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You may have received less than stellar service or a product that didn’t live up to your expectations from a company. When this happens, you may be tempted to write a complaint letter. While writing a detailed letter of complaint expressing your feelings about the matter can be cathartic, if you actually want something done in response it’s important to go about writing your letter in the most effective way possible. A good complaint letter contains 3 main elements:

- A clear statement of the problem
- A brief explanation of any efforts to resolve it, if applicable
- A clear request for a specific resolution

For example, suppose you ordered a new washer & dryer from a local store. When the delivery person arrived, they brought the wrong product. They offered to go back to the store and return with the correct product, so you agreed and sat back to wait for their return. An hour or two later, they called back with an apology, saying that the washer & dryer you actually wanted is now out of stock. Chances are you are unhappy about having wasted a good portion of your day waiting on the delivery of the correct product, and you’re unhappy that it will now have to be ordered, especially since your old washer & dryer have already been unhooked and put out for Goodwill to pickup.

When you write your letter, it could go something like this:

Dear (store manager’s name),

I ordered washer & dryer model xxx on y date, with an expected delivery date of z. When the delivery person arrived, they had the wrong model. They tried to re-deliver the correct product, but it was now out of stock. Because of this, I missed 4 hours of work and am without a washer and dryer for the foreseeable future. I would like you to compensate me for my trouble with a store credit in the amount of $. I would also like you to see if it’s possible to have the model I ordered delivered from a nearby store instead.

Sincerely,
(your name & contact information)

You could add a sentence about how disappointed you are in the experience, and how you have always received good service there in the past (if true). Keeping your letter brief and clear allows the manager to quickly review your problem and evaluate your request. Long, rambling letters that are full of confusing and unnecessary details may delay a response. Letters filled with swearing and ranting might make you feel better, but they are also likely to make the person reading it lose any sympathy they might have had for your situation and make them less inclined to want to make you happy.