I'M THE FELLOW WHO NEVER COMES BACK
I feel your pain. But depending on where you are of course, that's pretty much cutting off your nose to spite your face. What I do is complain.
Of course you have to complain in the right way, to the right person, but it almost always helps. In a restaurant - especially if it's a restaurant you enjoy and want to eat at again - when you leave you ask to speak to the Manager. They you politely and calmly describe to him to souce of your irritation. Most times, the manager will be happy to have feedback. Although managers should be on top of their personnel, they can't always be and a good manager appreciates positive criticism that if left unchecked will hurt his business.
Granted, there's not a lot you can do to fix problems in doctor's offices or the like, but I don't think it hurts to mention to the doctor (when you finally make it in to see him) that his staff was behaving in an unprofessional manner (or whatever the problem was). As long as the message is not given in attack-mode or yelling but instead in a helpful way, it might result in some changes. Again, doctors can't be everywhere at once and often are so wrapped up in the big picture they don't know what goes on in the reception area.
I'm also a big believer of writing letters - both for bad service and good service. In fact, if I'm “forced“ to write a letter of complaint, I try to follow it up shortly with a letter to someone else applauding them for good service or a specific kindness. (Karma, you know.) I've found that letters of appreciation go a long, long way...for the person you are complimenting AND their supevisor. And it makes you feel good too.
Obviously if you take a step or two to politely correct a problem and it's not taken seriously or addressed, then is the time to never come back. Actions do speak louder than words...but sometimes we punish the wrong people if we're silent.
-frolix
(I just re-read this post and it sounds like I'm the calmest, most reasonable person in the world. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! Unfortunately, I'm one of those people who generally KNOW the right thing to do, I just don't always do it!)