Most people who have a complaint don’t really push for a solution. They make a quick phone call or send an email, but if they get the brush-off, they’re done.

The fact is, if you want to get your problem solved, you need to speak up and stand your ground until the company makes you happy.

“Yes, it’s the squeaky-wheel system of customer service,” said Amy Schmitz, a law professor at the University of Colorado. Her study “Access to Consumer Remedies in the Squeaky-Wheel System” was published in the Pepperdine Law Review.

Schmitz believes some companies would rather give customers the runaround than deal with their complaint.

“It appears deliberate,” she told me. “If they know they can save money by only providing remedies to those who are most persistent, businesses may be able to maximize their profits and elude legitimate complaints.”

If you know how to complain and are willing to be a squeaky wheel, you’re more likely to be successful.

“Don’t give up,” she said. “Otherwise you will be ignored.”

To find out how to complain, I spoke with Ruth Susswein at Consumer Action. They’ve published a step-by-step booklet on how to get results when you complain. Here are the highlights of our conversation:

Q: What are the most important things to remember when we’re going to complain?

A:  Be calm, be firm and be concise. Decide what you’re looking for. What’s the outcome you want? Do you want your money back?  Do you want a new product? Or do you just want to vent and get an apology? 

I’ve seen complaint letters that go on and on about the problem, but never explain what the customer is looking for. Figure out what you want. Briefly state the problem and what you expect the solution to be.

Q: You say it’s important to complain right away. Why does that matter?

A: There are certain kinds of complaints that have deadlines attached to them. For example, you have 60 days after you receive a credit card statement with a charge on it that you intend to dispute, to write a complaint letter to the credit card company. There’s often a time limit for a health insurance appeal. If there’s a deadline related to your complaint, don’t miss it.

Q: Is there a right forum to complain? How do you know whether to use the customer service line, write a letter or send an email? How do you decide where to begin?

A: Sometimes it doesn’t matter. It all depends on the type of complaint. Ultimately, you want your complaint in writing. You can start calling the company, but you need to follow-up in writing. You want some proof that you made that complaint and the only way to do that is by putting it in writing.

Q: What about records that document your complaint?

A: The more records you have, the better. If you have proof, provide copies of that proof to help make your case. Never send originals. So for example, if you have a receipt that shows when you bought the item and how much you paid for it, send a copy with your complaint letter.

Q: What if you explain the problem, document your case and you still get turned down?

A: Then you need to escalate; take your problem to the next level. It may be the CEO of a company; it may be that you have to turn to a regulator, a government agency that oversees this kind of industry. There are lots of places to turn. No matter what sort of complaint you have, there’s probably a government agency to turn to if your complaint is unresolved.

Q: Odds are the CEO won’t read your letter, but that’s not the point, right?

A: Right. Someone in the CEO’s office is going to take it seriously and will direct your complaint to someone who hopefully can resolve it swiftly.

Q: So your advice is: if I have what I believe to be a legitimate complaint and I’m being ignored, don’t give up.

A: Absolutely!  Go after it again and again. In the case of a health insurance claim, you may have to re-appeal a decision. You need to be persistent, but also patient, calm and  in control. The way to get the best results is to stay calm. 

Herb Weisbaum is The ConsumerMan. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter or visit The ConsumerMan website. 

Do you have a success story about complaining and getting good customer service? Share your story in the comment field.

Photodisc / Getty Images file

No chatting, ladies. Fitness instructors say it can be tough to get help people get their money's worth.

Every small business owner knows the mantra that the customer is always right.  But when it’s your business to get people to exercise, many say that, frankly, the customers don’t always know what’s good for them.

The news last week that a yoga instructor was fired after glaring at a student who used her cell phone during class struck a nerve with fitness professionals who say it can be a constant – and complex – struggle to keep their customers happy, but also in line.

Alice Van Ness, who teaches yoga in Northern California, told The Associated Press she was dismissed from her job teaching yoga at Facebook’s Menlo Park, Calif., campus because she glared at a Facebook employee who sent a text during class.

“That’s ridiculous. It’s stupid. I would be shocked,” yoga instructor Joy Keller said after reading about the student’s attempt at multi-tasking.

Keller, who teaches yoga in San Diego, Calif., said her first thought was that student could have hurt herself, or someone nearby, while focused on the phone instead of the pose.

Then there’s the fact that texting isn’t exactly conducive to a good yoga session.

“Yoga is all about connecting your body with your mind, and it’s hard enough to do that without a cell phone with your hand,” Keller said.

Keller has never actually had someone take a call from the yoga mat, although she has seen students get up and go to the side of the classroom to answer their phone.

But even with phones tucked safely away, she said she has trouble keeping her students focused.

“I can’t even get people to breathe. I say breathe and they don’t do that. They’re thinking about a zillion things,” she said. “They’re probably thinking about who they’re going to text.”

Fitness instructor Linda Taix has seen people text during workouts, chat through instruction or even slip on headphones while she’s leading group activities.

“I’ll watch people on the treadmill and they’re talking on the phone,” said Taix, who is mystified at how someone can get a good workout if they are focused on their conversation rather than getting their heart rate up.

But Taix, who runs a fitness studio as well as a series of Extreme Boot Camp fitness classes in Southern California, said that as a business owner it can be tough to get people to follow the rules without alienating them.

In her Extreme Boot Camp classes, she said she can get a little tougher because people are paying you to be their fitness drill sergeant. The instructors might give students “rewards” such as extra pushups or laps if they slip up in their fitness or diet regime.

But still, she said there are limits.

“We want to be friendly about it because obviously they are civilians, and they do pay you,” she said.

Still, at the gym she said she does sometimes feels insulted by people’s behavior, especially if they are carting their cell phone around during a personal training session or chatting with friends instead of paying attention.

“I’ll say, ‘Hey ladies, I’m sorry, this isn’t a tea party,’” she said.

Taix isn’t aware of losing a student over such a reprimand, but she said that’s partly because she is sensitive that not everyone can take the criticism.

“You have to know their personalities,” she said.

Anthony Wall, director of professional education for the American Council on Exercise, said that for fitness instructors, working with people’s personalities can be just as hard as working on their bodies.

“It’s definitely an area where our trainers trip up,” he said. “The exercise side is relatively easy.”

He said a common complaint is the person who shows up for a group class and then proceeds to do their own exercises, often while standing in the middle of the class distracting people who are trying to follow the instructor.

Gym instructors can lay ground rules at the beginning of class, and even talk to the offenders individually. But sometimes, he said, you have to consider whether it’s worth losing the bad player in order to keep everyone else.

“There are times when you have to fire the participant,” he said.

Keller, the yoga instructor in San Diego, said she has learned over the years that despite her best efforts, not all her clients are going to do what’s best for themselves.

“I had to learn to let go. I can’t be co-dependent,” she said. “I tell them what I tell them. I try to guide them and give them the best instruction, but I have to let go at some point.”

Follow Today Money on Twitter and Facebook.