What to Say to Get Better Service

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- Dealing with customer service representatives can often feel like a losing game. The retail salespeople act like they're reading from a script while car dealers always appears to be one step ahead of you in the negotiation process. But the trick to improving the experience is just knowing what to say.

We asked experts in a wide range of industries for their tips on talking points you can use to navigate potentially difficult customer service situations. Whether you're hoping to get compensation for bad service at a restaurant or trying to convince a stewardess to let you change your seat on a flight, here's what you can say to come out ahead.

Dealing with customer service representatives can often feel like a losing game, but often you just need to know what to say.

Responding to bad restaurant service
Of all the scenarios on our list, bad customer service at restaurants may be the most common, and in certain cases it may also be the hardest to fix. While there are times you may just have a bad waiter, it's far more likely the long wait and mistaken orders are the product of factors beyond your waiter's control.

"The waiter can only do so much. Two guys might not have shown up for work that day, or the dishwasher in the kitchen might be broken," says Steve Dublanica, author of Waiter Rant, a book about his experience in the restaurant industry. For that reason, he says restaurant-goers need to be reasonable about their service expectations and diplomatic in how they respond when the service seems bad.

To start, Dublanica suggests stating the problem matter-of-factly to the server. "Usually, the waiter will want to take care of that problem, unless you get a waiter who runs and hides," he says. "Those are the worst."