You should compose a complaint letter if you have a grievance in your workplace. Express your grievance by writing this letter to the concerned manager or human resources for an amicable resolution. Keep in mind while composing the letter that it should be both tasteful and direct with your intent.
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What is a complaint letter?
A complaint letter is basically written to address any offense, wrongdoing, resentment, or grievance resulting from an event, service, or product. The letter is used to raise concerns regarding unfair occurrences and to seek a positive result. Moreover, expressing how you feel about your negative experience is the most common use of a complaint letter. As a citizen, it is your fundamental duty and right to seek justice from any injustice. Thus, a complaint is the first step towards this.
To make the offenders more liable, responsive, and responsible, a complaint letter an influence the concerned individuals toward proper actions. The offenders should keep in mind that their nonresponsive behavior will make them accountable to a Punishable Court Proceeding or worse, a costly lawsuit. To initiate the writing of this letter is your responsibility.
Types of complaint letters:
There are different types of compliant letters that addresses different circumstances. Each type of complaint letter has its own format;
Formal complaint letter
Write this letter to authorities by communicating your concerns and expressing your issues. This is generally supported by legal documentation. This letter states the legal reasons and facts to back up your claims against a party. For the damages you incurred, this entitles you to a remedy. Writing a complaint letter is the most effective way to complain regarding something such as a service or product.
Product and service complaint letter
This letter is addressed to a retailer or manufacturer about an issue with their service or product. Here, you will compose the letter in the organization for the concerned authorities. The letter tells them regarding the poor performance of their service or product. In addition to this, the complaint letter can also be used to complain about the delivery of damaged or defective goods.
You should make the letter to the point and brief. Specify what you want them to do about the issue. Also, state that how long you’re committed to waiting for the solution to the issue. Here are some tips for this letter;
- Indicate the product you purchased along with date, warranty, and other specifications.
- Emphasize the problem you have with the product.
- State whether the issue persists or a one-time thing.
- Bring up the warranty of the product in case you aren’t satisfied with the repairs.
Employee complaint letter
This letter is written by an employee or employer. If you are writing the letter as an employee, then consider the following tips;
- Determine and explain the harassment that occurred
- Include the information regarding the event
- Introduce yourself
- State your purpose
- Present the facts
- Describe in detail how you reacted or responded
- Recommend a solution to the issue.
- Avoid using offensive language.
What to include in a complaint letter?
According to the Federal Trade Commission, here are the following reasons for mailing customer complaint letters;
- In this situation, they can assist you to preserve your legal rights.
- By having a complaint letter, they can make your complaint on record.
- This indicates the company that you are very serious that’s why you are pursuing your complaint.
Furthermore, the post office is a place from where you can request for proof of delivery. You have to include the following before making your own complaint letter;
- At first, write the address and the date in your complaint letter.
- After that, to whom you are writing the letter, write their name and the title of the person. In case, you don’t know their name them it would be better to include the name of the company and its business address.
- Next, you have to write the body of your letter.
The tone of your letter must be constructive and respectful no matter whether you are emotionally upset. Write the letter in such a way that the readers don’t consider themselves directly responsible for the issues you have. In addition, during including all important details, you have to remain concise. Include the following details;
- The name of the store
- The location of the store
- Your account number
- The dates when you bought services or goods
- When the problem began
- Name of the seller
- Customer service representative
- The manager to whom you have discussed about the problem
- Serial number of the product
- Model number of the product
- Invoices, warranties, and receipts copies
- Copies of your past correspondence such as chat logs, letters, or emails.
- Your contact details
Your complaint is identified by the first sentence of the body of your letter. After that, state the actions that you have performed to resolve the complaint. Then, specify your expectations for the company to respond. By using a simple and professional close, write your conclusion.
How to write a complaint letter?
A complaint letter provides a company the chance to rectify a situation. The format of this letter is pretty straightforward. You can get your point across as long as you remain focused on the experience you had. Follow the below steps to prepare a concise complaint letter template;
Keep track of all of the details of the event
Provide the reason of writing this letter. Write down any specific details. Write this part right after the incident as everything is still fresh in your mind. You should ensure to add the date, time, and place where the incident occurred. Also, mention the employee or salesperson’s name and other essential details. Furthermore, ensure that when recording the facts, by placing things into perspective, you adopt an objective stance.
Find out to whom the letter should address
You must know the recipient of the letter. Companies generally have customer service agents that deal with these written complaints. In the case of shops, you can also send the letter directly to the owners or managers. You can generally find the names or addresses whether on the website of the company or through online directories.
Compose your letter
In most companies, written complaints are preferred most than verbal ones. Some employees may can complain verbally, but those who write this letter means they feel dissatisfied. Consider the following tips to create the most effective letter;
- Most importantly, keep your complaint letter simple, short, and to the point.
- You should ensure that your language remains neutral. Pat attention to the main goal that is to describe your negative experience. There is no need to go into details with commentaries regarding the company, not necessary details about the individual who offended you or any other irrelevant things. Curses or rants aren’t needed. They will not be well-obtained by the recipient.
- Using facts, emphasize the situation objectively.
- Provide details about the experience or product. The time, date, and location or the store branch should be included.
- The specific details regarding the product such as the serial or model numbers.
- Give a description for how the company can resolve the situation in order to ensure that your letter isn’t just a rant. If you present reasonable suggestions, the company will most likely make more of an effort to help.
- Give your contact details like your name, phone number, and email address. They are helpful in case they want to reach out to you.
- Send copies of warranty information or receipts along with your letter.
- Before following up, provide the company enough time to acknowledge and fix the situation.
Some additional tips to write an effective complaint letter:
Here are the tips that you should consider while writing the letter;
Start off politely
Your letter should be written politely it doesn’t contain threats and all UPPERCASE. Your letter could be ignored in case it consists of any kind of profanity. The letter should be precise containing an average about 500 words tops. All necessary details are included in it to track the problem.
Ask a question
Make your request in the form of a question. The time, date, and place where you bought or received the services should be highlighted. By reading the first few sentences, the reader should get the point. To grab the reader’s attention, describe yourself well and be detailed.
Describe the problem
Specify the reasons that you are writing the letter. Never use an angry, sarcastic, or threatening tone, it doesn’t matter how justified your complaint may be. While writing the letter, keep in mind that the person who is reading the letter isn’t responsible for the problem.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, a complaint letter is effective to address any offense, wrongdoing, resentment, or grievance that has occurred at the workplace. When writing the letter maybe you are emotionally upset, but you still have to keep the tone of the letter constructive and respectful.
