How to Write A Letter of Complaint

It is not surprising that in the process of conducting business, mistakes will happen and services and products will sometimes fail to please us. That doesn’t mean these problems aren’t addressed or let to happen in the future. To help the offending company amend their fault(s) and letting them know what is or may go wrong so that no future customer faces the same/similar trouble, complaint letters are extremely handy.

What is a complaint letter?

A complaint letter is written to inform the recipient of what is wrong with their service or products. But as frustrating as a problematic product is, writing a complaint letter isn’t the first thing you should do when you come to know of it. Let’s see when and how to write it.

When to write it?

You should discuss your matter of complaint with a business representative as the first step of getting an answer. If your concern is not resolved by an email or a phone call, only then should you write one. Do not haste to inform the consumer protection agency.

What are the steps?

            Refer to the following steps to write a letter of complaint:

• You want to your complaint to reach and be read by the right person, so try to find information about him and write to him. Customer Service Department will be your recipient if you have tried enough and are still not sure whom to write to.
• Star with your situation. For example, why you are writing in a sentence or two. Include dates and time.
• State the problem that occurred and follow it by the consequence(s).
• Suggest a fitting solution. Ask questions if needed.
• Give them a time limit by which you wish them to respond and solve the problem. Tell them a reasonable date till which you’ll wait. Warn them that you will take further actions if they do not comply or resolve and if you think it is necessary.
• Include contact information and close the letter.

What you must know:

            These are the formal steps to write a complaint letter. But there are more things you’ll need to adhere to. They include:

• Be as clear as possible. When talking about your problem about an item, say a phone, don’t forget to mention the serial or model number, which branch you got it from, and if possible, the name of the seller. Furthermore, you can include the details of your discussion with the seller.
• Remember that they are the ones who can fix your problem. It isn’t necessary and most times it actually isn’t the case that the person reading your letter is responsible for your trouble. So, instead of sound angry, threatening or even intending sarcasm, do not insult or write in a belittling tone. But also don’t sugarcoat the issue.
• If there are work orders, receipts, cash memos or any other document that might be helpful to solve the issue, include that. Send the copies and keep the original. If you have sent previous emails or written to another representative or seller, try to include it too.
• All this talk might make you think that only angry and offended customers complain about faulty products and services. But no, employers can also send a complaint letter to their employees. The letter is simply tailored to the need of the writer. The basic format still remains the same.
• Be authoritative. Don’t ramble.
• Proofread for grammar and spell checking.

That’s it. All these should help you write a good enough complaint letter. And if this doesn’t work, don't forget to report to Consumer Complaint agencies.