Turn to Twitter for quick customer service

Next time you have a problem with a product or service, don't call, tweet. More than half of Fortune 100 companies now use Twitter for customer service. “Twitter is where their customers are,” says John Breyault, National Consumers League. Marketing blogger Valeria Maltoni says Best Buy, Comcast, Ford, GM and Zappos are especially responsive. For best results:

Find the right handle. Some corporate Twitter accounts are for PR, others for customer service. Search for the company's name “+ Twitter.” Then check the bio to ensure the person handles complaints, Maltoni says.

Be specific. You have only 140 characters to explain your problem; use them wisely.

Tweet on premises. When the wi-fi went down during marketing strategist Peter Shankman's presentation at the Omni Jacksonville, the front desk offered no help. “Then I tweeted the hotel Five minutes later, the tech guy showed up.”

Apply a hashtag. Put the # sign before the company's name so others looking for tweets about it can see your complaint.

Also: Tweet weekdays for faster response times; some companies' Twitter staffers don't work on weekends.