Writing a complaint letter is something many people face at some point in their life. If you are dissatisfied with a company's product or service, it is usually possible to resolve the problem in a mutually beneficial way through a polite but firm complaint letter. Writing a complaint letter shouldn't be complicated or scary - all you have to do is lay out the facts clearly and politely ask for a resolution.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Write a Letter of Complaint
Step 1. Address your letter to customer support
When writing a complaint letter, you will have a better chance of success by referring the letter to the company's support department. The support service is used to dealing with complaints and your letter will likely be handled efficiently and effectively.
- Try to find out the name of the customer service manager or manager and personally address your letter. Start with 'Egregio' or 'Gentile' followed by your surname. If you can't find the name of the customer service manager, simply write 'Dear Sir or Madam'.
- You should be able to find the support service address on the company's website, on any of the product labels or packaging, or on top of the company's promotional or advertising materials.
Step 2. Get to the crux of the letter quickly
The first line of your letter should clearly explain why you are writing the letter and what exactly your complaint is. State as many pertinent facts as possible, including the date, time and place where you purchased or received the service, along with any relevant serial or model numbers.
- The recipient of the letter should be able to identify the gist of the letter in less than five seconds, so avoid any long, vague introduction.
- You can provide further details or explanations about the situation in the paragraph following your opening sentence, but the first line should call attention to your complaint as succinctly as possible.
- For example, the opening sentence could read: "I am writing to complain about a faulty hairdryer that I bought from your company on July 15 at your headquarters in Corso Italia in Genoa.".
Step 3. State specifically what result or remedy might satisfy you
If you want some other form of compensation, a refund, a repair or a replacement, make it clear in your second paragraph. This will help you avoid receiving a proforma letter or other standardized response and will give the recipient something to work on.
- Try to be as constructive as possible in your comments, suggesting a way to continue your relationship with the company. If you ask for a refund or some other form of compensation, while at the same time informing them that you intend to continue your business elsewhere, you offer little incentive to try to fix the problem.
- If you want the company to correct a larger problem, state this in your letter as well, but acknowledge that such a thing can take time.
- Don't threaten legal action in your first communication. It may be the ultimate solution, but first submit your complaint letter and wait for a response.
Step 4. Attach copies of supporting documents
These may include receipts, guarantees, copies of checks sent and, where applicable, photos or videos. All documentation must be included with your letter.
- Be sure to submit copies of any documentation you wish to include, but not the originals. This way, there is no chance that this key information will be lost or misplaced if you need to provide evidence to someone else.
- Also be sure to state the exact materials you are attaching in the body of the letter. For example: "A copy of the original receipt, a copy of the guarantee of the hair dryer and information regarding the serial number are enclosed."
Step 5. Give them a time limit to resolve the issue
It is helpful to provide an exact time frame within which you want the problem to be resolved. This will reassure you and help bring the matter to a quick conclusion.
- Providing a time limit will also help prevent the possibility of your letter being lost or forgotten, bringing further discomfort and resentment between you and the company.
- Just make sure the proposed time frame is reasonable. A week or two is usually sufficient, although this can vary depending on the requests.
Step 6. End the letter respectfully
Thank the recipient for their assistance and let them know how and when they can reach you to resolve the matter. This will make their job much easier, resulting in a more efficient result for you.
Sign the letter with 'Sincerely' if you know the name of the person you are writing to or 'Yours sincerely' if you referred to the recipient as 'Sir' or 'Lady'. Avoid informal closures like 'Hello' or "Sincerely yours"
Part 2 of 3: Using Correct Tone and Format
Step 1. Be courteous
You may be angry and have every right to be, but rudeness only puts the recipient on the defensive. Write respectfully and avoid making threatening, angry, or sarcastic comments at all costs. Remember that the person reading your letter is not directly responsible for whatever has happened to you and will be much more responsive and willing to favor a pleasant and kind customer than an angry customer who uses accusatory ways.
- Remember that the company you're writing to probably doesn't want to intentionally lose you. Most companies have a vested interest in satisfying their customers.
- You will be much more successful if you treat the recipient as someone who wants to help you, rather than assuming they have malicious intent.
- Don't write when you are furious. Wait to write your letter until you have calmed down. Or, if you want, write it down immediately, but leave it to settle for a day or two before sending it. In all likelihood, you will want to rephrase things in a less fiery way.
