The Complaint Letter

1
The Complaint Letter

• So much fun

2
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

3
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 youre writing to
• Company name of the person youre writing to
• Address of Person
• Skip one line

4
Parts 3 and 4

• 3. Greeting
• Dear
• To whom it may concern
• Always follow the greeting with a colon ( )
  DONT use a comma ( , )
• Skip a line

• 4. Summary of complaint
• 1-2 sentences that briefly describe the complaint
  similar to a thesis statement
• Skip a line

5
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

6
Part 6

• 6. Concluding paragraph
• Explain exactly what you want done to fix the
  problem
• Gift certificates, refunded item, fire employee,
  etc.
• Tell what items youve included with the letter
• Receipts, photos, Dr. bills, etc.
• Tell how soon you expect to hear back from the
  company
• End with a POLITE threat
• Skip a space

7
Part 7 and 8

• 7. Sincerely
• Skip 4 spaces
• Sign your name
• Skip a line

• 8. Enclosed list items that you included with
  your letter
• receipts, photos, Dr. bills, etc.

8
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
• Dont use sarcasm
• Keep a copy of the letter for yourself

9
The End