LETTER​of COMPLAINT(Business &

Official)
A letter of complaint is a type of letter written to address any type of
wrong-doing, offence or grievance, arising out of a use of a product or a
service. It is also used to raise your concern about unfair things and to seek
a corrective action.
Lesson Objective

 To enhance communication skills.

 To understand and analyze the format and its application.
 To critically examine the content of a complaint letter​.
 How many times has it happened that you bought a
product and it turned out to be defective?
 How many times did you avail of public service and were
left dissatisfied?
 Did you ever notice any problematic practice taking place
at a public place?

What do you do in such situations?

 The most common way to address such problems
and to make sure that your voice is heard is to
write a letter to the concerned authorities.
Sometimes, the associated organization may not
be aware of the troublesome issues which makes
it the crying need of time to report them.
Types

 Consumer Complaint letter- This type of letter is written

by a consumer to a particular organization/company
pertaining to issues related to defective goods/services.

 General Complaint letter- This type of letter is written to

express grievance about a social issue/situation.
What is a Letter of Complaint?

A Complaint Letter is a type of letter

written to address any type of wrong-
doing, offense, grievance, resentment
arising out of a product, service, etc. It is
used to raise your concern about unfair
things and seek a productive outcome.
COMPLAINT LETTER: Think of some real-life scenarios where would you be
required to draft a letter of complaint?
 Marking Scheme​
Total- 7 Marks

Format : 1 Mark
Content : 3 Marks
Organisation: 2
Accuracy : 1 Mark

100-120 Words
 The letter must include:
Sender’s address
Date
Receiver’s designation and
address
Salutation
Subject
The content in paragraphs
Complimentary close
Language

 Keep your complaint focused on the exact incident that prompted

your letter.
 Maintain a firm but respectful tone
 Do not veer into generalized criticism of the company, and avoid
personal attacks and abusive language. Even though you may be quite
frustrated and angry, maintain a calm, gracious tone in your
complaint.
 Expressing optimism that the matter will be resolved will produce a
more persuasive letter than berating the reader for the company's
mistakes.
STATEMENTS AND VOCABULARY
THAT SHOULD BE AVOIDED
 Powerful vocabulary: disgusted, outraged, appalling, devastating,
 Powerful statements: It is annoying,
 Questions: Can you imagine how I felt?
 Flattery: I am sure that in your position as Senior Manager, you will
deal with this promptly.
 Bribery: Should this be solved quickly, I would recommend your travel
agency to my relatives & friends. Furthermore, I shall consider your
agency for my near-future plans.
 ​ arn: I advise you to re-train your staff as it would not look very good
W
if you started to lose customers due to poor service
General Instructions

 The content should be brief, clear and to the point.

 The first paragraph should indicate the subject of the letter.
Use simple and direct language.
 Even while lodging a complaint or making criticism, you should be
polite but formal.
 Use a proper format. Omit punctuation marks in address, date,
salutation and complimentary close.
You are Arup/ Aroopa. You bought a printer from
Apex Electronics and electricals, Gandhi Marg,
Nagpur. It does not function properly. Write a
letter to the Sales Manager of the shop
complaining about the defect and asking for
immediate replacement or repair.
33 Stadium Road
Nagpur
16 March 2020
The Sales Manager
Apex Electronics and Electricals
Gandhi Marg
Nagpur
Subject: Complaint about Defective Printer Purchased
Sir
This letter is with reference to a HP printer, Model No. 435, bought from your showroom vide Receipt No. 234 on 20 February 2020.
Within a month of its purchase, the printer has stopped functioning satisfactorily. It does not print properly. The paper tears or
gets stuck very often. The words overlap, making the print illegible.It is quite evident that it seems to have some manufacturing
problem. Since, it is under warranty period, I request you to replace it.
I expect you to do the needful within a week failing which, I shall be forced to seek help from the Consumer Protection Cell.
Please contact me at the above address or by phone at 0402667546 between 4.30 p.m. to 9.00 p.m.

Thank you
Yours sincerely
Arup
ARUP GANDHI
(Concerned Customer)
Encl: Purchase invoice and warranty card
You are Sanjeet of 122, Arjun Nagar, New Delhi. A
number of scooters and cars are parked in your
locality without any order, causing blockage of the
streets. Write a letter to the local Secretary of the
Resident’s Association complaining against this
problem.
122 Arjun Nagar
New Delhi
20 March 2020
The Secretary
Resident’s Association
New Delhi
Subject- Complaint regarding road blockage
Sir,
Through this letter I would like to draw your attention towards the bad parking habits of residents in our locality. It
is resulting in a lot of chaos and no place for parking for those who come back later from work.
Despite defining the area assigned to each vehicle, cars are parked amidst two parking spots. One vehicle occupies
the space for 2-3 vehicles leading to mismanagement. Two-wheelers are placed nowhere near the allotted zone.
This creates inconvenience for other people as they have to spend a lot of time finding a parking spots in other
localities. It induces frustration and tension for safety of vehicles.
Various notices and warnings have been given to the rule-violators, but to our dismay, no improvement is visible. I
request you to take strict action as this is leading to altercation between the residents. An effective and speedy
action is expected considering the depth of the situation.

Thank you
Yours Sincerely
Tips for Writing an Effective Complaint
Letter
 Start off politely
 Explain the problem
 Don't blame the person you are dealing with
 A solution to the problem should be presented
 The time period for the issue to be resolved should be stated
You could follow these steps:

 Mention the item purchased with specifications, date of purchase and

warranty.
 Mention your problem with facts and data in the 1st paragraph of the letter
body.
 Mention if the problem is persistent.
 Conclude by requesting that the concerned authority either repair the
product suitably or replace it
Write a Letter of complaint to the Commissioner,
Municipality complaining about the deplorable condition
of street lights in your area. This leads to many
accidents and crime especially during night time. You
are Ruhi/ Rajat of B-98, Janak Puri, Delhi. Lets write
step by step.
 Some Useful Phrases

• Poor standard of service/slow service

• No accommodation/Travel delays/Rather rude staff
• Badly scratched/dented wrapping/packaging
• To claim/demand for a refund
• Defective/faulty goods/defective item/machine
• The… may need replacing
• To restore an item to full working order…
• I am enclosing the broken radio in this package;
please send me a replacement..
• I am returning … to you for correction of the
fault/for inspection/repair/servicing
• I wish to get a replacement
Checklist

 When you have written your letter, check:

 It is a formal letter It includes all the information necessary
 You have asked all the questions you need to
 The questions are correctly formulated indirect questions
 The letter is divided into paragraphs
 You have checked the letter carefully for mistakes
 Proofread your letters such that they don’t contain any grammatical or
obvious errors.