How to Write a Complaint Letter
Planet Antares Complaints dot com offers tips on how to write a good complaint letter. There are four simple rules when one sets out to write a good complaint letter: Focus, Be Polite, Keep It Short, and Know Who They Are Writing To.
Focus. When writing a complaint letter, one needs to find one, maybe two, key issues to focus on. For instance, a woman is unsatisfied with a restaurant. She may think that “everything” was horrible about her experience, but there are bound to be one or two elements that stand out above all else—her meat was rancid, nutritional information was non-existent—and those are the issues she’ll need to focus on in her letter. Without key focal points, it would be easy to ramble; but, if she trails off in her letter, her reader’s attention will trail off as well.
Most people will have a job dealing with the public at one time in their lives or another. And part of dealing with the public is dealing with their complaints. However, which customer gets ignored, and which customer gets an official apology and potentially compensation for their displeasure? For instance, a man attempts to return a product to a store, well within the designated time frame to get a refund, but the local branch of this particular store refuses to honor his receipt. The man decides to take the issue to corporate. This man has every reason to be angry, but he must remember to be polite. He must write the letter as if he’s writing it to himself, or a friend, in customer service: no swearing, no name-calling. It might feel good to rant and rave, but it most likely will not get results (or respect). However, being “polite” does not mean being “wishy-washy.” He’s still writing a complaint. Focus!
As a general rule, no one wants to read a complaint. And a long complaint is even less desirable. When writing a complaint, one needs to keep it as short as possible while still getting their point across.
Last, beginning a complaint letter with “Dear Sir” when the head of Customer Service is a woman is a good way to get a complaint, no matter how well-written, thrown in the “circular file” without so much as a courtesy read-through. When one doesn’t know exactly who they are writing to, it’s best to stick with a “unisex” greeting such as “To Whom It May Concern.”
It’s easy to chew someone out when one displeased, but to write an effective complaint, one that elicits change in the most optimal way, he or she must remember the “rules.”
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