We've all been at the receiving end of bad customer service at one time or another. It's incredibly frustrating, particularly if you're not able to resolve the situation immediately. So it festers in your mind until you just can't take it anymore and decide to write a letter of complaint.
A well written letter of complaint is often all that's needed to address the situation to your satisfaction. However, if you simply write a rant full of emotion chances are that the only place it'll end up is the shredder. Here are some suggestions for writing a letter of complaint regardless of the situation.
1. Find out who you should address the letter to. It should be someone who has the ability to actually do something to resolve the issue; the store manager or the head of Consumer Relations or Customer Service. Depending on your situation, you may even want to go right to the top. If you're not sure who you should contact, phone the company's head office and ask.
2. Gather your facts. If you have a receipt, make a photocopy and keep the original. If your letter relates to an incident, have the date, time and the name of the staff person involved. If it has to do with a product, have the make, model and serial available.
3. If at all possible, avoid a handwritten letter. Handwritten letters of for personal correspondence, which this isn't.
4. Stick to the facts and avoid emotion. Your letter should be to the point without embellishments.
5. Try to say something positive in your first paragraph. For instance "I have been a customer of XYZ store for 10 years and am usually very satisfied with the service I receive." A positive tone initially will likely make the reader more inclined to follow up on your complaint.
6. Use the second paragraph to detail the complaint. Remember to include the time, date and name of the employee in the case of the service complaint. If you're writing to complain about a shoddy product, be sure to detail exactly what went wrong. The point of the second paragraph is to leave no or questions in the reader's mind about your situation.
7. After you've stated the issue, tell the company what you would like them to do to make it right. If you've had terrible service or sub-standard food in a restaurant, ask for a free meal. If a product that you bought was garbage, ask for a refund. If all you want to do is make upper management aware of a situation, ask for a letter of response.
8. In closing, remember to include your own name, address, telephone number and email address below your signature so that the reader knows who to respond to, and where to respond.
9. Mail your letter. If you haven't received a response within two weeks of mailing it, follow up with a phone call.
10. If no answer is forthcoming, write another letter detailing why you will never patronize their business again, and tell them you will encourage all your friends, family and acquaintances to do likewise.
You may not be able to resolve the situation to your satisfaction, but at least you've given it a try!
