The Complaint Letter

The Complaint Letter So much fun… When to Write One When you want to lodge a formal complaint against a company  Not intended for person-to-person use  Used to get something for you troubles  Standard business letter format  Part 1 and 2 1. Your Name Your Address Your Phone # The Date   Skip one line Everything in the letter is aligned to the left 2. Name and Title of person you’re writing to Company name of the person you’re writing to Address of Person  Skip one line Parts 3 and 4 3. Greeting  Dear… :  To whom it may concern:  Always follow the greeting with a colon ( : ) – DON’T use a comma ( , )  4. Summary of complaint  1-2 sentences that briefly describe the complaint – similar to a thesis statement  Skip a line Skip a line Part 5 5. Explanation Paragraph  Give the details of the problem  Names, dates, locations  It is your job to PROVE that the problem happened Skip a line  Part 6 6. Concluding paragraph  Explain exactly what you want done to fix the problem  Gift certificates, refunded item, fire employee, etc. Receipts, photos, Dr. bills, etc.    Tell what items you’ve included with the letter  Tell how soon you expect to hear back from the company End with a POLITE threat Skip a space  Part 7 and 8 7. Sincerely…  Skip 4 spaces 8. Enclosed: list items that you included with your letter  Sign your name  receipts, photos, Dr. bills, etc. Skip a line Tips Always type it  Be polite  Be direct and to the point  Send copies of documents, NOT the originals  Explain exactly what you want done  Don’t use sarcasm  Keep a copy of the letter for yourself  The End