Writing Effective Complaints Letters – Exercising Your Rights Diplomatically

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 as many approaches to writing a letter of complaint as there are people complaining, some gently persuasive and others deserving of FBI intervention. The former approach has proven to be the winner though with a calm, diplomatic demeanour generally winning out over the aggressive, wax doll treatment.

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 add. ress 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.

Always try and address the complaint to a specific person, ideally the top of the accountability heap. If you don’t know who this is, find out. A vague “To whom it may concern” letter will, in all likelihood, be processed through the office shredder. Accountability is the magic word here. Making your letter of complaint the personal property of a specific person lessens the chances of nimble, elusive footwork.

Be factual at all times. Don’t try and embellish the facts for effect. This will create loop holes in your complaint that unscrupulous suppliers will slip through swiftly. It usually helps to write the letter as soon as possible so that all the facts are still clear in your mind and you don’t have to fill any gaps with fiction.

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.

Include copies (keep originals in a safe place) of all relevant documentation such as cash slips or receipts and any previous correspondence regarding the issue. This is usually a critical requirement of most vendors so don’t forget this one.

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.