What do complaint letters add up to?
I am not the only resident homeowner in Seal Beach that has an issue with the way the water/sewer fee grab was put together to assure its inevitable passing. The notice that was mailed out was drab and about as non-attention getting as could be devised. The headline was “Potential rate adjustments.” Just the type of innocuous title guaranteed to send it straight to the nearest trash receptacle for most busy residents. Insert “doubling” for “adjustments” and an honest letter we would have.
For those that did press on, “adjustments” was again used a half dozen times in the opening paragraph of the next page … followed by 3 pages of rates for a wide variety of pipe sizes, and prices for each, all purposely set up to legally be correct while diverting simultaneously. Several pages in, almost hidden, were the brief instructions of the requirements to mail in a properly written letter of complaint, who to send it to and by what date. The chances of over half the cities property owners getting to that point are as good as Donald Trump being elected President if a letter voicing opposition to another term of Joe Biden had to be mailed in.
What I find offensive is the assumption that because only 450ish complaints came in on time, properly filled out and, directed to the correct address, that actually means only 450 people have issue with this! A complaint letter properly drawn, and mailed to the correct official in a national company is treated by companies that are successful as though it represents 1,000 just like it. Regional companies that receive such a complaint treat it like it represents 100. Single establishments that receive such a written complaint and are responsive usually regard it as representing at least 10 times that number when addressing the concerns. Using the least favorable of math, the 450ish complaint letters could be accurately assumed to represent 4,500 property owners who take issue, far exceeding the necessary 50% plus 1.
I’ll make this more easily digestible, or maybe not. If the health department found a mouse in the kitchen of a restaurant on Main Street would they assume there was only one and not require pest control intervention? If we found a rat in the City Council Chambers would we again assume it was the only one, or could there be two, or three?
James Jensen
Seal Beach
