Complaining about Poor Service, Defective or Inferior Products
Guidelines and Alternate Phrases
Summarize the problem briefly, specifically, and clearly. Include all information basic to the problem or resolution such as complete names, addresses, phone numbers, full description of the product or service, dates, places, amounts, methods of payment, previous correspondence, and file numbers. Include enough detail so a previously uninvolved reader can understand what has happened, but do avoid irrelevant detail that will only obscure the real issues.
State the facts of your complaint in an organized, easy-to-follow format. A bulleted list is an effective way to give specifics. In most situations, a once-upon-a-time format is not an appropriate arrangement of facts or issues.
Decide what specific action you want and firmly stick with it. Don’t sound wishy-washy in what you will accept as restitution.
Please remove the $48 charge from my account.
Please send a replacement tray by overnight mail.
I will appreciate receiving an explanation and an apology from the service representative.
Please send a replacement part immediately.
We ask you correct the situation by closing the old account and establishing an entirely new one.
We suggest you discuss with your staff the importance of a prompt response in such emergency situations.
In the future, please send all the authorizations directly to me for my signature before beginning any work projects on our behalf.
We have written you about these subscriptions on two previous occasions. If the changes cannot be made by the next issue (March), please cancel all three subscriptions.
If we can make these two changes in the printed form, I’m confident we can reduce our internal costs by as much as 50 percent.
Be firm about any agreed-upon deadline with regard to any delayed response you have been promised.
I’ll expect to hear from you by Friday.
As you confirmed, I will be looking for the replacement shipment within 10 days.
As you suggested, I will wait to hear from Mr. Cox on August 15 about what adjustments he will make on the price.
Sound factual, not emotional.
My calls have not been returned. (Not: The return calls have never materialized.)
As you know, we have a $200,000 investment in this equipment, and we must have it operate dependably 24 hours a day. (Not: We have a $200,000 investment in this equipment; we would like to have it work occasionally.)
Assume a confident tone about a suitable resolution. Avoid aggressive or sarcastic statements. Assume the reader will give you a fair deal until he or she proves otherwise.
I know you will want to correct the situation immediately.
I was sure if I pointed out the difficulties to you personally, you would make every effort to solve the problem.
I hope you can restore our confidence in your product and service.
You have given us excellent service in past years, and we want to continue to depend on you for our data processing needs.
We feel confident you can correct the structure with minimal expense.
You have always been fair in your dealings with our organization, and we have every confidence you will decide to make an adjustment in this situation.
If we haven’t heard from you by August 5, we will assume you prefer to cancel the project altogether. I hope that’s not the case.
We appreciate your attention to this detail.
We are eager to hear how you think the problem can be corrected.
Let us know if you need further information to verify the claims we have presented here.
We are looking forward to continuing our relationship on future projects.
We believe we can count on your best efforts in this regard.
Thank you for your usual attention to our concerns.
If follow-up letters become necessary to gain the reader’s cooperation, become stronger in stating your next course of action while maintaining an objective tone.
If we don’t hear from you by August 6, we will be turning the problem over to our legal department.
We will be forced to cancel our account with your firm if we do not have a suitable resolution by August 6.
Be sure to attach any necessary documentation for your claims such as invoices, receipts, canceled checks, order numbers, authorizations, and so forth.
Email This Page!