Writing Complaint Letters in Plain English

The secret to writing complaint letters effectively is to write accurately, with a reasonable tone, making it clear why you are complaining and what you want done about it. Follow these guidelines when you want to complain.

• Never write when you are angry. This makes the reader go on the defensive. If you sound as if you are a reasonable person, you are likely to get a better response. If you feel angry, wait a day or two before writing to complain.
• Send your letter to the most important person. Writing direct to someone in senior management, even the head of the organisation, will improve your chances of getting a good response.
• Include relevant information to deal with your claim. The easier you make it for the other person to deal with your claim, the better. Make the information about your complaint specific and factual, and explain the consequences. Add any information - such as order numbers, dates and so on - to help the reader investigate your claim.
• Start with a description of the main complaint. Don't waste time with preliminaries; go straight to your main complaint.
• Explain why this was a problem for you. The organisation you complain to will probably compensate you depending on how much the mistake or poor service caused you a problem. The better your description of the consequences, the better response you will get.
• Add any further complaints. Describe anything else wrong with the goods or service you received - it all adds to your case.
• State the action you want from the reader. If you suggest the best way to solve the problem, the reader has to consider it. If you ask for a replacement, you may well get one. If you don't, you may only get a token payment or no compensation at all.
• End with a statement showing you expect the right decision. The best way to end your letter is to say what you expect them to do.