Is it Good to Complain When there's Really Nothing that can be Done?

[Rhondazvous]

I'm really just pissed off because I paid for what I thought was going to be professional service. The company was recommended in a book by an author who had no vested interest in the company.

The job in question is editing. The publishing industry uses the Chicago Manuel of Style, which differs in some cases from the punctuation and usage standards of newspapers or academic papers. The person who edited my manuscript exhibited no knowledge of these differences. She even made a correction based on Microsoft word's grammar check misinterpreting a complex sentence that wasn't incorrect and would have been understood by a human reader.

I started to send tham an email about this, then I stopped and saved it as a draft. I wasn't mean and nasty, just pointing out what the person failed to do. I hate it when someone has something against me and they go around telling everybody except me. I don't want to be like that. Yet, I pause before sending this email because
1. I don't know to what action I'm calling this company to take. If it were a defective prouct, I could ask for a refund. But how could I get a refund on a service?
2. I don't know the politics of this company. Because the job was not done professionally, but more like a high school honor student,I fear they will not respond in a professional way. Maybe they will retaliate

So I'm asking you guys to give me your perspective on this.

[Silver]

First of all, you paid for it.

Therefore, you deserve to state criticism of the work they are providing.

However, they are also considered professional editors, correct?

Perhaps their editing choices may not meet your standards, but in the end it may prove useful nonetheless.

[Fireball]

I'm confused. You wrote something and don't like the editing. Why did you hire them? Not trying be mean, I just don't understand that. I wouldn't allow anyone to edit any paper I wrote. Of course, few people are that interested in the topic of electromagnetic propagation and scattering. MSWORD grammar was the first thing I turned off when I got a new work computer. Their subject-verb agreement software is essentially backwards. Spelling was second to be emasculated. I absolutely detest "auto correct". I also had to add lots of words to the dictionary with every new computer.

[Rhondazvous]

First of all, you paid for it.

Therefore, you deserve to state criticism of the work they are providing.

However, they are also considered professional editors, correct?

Perhaps their editing choices may not meet your standards, but in the end it may prove useful nonetheless.

Perhaps. But it's the industry standards set by publishers they are not meeting. That's what I''m afraid of that they will try to make it a matter of my personal preferences.

[Silver]

Perhaps. But it's the industry standards set by publishers they are not meeting. That's what I''m afraid of that they will try to make it a matter of my personal preferences.

Is there any way that they can refund you?

If a refund is possible, perhaps first ask them if they can meet the industry standards. If they cannot meet the industry standards, pull the job from them and ask for a refund.

How far would you be set back monetarily?

[Thumpalumpacus]

And if you cannot get a refund, avoid their services in the future.

I think it's almost always a good idea for a writer to get another reader for the editing, but if you can't afford it or don't like the results you've gotten, take a week or two away from the work and read it with fresh eyes, and do that editing yourself. Hell, you probably already have -- we call that "rewriting", right?

[brewer]

Yes, you should tell them your concerns and issues in a polite and business like manor. At the least you may correct the service for the next client.

[Seraphina]

Your complaint sounds legit to me. There are probably other writers who have the same complaints about the editor.

I'm not a complainer but I've made a few here and there when I've felt I had no other option. Just be polite, concise and ask for what you want to fix the issue (a refund or discount or maybe a different editor?).

-Teresa

[Rhondazvous]

Thanks, everyone. So I sent them an email that, as you suggested, was concise and polite, delineated what I found objectionable and included a precise call to action (refund or reassignment to a more knowledgeable editor).

Now we shall see what we shall see.

[mlmooney89]

I'm confused. You wrote something and don't like the editing. Why did you hire them? Not trying be mean, I just don't understand that. I wouldn't allow anyone to edit any paper I wrote. Of course, few people are that interested in the topic of electromagnetic propagation and scattering. MSWORD grammar was the first thing I turned off when I got a new work computer. Their subject-verb agreement software is essentially backwards. Spelling was second to be emasculated. I absolutely detest "auto correct". I also had to add lots of words to the dictionary with every new computer.

When it is a large amount of writing you don't want to be the only editor. You could read over the same thing three times knowing what you wanted to say and not realizing that you didn't say it like that. We like to call it a fresh pair of eyes. I have a tendency to leave my work alone for months then go back and reread it as if I have never read it before just to find mistakes. The mind will read what it knows it should be reading not what it is reading.

Thanks, everyone. So I sent them an email that, as you suggested, was concise and polite, delineated what I found objectionable and included a precise call to action (refund or reassignment to a more knowledgeable editor).

Now we shall see what we shall see.

I think it is a great idea to ask for another editor. That way they have an option to still help you without losing you as a customer.