Step 2. Be concise
Customer service representatives can get hundreds of letters a day, so it's vital to get to the point quickly so they know exactly what they're dealing with as soon as they start reading. If your letter is too long or too detailed, the reader will be inclined to leave out its content and get an unclear idea of the exact problem or desired resolution.
- Avoid any unnecessary details as well as lengthy rants and dissertations.
- Try to keep the letter on a single page or below 200 words or so.
Step 3. Try to be authoritative
With the authority of your letter, you will create the right tone and make sure that the company knows that the complaint must be taken seriously. This is especially true for more serious problems, which can have significant financial implications.
- Being authoritative includes many things: the quality of the language used, the knowledge of one's rights and the responsibility of the company, as well as the professional presentation of the letter.
- All of these things will give you that credibility that should positively influence the response to your letter.
Step 4. Format your letter cleanly and correctly
As mentioned above, formatting it professionally can favorably influence how the complaint is received. Include your name, address and date in the top left, followed by the name and title of the person you are writing to, along with the company address, on the right hand side, just above the body of the letter. Note that in the Anglo-Saxon world the position of the sender and that of the recipient are reversed from our standard commercial setting.
- Always write the letter on a computer - it will be easier to read and much cleaner to see. If you have to handwrite the letter, make sure your handwriting is clear and legible, with no erased words or ink stains.
- Leave a blank space under Sincerely or Sincerely to be able to handwrite your signature. Below this space you should then add your printed name to facilitate reading.
- Keep the letter neat and well spaced, with paragraphs of approximately equal size.
Step 5. Check spelling and grammar
If they are incorrect, they could adversely affect the progress of the complaint. Be sure to spell check your computer before you print the letter or have someone else read it before sending it.
Part 3 of 3: Follow Up
Step 1. Wait until the time limit provided
Be patient and do not pursue any further action until the deadline in your initial letter has passed. If this date has passed and you haven't heard anything yet, you can follow up with a phone call or email to check if the letter has been received. It is always best to give the company the benefit of the doubt.
If you have not yet received information regarding your letter or if the situation has not been handled satisfactorily, you can proceed to forward the complaint to someone higher up the chain of command
Step 2. Move along the chain of command
If relationships with the customer service director are unsuccessful, try to find out who is the next person in the chain of command and join them. Whenever you move up the ladder of responsible, whoever it is, attach the correspondence you had at the previous level. This will update the next and most influential manager of the company and most likely the matter will be resolved without having to fight.
- It's best to start with the call customer first before heading straight up. This is because the service department is more used to dealing with these types of complaints and any letters addressed to the general manager would probably be returned to this department anyway.
- If this is the case, the support employees may automatically treat you in an unfriendly way, as you have tried to override them.
- Be aware that if you write a letter to a chief executive officer or general manager, it will need to be extra clear, concise and well written, as the executive will have no prior knowledge of the incident.
Step 3. Consult a lawyer if you wish to pursue the action legally
A lawyer will know how to proceed. Keep in mind that legal action should be your last resort: choose it only if the complaint is answered in the negative and you do not get the financial compensation requested and due.
Advice
- Before writing, take some time to reflect on what has happened. When you've thought about it and know exactly what you want and how to get it, you'll be ready to write your letter.
- Be sure to include your name, address, e-mail and telephone number (home, office and mobile phone if possible) in the letter. Also, be sure to also ask about who's reading to you, so that you're both up to date on any progress on your complaint.
- Read well and be sure that everything is reliable, true and verifiable.
- Don't swear. Remember that you want to get compensation or at least find a solution; offending the recipient won't help you do that. If you want to use stronger language, avoid passive sentences and use more immediate and direct words. Rather, he claims to be "shocked" or even "disgusted", which are stronger words than just "disappointed".
- Submitting your complaint by writing a letter has a greater effect than sending an e-mail, fax or comment on the site's blog.
- Don't send letters from sworn witnesses. In fact, if you end up in court for this, you may want to withdraw both the names and the statements of the witnesses. Also remember that going to court is a very expensive procedure. In most cases it is better to find an informal agreement or, at least, a mediation.
- If you are writing a complaint about a specific person, limit the letter to their shortcomings and do not discredit the entire company. If you are writing to complain about a company policy, do not insult the reader or the entire policy. Just talk about your problem and how you would like to solve it.
- There are consumer sites that voice complaints - also check them out to see if others have found themselves in the same situation with the same company.
- Keep a copy of all correspondence and keep track of the dates you sent letters.
