Yesterday, in my seminar "Best Practices in Negotiation," I mentioned that the quality of the customer service we receive is negotiable.

I also said, if you want better treatment you must insist on getting it, and repeat your claim to it, again and again.

A case in point is my "I'm still not shopping here" campaign. A supermarket, part of a huge chain, that is nearby has abysmal service, notably behind the CUSTOMER SERVICE counter.

It seems as if every clerk that takes on this duty of managing complaints, refunds and the like is a total misfit. When I tried to return a video to the broken onsite kiosk, a rude clerk refused to accept it, stating "We have nothing to do with that machine!" and "I don't care if you complain about me!"

Before leaving, I found the manager and told him, "I'm not shopping here, today." Twenty-four hours later, I stopped in and informed two more workers, "I' still not shopping here."

At this point, I think I'm on Day 21. Anyway, periodically, I'll stop in to remind them that they have lost most of my business, and I trade there only for specials and occasional necessities.

Regaling my seminar attendees with this tale, I informed them that your negotiation outcomes, whether for better treatment or more attractive prices, depend on "how far you're willing to take your argument and how long you're willing to press for your position."

I'm not stopping my campaign until I reform this store's aberrant behavior, and the chain's lack of oversight.

Here's how I see it. If each of us took on one offensive service provider, collectively we could achieve remarkably better treatment. But most vendors have a divide and conquer advantage.

Losing a single customer at a time doesn't hurt enough and it often goes unnoticed. By reminding them, we renew the complaint, multiplying our personal impact. Finally, they have to get the message.

I can imagine printing customized bumper stickers that read: I'M STILL NOT SHOPPING AT THE XYZ STORE! This would make our complaints visible to hundreds if not thousands of strangers, multiplying the punch in our personal boycotts.

It is useless to complain about bad service, in general. When you convey your message to the miscreants, specifically and repeatedly, you can then achieve a constructive impact.