You are not a wallet: complaining considered helpful

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My new Guardian column, It’s your duty to complain – that’s how companies improve, is a rebuttal to those who greet public complaints about businesses’ actions with, “Well, just don’t buy from them, then.”

This idea posits that your role in the market is to be a kind of ambulatory wallet, whose only options are to buy, or not to buy. But not only does complaining sometimes solve your problems, it also warns others away from bad decisions, helping better companies thrive.

Finally, some bu...