds. That's the way it works as we're a little behind the times.

There is no real concept of the ombudsman-type system here, and where there is there is little understanding of the way a healthy system works, e.g. I've seen an immigration lawyer suggest that the USCIS ombudsman shouldn't be bothering about complaints off the general public!

The BBB is little more than a front for businesses to hide behind. Google will reveal all.

At a government level, there are regulators and overseers of anything that requires a license. Whether they will be interested in your complaint depends on the office and its politics. Some are full of funding and will act like rabid pitbulls in pursuit of justice for the customer; others will add your complaint to the pile that's going in the garbage.

There's also no CAB -- unless you count BE, that is.

You sure came to the right place to get that question answered...

Shout, yell, scream, rant, rave and raise as much Cain as you can short of having an aneurism.
Then when you actually get to the pick-up window, make sure to check the bag contents.
Then go inside and do it all over again.

I know a few people who do that, and it works. It's amazing the free shit you can get just by complaining....

One good move is to find/guess the e-mail of the CEO and send your complaint there. I've had good and rapid results with this one.

Depends on who your complaint is with. Financial institutions are regulated, so you could turn to your state's banking commission or insurance commission, for example. Public utilities also are regulated, and your state has some sort of utilities commission. General disputes with other companies can go to your state's Attorney General's office. Big newspapers often have consumer advocate columnists that could help resolve disputes. Try the Better Business Bureau if it will make you feel better, but that would be my last choice (largely a waste of time).

waste of time, they don't do anything...just threaten to talk to a lawyer...

Some local television stations have that as well-consumer advocate/ombudsman I mean.

Reminds me of the one time I got the wrong order at the local BK for the 100th time it seemed, and just lost it. Went inside, ranted and raved, got it for free, for the 100th time.

Went outside and my bleeding van's battery had died, no other store anywhere near there, and I'd forgotten my cell phone at home. Had to sheepishly go in and apologize

That's a good idea - worked for me, I got a brand new laptop that way.