How to Write an Effective Complaint Letter

Video Transcript

"Hi, this is Laura Turner, and today, I'm going to talk with you about how to write an effective complaint letter, so you received some bad customer service, or your product is not working very well, or you're just incensed about something else entirely. The first guideline you want to follow, for writing an effective complaint letter, is to make sure you're going to send the letter, to the correct person, and in order to do that, you're either going to want to call the store directly, or the company directly, and find out where your complaint should be directed, because you definitely don't want your complaint to fall on deaf ears, if you want it to be effective. Next, while you're writing your email, or your letter, as you're going through and you're writing it, even though you're very angry, you need to be composed, like the letter writer in this example is. I'm writing to complain about service I recently received. Be very specific about your complaint. No one really likes to be yelled at, and people who are yelled at, will not really listen as well as people who are being talked to calmly, about a problem, so try to be calm in your letter, and assuming that you actually probably are a calm person, if you are writing the letter, instead of calling someone. Next, detail your complaint specifically, with the dates, and the exact problem that you encountered with this customer service, or with this product. Then, state what you plan to do, or what you expect to receive, in order to receive redress, for this complaint, and finally, be prepared to back up your complaint, if anyone gives you a call about it, or gives you a return letter, so those are just some guidelines, for writing an effective complaint letter."