Difference between misplace and mishandle

[Jo]

Test No. incompl/advan-35 "One is always going to lose...", question 3

Invariably if interest rates go up, the building societies pay more to their savers and borrowers complain at the increase they have to pay and maintain the societies are ......... their affairs.

(a) mistaking
(b) misplacing
(c) misfiring
(d) mishandling

Test No. incompl/advan-35 "One is always going to lose...", answer 3

Invariably if interest rates go up, the building societies pay more to their savers and borrowers complain at the increase they have to pay and maintain the societies are mishandling their affairs.

Correct answer: (d) mishandling

Your answer was: incorrect
Invariably if interest rates go up, the building societies pay more to their savers and borrowers complain at the increase they have to pay and maintain the societies are misplacing their affairs.
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what does this sentence mean? Why "mishandling" and not "misplacing?
Thanks.

[Alan]

Here I want to say managing badly and that's the meaning of mishandling.
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Read the Signs...

[Lost_Soul]

Hi, Alan !

Does "maintain" have a meaning of claim here in this particular example (like "they claim that those societies are mishandling...") ?

And one more point. I have seen a great deal of using the verb "complain" with the prepositions "about" and "of"
(like "Jane is complaining of a headache again" or "Go to the teacher and complain about that boy"). You used the preposition "at". Does this mean that I can possibly use any of these preopsitions ("of", "about" and "at") with the "complaint" without any difference in the sence?

Thanks in advance
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Alex

How much upchuck would a woodchuck upchuck if a woodchuck could upchuck ?

(a guy from Russia)