Letters
of complaint, protest, grievance, accusation,
Most
people will need to complain about unsatisfactory goods or bad
service at some point in their lives. If you are writing a letter of
complaint, there are some dos and don’ts that can help you get the
right outcome.
Do
gather
all your facts before you start writing the letter, e.g. where and
when goods were bought, any customer reference numbers or invoice
numbers, or a record of any previous communication with the company
concerned.
get
straight to the point and set out exactly what the problem is.
give
all the relevant information in a clear and logical sequence.
state
what action you want the company to take and when you expect them to
have done this.
enclose
copies of any relevant documents that support your case.
Don’t
use
abusive language, however frustrated or angry you might feel.
allow
yourself to get sidetracked from your specific problem into
generalized criticism of the company or its products or services.
send
your letter without checking it carefully for grammar or spelling
mistakes.
Structuring
your letter
The
opening
Start
your letter with the greeting Dear
Mr (or Mrs,
Ms, Miss, etc.) Surname.
If
you don’t know the name of the person you are writing to, begin
with Dear
Sir or Dear
Madam;
if you don’t know their name or sex, use Dear
Sir or Madam.
The
content
Begin
with a heading alerting the reader to the subject of the letter, and
in your first sentence draw their attention to the matter you’re
going to raise or discuss. For example I
am writing to complain...,
or I
wish to express my dissatisfaction with ...
or Thank
you for your letter of ...
Introduce
your main point as early as possible, stating your reason for
writing in a clear, concise way. Once you have done this, you may
want to give more details, perhaps adding further background or
relevant facts.
In
conclusion, you should state what your expectations are, for
example Please
let me know as soon as possible what action you propose to take or I
look forward to hearing from you within the next ten days.
The
close
The
wording at the end of a formal letter follows a standard format:
If
you know the name of the person you’re writing to, you should end
the letter with Yours
sincerely.
If
your letter begins with Dear
Sir or Dear
Madam,
it should end with Yours
faithfully.
Your
own name should be typed out underneath your signature.
Sample
letters of complaint
[Your
address]
[Your
city, state, zip code]
[Today’s
date]
[Name
of contact person (if available)]
[Title
(if available)]
[Company
name]
[Consumer
Complaint Division (if there is no contact person)]
[Street
address]
[City,
state, zip code]
Re:
[Account number or other reference to your complaint]
Dear
[Contact Person]:
This letter is to [notify you {or} follow up on our
conversation of {date}] about a problem I am having with the [name of
product or service performed] that I [bought, leased, rented or had
repaired] at your [name of location] location on [date].
I am dissatisfied with your [service or product] because
[describe problem]. I have already attempted to resolve this problem
by [describe attempts and actions taken]. I have enclosed copies of
my records. [Include copies of receipts, canceled checks, contracts,
and other relevant documents]
Unfortunately, the problem remains unresolved. I am hereby
requesting that you: [List specific actions you want (such as:
refund, exchange or repair the item)]
1)
2)
3)
Please
contact me within [number of days] days to confirm that you will
honor my request. I have prepared a complaint for submission to the
proper agencies for investigation. I will not file the complaint if
you resolve the problem within this time period I have
indicated.
Thank
you for your anticipated assistance in resolving my problem. Please
contact me at [telephone number and/or e-mail address] if you have
any questions.
Sincerely,
[Your
signature]
[Your
name]
Name
of Contact Person, if available
Title, if available
Company
Name
Consumer Complaint Division, if you have no contact
person
Street Address
City, State, Zip Code
Dear
(Contact Person):
Re:
(account number, if applicable)
On
(date), I (bought, leased, rented, or had repaired) a (name of the
product, with serial or model number or service performed) at
(location and other important details of the transaction).
Unfortunately,
your product (or service) has not performed well (or the service was
inadequate) because (state the problem). I am disappointed because
(explain the problem: for example, the product does not work
properly, the service was not performed correctly, I was billed the
wrong amount, something was not disclosed clearly or was
misrepresented, etc.).
To
resolve the problem, I would appreciate it if you could (state the
specific action you want—money back, charge card credit, repair,
exchange, etc.). Enclosed are copies of my records (include copies of
receipts, guarantees, warranties, canceled checks, contracts, model
and serial numbers, and any other documents).
I
look forward to your reply and a resolution to my problem, and will
wait until (set a time limit) before seeking help from a consumer
protection agency or the Better Business Bureau. Please contact me at
the above address or by phone at (home and/or office numbers with
area code).
Sincerely,
