How to Complain - A Comprehensive Guide

How to complain

With thanks to Barracad

I have had years of experience of dealing with customer complaints, and so I have put this guide here to help you to write an effective complaint letter which will get you the results you want quickly.

This writing approach is effective for private consumers who need to write letters of complaint that produce positive outcomes. Effective complaints letters should be: concise, authoritative, factual, constructive, and friendly. Imagine you are receiving a customer's letter of complaint. What type of letter would encourage you to respond positively and helpfully to the complaint?

Good complaints letters have these features:

• Concise letters can be understood quickly.
• Authoritative letters - letters that are well written and professionally presented - have more credibility and are taken seriously.
• Factual letters enable the reader to see immediately the relevant details, dates, requirements, etc., and to justify action to resolve the complaint.
• Constructive letters - with positive statements, suggesting positive actions - encourage action and quicker decisions.
• Friendly letters - with a considerate, cooperative and complimentary tone - are prioritised because the reader warms to the writer and wants to help.

These complaints methods are based on cooperation, relationships, constructive problem-solving, and are therefore transferable to phone and face-to-face complaints.

Write concise letters

We all receive too many communications these days, especially letters. People in complaints departments receive more letters than most, and cannot read every letter fully. The only letters that are read fully are the most concise, clear, compact letters. Letters that ramble or are vague will not be read properly. So it's simple - to be acted upon, first your letter must be read. To be read your letter must be concise. A concise letter of complaint must make its main point in less than five seconds. The complaint letter may subsequently take a few more seconds to explain the situation, but first the main point must be understood in a few seconds.

Structuring the letter is important. Think in terms of the acronym AIDA:

• Attention
• Interest
• Desire
• Action

This is the fundamental process of persuasion. It's been used by the selling profession for fifty years or more. It applies to letters of complaints too, which after all, are letters of persuasion. The complaint letter attempts to persuade the reader to take action.

Structure your letter so that you include a heading - which identifies the issue and name of product, service, person, location, with code or reference number if applicable.

Then state the simple facts, with relevant dates and details.

Next state what you'd like to happen - a positive request for the reader to react to.

Include also, (as a sign-off point is usually best), something complimentary about the company and/or its products, service, or people. For example:

— I've long been a user of your products/services and up until now have always regarded you as an excellent supplier/company. I have every faith therefore that you will do what you can to rectify this situation.

Even if you are very angry, it's always important to make a positive, complimentary comment. It will make the reader and the organization more inclined to 'want' to help you. More about this below.

If the situation is very complex with a lot of history, it's a good idea to keep the letter itself very short and concise, and then append or attach the details, in whatever format is appropriate (photocopies, written notes, explanation, etc). This enables the reader of the letter to understand the main point of the complaint, and then to process it, without having to read twenty pages of history and detail.

The main point is, do not bury your main points in a long letter about the problem. Make your main points first in a short letter, and attach the details.

Authoritative complaints letters have credibility and carry more weight

An authoritative letter is especially important for serious complaints or one with significant financial implications.

What makes a letter authoritative?

Professional presentation, good grammar and spelling, firmness and clarity. Using sophisticated words (providing they are used correctly) - the language of a broadsheet newspaper rather than a tabloid - can also help to give your letter a more authoritative impression. What your letter looks like, its presentation, language and tone, can all help to establish your credibility - that you can be trusted and believed, that you know your facts, and that you probably have a point.

So think about your letter layout - use a letterhead preferably - ensure the name and address details of the addressee are correct, include the date, keep it tidy, well-spaced, and print your name under your signature.

If you copy the letter to anyone show that this has been done (normally by using the abbreviation 'c.c.' with the names of copy letter recipients and their organisations if appropriate, beneath the signature.) If you attach other pages of details or photocopies, or enclose anything else such as packaging, state so on the letter (normally by using the abbreviation 'enc.' the foot of the page).

When people read letters, rightly or wrongly they form an impression about the writer, which can affect response and attitude. Writing a letter that creates an authoritative impression is therefore helpful.

Complaints letters must include all the facts

In the company concerned, you need someone at some stage to decide a course of action in response to your letter, that will resolve your complaint. For any complaint of reasonable significance, the solution will normally involve someone committing organisational resources or cost. Where people commit resources or costs there needs to be proper accountability and justification. This is generally because organizations of all sorts are geared to providing a return on investment. Resolving your complaint will involve a cost or 'investment' of some sort, however small, which needs justifying. If there's insufficient justification, the investment needed to solve the problem cannot be committed.

So ensure you provide the relevant facts, dates, names, and details, clearly. Make sure you include all the necessary facts that will justify why your complaint should resolved (according to your suggestion assuming you make one).

But be brief and concise. Not chapter and verse. Just the key facts, especially dates and reference numbers.

For example:

— The above item was delivered to XYZ address on 00/00/00 date and developed ABC fault on 00/00/00

howtocomplain.com

howtocomplain has good general information on all types of consumer complaints.

All the various sections are freely available, but you must register (with your name, address and phone no.) to use the facility which enables you to submit, escalate and resolve complaints online.

— This service is FREE and independent, empowering you to get results: How often have you intended to complain about something but never got around to it? Well now you can easily and effectively: • Learn about your rights and where to get advice and help. • Submit, escalate and resolve complaints online. • Find out how to complain about any issue. Top tips on complaining: General tips and reminders to help you get the right result Complaint Letter Templates: Write your own letter with help Complaints Procedures: For 140 different sectors Signposts: How to complain about 'day-to-day events' or 'life events' Complaints Wizard: Follow the easy to answer questions. Legal Section: Legal tips and reminders. Know Your Rights: Leaflets and information about your rights.