The Customer Service Whiz is an actual Customer Service professional who wants to help YOU.

The Customer Service Whiz top customer service tips:

1. The first rule of dealing with customer service: Be respectful. You're more likely to get what you want if you resist the urge to be a jerk :)

2. Be reasonable. Customer service departments have to protect the bottom line - they can't give away the farm to every angry customer who calls them. Doing so would quickly put the company out of business. If your complaint is legitimate, and if your continuing business or opinion of the company has value to them, you have a good shot of getting some kind of concession.

3. Make sure you're talking to the right person. This may mean getting transferred to a specialist, another department, or simply calling back if you get someone who isn't helpful the first time around. It also means that you may need to escalate your call to a supervisor or manager. Only do this when all of your other options are exhausted. If your complaint is clearly addressed by the company's documented policies, it is unlikely that you will get a better result from a supervisor.

4. Build rapport. If you establish a positive dynamic with the rep, you have a much better chance of getting what you want. People do nice things for people they like.

5. Sometimes, you can resolve your issue quickly by posting a complaint (remember tip #1) on Twitter, on the company's official Facebook or MySpace page, or on a consumer complaint web site.

6. Occasionally, you may wish to write a letter to an executive at the company if your issue wasn't resolved by a supervisor/manager. You can find this information on LinkedIn.com or on a stock/business website if the company is publicly traded.

7. It's helpful to know your customer number, order number or the reference number from previous calls before you get on the phone.

8. Customer service agents are under tremendous pressure to end the call quickly because those calls are very expensive. You can use this to your advantage (sometimes). Simply calling to complain costs the company money - if they don't resolve your issue immediately, they're risking another call, further decreasing the profit they earn from your business. They are motivated to settle right away, for the right price.

9. Know the policies you are disputing. Take a look at the manual, warranty, instructions, or online reference materials so that you can avoid embarrassing mistakes and have the power of knowledge in your own hands when you're talking to the rep.

10. If your issue isn't being resolved quickly enough, threaten to cancel your service (if applicable). At large companies, this usually will lead to being transferred to a "retention" department where a sales agent will attempt to "save" you by giving you concessions such as free months of service, free goods, refunds or credits. They won't try to save you at all costs, however - there is a limit to what they can and will do.

11. Are you "in committment"? That is, have you signed a contract (such as a cell phone contract) which obligates you to do business with the company, or are you a free agent? This will determine, in many cases, whether the rep offers you concessions, or tells you to hit the road. Consumer companies have to fight over customers - if you're a free agent, mentioning (politely) to a retention agent that you like another company's product can help you to get what you want. Retention agents are evaluated based on their "save rate" - that is, what percentage of customers who threaten to cancel actually change their minds after speaking to the agent.

12. Know what you want (remember rule #2). Do you want an upgrade, replacement, credits, refunds? Ask for what you want but be open to (and suggest) creative solutions. Sometimes, the agent has firm guidelines as to what he/she can offer. You should ask the agent what they can do for you and what the outer limit is.

13. Sometimes, it can be helpful to get the agent's badge/ID number and name. The agent is likely to be on his/her best behavior as they don't want to get a complaint about the service they have provided.

14. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Keep calling until you get what you want or until it's not worth it to you anymore.

DISCLAIMERS I do not advocate lying, misrepresenting, falsifying or otherwise defrauding any individual, company or organization. Nor do I encourage anyone to make threats of legal action without a valid, lawful basis to do so. I am simply giving tips to consumers so that they can vigorously defend their own consumer rights.

A little bit about "The Whiz"...

The "Whiz" is a law school graduate and Silicon Valley Customer Support manager for a well-known consumer-based company. He knows how customer support centers, including outsourced call centers, are managed and how it is possible to get what you want from them. The "Whiz" also teaches Customer Support and Hospitality courses at a number of trade schools in addition to having provided customer service to thousands of clients through his own web based businesses. The "Whiz" has won thousands of dollars in cash and free goods for himself and his family through formal and informal filings, or simply by calling or writing to customer service departments to complain about poor service or shoddy products from cell phone companies, web hosts, food and drug manufacturers, and online shopping services among many others. He has also won formal disputes against credit card companies, landlords and other service/goods providers.