Writing Effective Complaints Letters By Exercising Your Rights Diplomatically

Posted by Louise Servage on May 4, 2010

Most of us will, at one time or another, buy anything from sour milk to dud cars or experience bad service of some sort. When this happens we are usually faced with often unenviable task of writing the dreaded complaints letter.

There are a many ways that these literary gems are penned, unfortunately, not all of them effective. Let’s take a look at what it takes to compile a complaints letter that gets the job done without causing 1000 year blood feuds.

The first step is to establish who to address the letter to. Try and avoid being too general about this as “Dear Sir” letters tend to be ignored. If you don’t know who the accountable person is, find out and address the letter to them directly. This creates an immediate environment of accountability.

The core of any good complaints letter is staying focused on the actually grievance and not getting emotionally side tracked. After all, the whole point of the exercise is to have the cause of the complaint addressed. Slandering the entire staff of the company in question is not going to achieve anything.

Keeping the stones and glass houses analogy in mind, try and remember that mistakes are inevitable and most are unintentional. The sour milk you bought is not part of a single minded plot to topple your household and keep you in the bathroom for a week. This said, most companies want to have such issues resolved to your satisfaction every bit as much as you do.

When writing a complaints letter try to address it to a single, accountable person. “Dear Sir” and “To whom it may concern” are very seldom at work when your letter arrives and generic correspondence has the annoying habit of ending up in the round file.

Supporting documentation is normally pivotal in getting refunds or claiming services so include copies of everything you have. This includes any previous correspondence regarding your complaint. Note the word copies. All original cash slips, receipts and letters should be kept in a safe place.

Fortunately most grievances are caused by genuine mistakes and in the majority of cases the vendor wants a quick and satisfactory result as much as you do. This may not be that case for long though if you send your letter in a black box with an engraved bullet or dead rat included. Keep it respectful, factual and to the point and the results are bound to be positive.

Lastly, remember these two important points. Firstly most complaints are caused by honest mistakes and suppliers will want to have them resolved as much as you do. And secondly never neglect to complain. Vendors can’t fix a problem they are not aware off. Write that complaints letter – you owe to yourself and your fellow consumers.

Are you wanting to learn more about a successful letter of complaint. Stop by Louise Servage’s site where you can find out all about Complaints Letter and what it can do for you to get your complaint heard.