@ jwfacts .. you made me wanna google it.. I read about this in the 90's here's what I found..
Beware of the “The silent complainer..”
I cannot claim this phrase as my own. I wish I could give proper credit but I have since forgotten who coined the phrase. It always rings in my head. In business and in personal life. The “silent complainer” will knock you upside the head and you won’t know what hit you.
What is a “silent complainer”(SC) you ask? The SC is someone who receives unsatisfactory service or a poor quality product and gives little to no indication. Unhappy with a smile. The great nice customer who accepted the little mistakes you made then one day quit using you. THEY NEVER SAID A WORD!!! There are those that truly are nice customers and understand mistakes happen. There are also those that scream at the littlest thing. And there are those that just leave.
How to identify them. The first step in knowing how to identify the SC is to know your product and what customers expect of your company. Knowing when your product is not perfect is the point when the hairs on the back of your neck should stand up. The customer knows something was not correct. The classic SC response is “ Don’t worry about that.. its ok.. thanks for trying” if they say anything at all. The truth is that if you are dealing with a SC it is not OK!