A Letter of Complaint

A letter is complaint is written to an individual or organization in response to receiving poor service or a

product that is not fit for purpose. In a letter of complaint, it is important that you detail your arguments
and points as much as possible. A letter of complaint is structured in the following way:

- in the first paragraph (introduction): explain the reason for writing.

- in the second paragraph (body): explain exactly what the problem is. Give all the necessary details
about where and when it happened and who was involved. Give other relevant information in further
paragraphs if necessary. You may include the following information if it's applicable to the situation: the
date/time of the issue, location, name of person on duty, name of product, what the problem was, your
account number, mode! number, price, warranty information and reference number. Be sure to stick with
the facts and avoid putting emotions into your letter.

- in the final paragraph (conclusion): explain what action you want to be taken. If you received poor
service, you could
request an apology or a coupon. If a product malfunctioned, you could request that you could exchange
the product for a
new one or request a refund. If necessary, say what action you will take if your demand is not satisfied.

Useful language:
Reason:
I am writing to complain about / to express my concern about ...
I am writing to express my annoyance at / my strong dissatisfaction with ...
Further to my letter of May 13th in connection with ...
I am writing to draw your attention to...
I am writing in connection with...
I am afraid to say I have numbers of complaints about...
I am sorry to say that I was very disappointed with...
I was appalled at...
I feel I must protest/complain about...
I am not satisfied with...

Explaining the problem:

We ought to discuss the matter...
To make matters worse...
I was very disappointed to find that...
I would be grateful if you could ...
I should have been informed that...
The first problem was... Another problem was... The most visible problem ...
I hope you will understand that I was very dissatisfied ...
I believe you can appreciate how disappointed I was when ...

Demand:
I would like to hear your explanation for the above problems ...
I would therefore be grateful if you could give me a full refund ...
I would like a full refund as soon as possible...
I would like to have all or part of my money refunded ...
I must insist that you ...
I must urge you to ...
I feel I am entitled to a refund.
I feel I am entitled to some compensation for the inconvenience I have suffered.
I shall expect a written apology at your earliest convenience.
I would be grateful to receive a cheque for the outstanding sum without further delay.
I would be very grateful if you could ensure that your sons turn their music down after 11 p.m.
Please would you be so kind as to dissuade your sons from playing such loud music so late at
night.
I must insist that you deliver the piano with no further delay and at no additional expense to
myself.
... would be appropriate compensation for the inconvenience caused to my family.
In view of the many ways in which it did not match the claims made for it in your publicity,
I expect a substantial refund.
In light of the above I feel I am entitled to a full refund and a formal apology
Under the circumstances, I feel that an apology should be offered.
For these reasons, I would suggest that the cooker needs to be replaced at your earliest
convenience.
I must ask you, therefore, to refund the full cost price of... plus the postage of...

Threat:
I shall have no alternative but to put the matter in the hands of my solicitors should your cheque
not be
received by May 1st.
Unless I hear from you within 10 days, I shall have to take legal advice on the matter.
If I do not hear from you before May 3rd, I shall be obliged to take matters a step further.
If your son does not refrain from...in the future, I shall have no choice but to contact the police.
Should I receive no satisfaction, I will be forced to ...

Ending:
I hope you will consider the points I have raised very carefully.
I hope/assume you will replace...
I trust the situation will improve...
I hope the matter will be resolved...
I hope we can sort this matter out amicably
I look forward to hearing from you.
I look forward to hearing from you in your earliest convenience.