These days a simple call to your cell phone company can feel like a scene in a tragic play. Some scream. Some cry. Some cling to hope. Some simply give up.

If bad service is regrettably inevitable, shouldn't you at least be prepared? If you own a business, wouldn't you love to be that rare provider of stellar service? The Consumer Playbook has answers for both frustrated consumers and progressive business owners.

Author Mauree Miller has worked as a consumer advocate for years. She's cajoled, convinced, and conquered hundreds of stubbornly unhelpful service employees. She's wheedled around purposeful roadblocks and employee ignorance, solving problems that seemed insurmountably bogged down by awful customer service. In her new book, The Consumer Playbook, Miller shares the secrets to her problem-busting success with annoyed consumers everywhere.

Starting with her eight basic and vital steps, she helps you navigate customer service debacles. She has you covered: cable companies, restaurants, hotels, plumbers, retail stores, and everything in between. Businesses will understand customer frustration, allowing management to solve problems before they arise.

Written with humor and compassion, Miller's anecdotes and strategies take aim at the heart of the modern consumerism nightmare.