Earlier this month, McDonald’s Japan sparked controversy when it failed to control 買い占め (kaishime, excessive bulk purchases) by 転売ヤー (tenbaiyā, resellers/scalpers) after offering rare Pokemon trading cards with its ハッピーセット (happī setto, Happy Meals).

The result was a lot of upset children and a ton of discarded food.

The Japanese word for scalper, 転売ヤー, is a combination of the word 転売屋 (tenbaiya, reseller) with the “-er” of “buyer” added to stretch out the “a” sound at the end.

The Pokemon debacle isn’t the first time マクドナルド (makudonarudo, McDonald’s) caused problems due to 買い占め and 再販 (saihan, resale) because of its ハッピーセット prizes, which previously included exclusive Kirby and Chiikawa toys.

The fast food company tried to set rules beforehand, asking おひとりさま5セットまでのご購入をお願いいたします (O-hitori-sama go setto made no gokōnyū o onegai itashimasu, Please limit your purchase to up to five sets per customer). The 転売ヤー ignored the request, bought in bulk, took the cards and dumped the food, sometimes at the store.

The 買い占め and 食品廃棄 (shokuhin haiki, wasting of food) didn’t go down well with the general public, and it frustrated staff, too. Writing on social media, one employee asked customers with complaints, “マック本社のカスターマーサポートセンターに言ってください” (Makku honsha no kasutamā sāpōto sentā ni itte kudasai, Please tell the McDonald’s [Japan’s] headquarters’ customer support center). The post continued, “They won’t take any actions unless the phone lines crash.”

Many people are indeed fed up with 転売ヤー, but filing a 苦情 (kujō, complaint) requires extra care these days as Japan has stepped up to regulate the growing problem of カスタマーハラスメント (kasutamā harasumento, customer harassment)  —  often referred to more casually as カスハラ (kasuhara).

消費者からの正当な苦情は制限されてはいけませんが、行き過ぎたクレームはカスタマーハラスメントとみなされます (Shōhisha kara no seitōna kujō wa seigen sarete wa ikemasen ga, ikisugita kurēmu wa kasutamā harasumento to minasaremasu, Legitimate complaints from consumers shouldn’t be limited, but complaints that go too far will be considered customer harassment). The katakana noun クレーム (kurēmu) refers to negative complaints in Japanese, unlike the original English term “claim,” which suggests 主張 (shuchō, claim [insistence]) as well as 請求 (seikyū, demand).

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare defines harassing remarks as 継続的でしつこい (keizoku-teki de shitsukoi, continual and persistent), 威圧的 (iatsu-teki, coercive) and 拘束的 (kōsoku-teki, restrictive).

One thing you’ll notice about that list is the frequent use of 的 (teki/mato), the suffix tacked onto Japanese nouns to make them adjectival. The noun version of 的, “mato,” suggests “mark” and “target.” As for the 拘束的 element, if a customer takes up a lot of the store clerk’s time by endlessly venting their anger, this would present a 拘束 (kōsoku, restriction) to them doing their job, which is a form of harassment.

Other examples of カスハラ include 精神的な攻撃 (seishin-tekina kōgeki, psychological attacks), 過度な要求 (kadona yōkyū, excessive demands), 業務内容と関係のない言動 (gyōmu naiyō to kankei no nai gendō, remarks unrelated to business operations) and 暴力的な行為 (bōryoku-tekina kōi, violent acts).

A friend of mine once shared his frustration that when asked about anything irregular, Japanese servers can’t decide anything without saying, 確認します (kakunin shimasu, let me confirm). If my friend were to say, as a customer, 店長を出せ (Tenchō o dase, Bring out your manager) — even after the store had done what they could to rectify the situation — this may be considered 過度な要求.

So how can customers in Japan file their complaints politely?

The key is to focus on what is できる (dekiru, to be possible) and できない (dekinai, to be not possible). For instance, if a product arrives damaged, try asking, 届いた時から壊れていたので返品できますか (Todoita toki kara kowarete-ita node henpin dekimasu ka, Can [I] return [it] since [it] was already broken when it arrived?). Phrasing the クレーム this way mentions the problem but focuses on the solution.

注文のキャンセル (Chūmon no kyanseru, Canceling orders), 返品 (henpin, returning goods) and 返金 (henkin, refunds) are other keywords you can use when settling クレーム, as in, 注文をキャンセルしたいので返金をお願いできますか？ (Chūmon o kyanseru shitai node henkin o onegai dekimasu ka?, I’d like to cancel my order. Can you [give me a] refund?)

The structure ～をお願いできますか (~o onegai dekimasu ka, May I ask for~?) is convenient for when you want to ask for something nicely. This works even if you’re not making a complaint, such as in エキストラベッドをお願いできますか (ekisutora beddo o onegai dekimasu ka, Can [I ask for] an extra bed?)  or プレゼント用の包装をお願いできますか？ (Purezento-yō no hōsō o onegai dekimasu ka?, Can I have it gift wrapped?)

If something hasn’t arrived when it should have, such as your dessert, simply tell a server, デザートをお願いします (dezāto o onegai shimasu, please [serve] dessert).

Has a wrong order been delivered? Try, 頼んだ物と違うので、確認をお願いできますか？ (Tanonda mono to chigau node, kakunin o onegai dekimasu ka?, This isn’t my order, so could you confirm?) More simply, これ頼んでないです (Kore tanondenai desu, I didn’t order this) will work at restaurants and cafes.

As for McDonald’s case, the company announced future 再発防止策 (saihatsu bōshi-saku, preventive measures) to cut down on rampant reselling of its prizes. No matter how upset you are with their mistake, though, remember that the staff isn’t deserving of any カスハラ.