Formal Letter of Complaint

There are a lot of times when you are not satisfied with a product or the services offered by a certain company, the best way to revert to them is by writing a formal letter of complaint.

These letters are effective way to express your dissatisfaction about the product or service. It is here where you can give a clear picture of the problem you are facing.

Always remember to include all the details of the transaction in the letter. No one likes complaining but in some occasion this is the only way to bring up a concern to settle grievance. These letters are always effective if used properly.

Instruction for Writing a Formal Letter of Complaint

If you are ripped off that you have been not treated well or experienced an out-of-line transaction, then you have all the right to complain.
The points you mention in the letter should be specific. Keep in mind that the more detail you provide about the transaction, the better it will be to get your complaint in the forefront. If the complaint is in a store, have a receipt that has the detail of the time and a visible date stamp. If the complain has to do with call-in transaction, make sure you have the names of the person(s) you have talked to along with the record of what you have asked for or told to. If you are involved with a series of events, include the details of each.
Mention clearly about what kind of results of your complaint you want to get and be fair and realistic in the letter. And at times you may be lucky enough to get half the price of your purchase. If your grievance is about the procedures, be specific in the letter as to what you would like to change. Be clear while writing the letter and put forward what you want.
And yes the last thing you need to know is to send to the right person. Never address to a general mailing address such as, "to whom it may concern" or something like, "customer service." Do a little research and find the right person to address to.
In the letter, use a professional tone or something like a business tone. These may help you get positive reply than using nasty remarks or derogatory words. The letter should sound professional and be to the point.
Write in detail and don't use generalities. You can instead describe exactly what happened and how inconvenienced you were with whatever occurred. Giving an explanation for your complaint will help to frame the action in a new light. You may also bring up a point that was never considered before.

Here is a sample formal letter of complaint that can help you and give a basic idea as to how to write one:

Formal Complaint Letter Sample

From:
(Sender's address)

To:
(Recipient's address)

Dear Mr. XXXX

I am writing this letter to issue a complaint regarding a recent purchase of a product. On (Insert the date when you purchased the product and the year), I purchased the (product's name along with the serial number) and the product model with model number (number of the model) from one of your outlets of (price of the product).

The product has not been working and (mention the reasons of complain) I have found that the (the product defects for example grinder blades). Moreover, when the product runs or works (write something what exactly happens with it for instance, such as "whenever I use the mixer runs the machine becomes very hot in few seconds". One of the, (if any of the attachments were missing or broken, mention clearly about this on the letter). I complaint four times at the customer service center but no action has been taken up till date.

I called the customer service and did not get any solution of my problem. Although I have shopped many times from your outlet, but have never come across with any such kind of problem.

I request you to kindly look on the matter and resolve the problem as soon as possible. I have enclosed with these letters a copy of the bill and my complaint no. is (insert the number).

Thank you,

Sincerely,
(Your name)
Encl: 1: copy of the bill
Encl: 2: (any other receipts required)

Another example for a formal complaint letter

(Sender name)
(Sender title/position)
(Sender organization name)
(Sender Street Address)
(City, state, zip code)

Date:

(Recipient's address)
(Recipient's title/position)
(Recipient's organization)
(Street address)
(City, state and zip code)

Sub: Formal Complaint about Poor Services

Dear (Name),

Kindly treat this as a formal letter of complaint about the poor services that was rendered by your company on many occasion in the past. The most recent one which was never expected was met (mention the date).

We are disappointed because the service has not performed as it should perform (state the problem and give as much detail as possible).

We would appreciate if you take some necessary action regarding the whole matter (state the action here which can be in terms of refund). Enclosed are the copies of the receipt.

Sincerely,
- (Name)

These are some tips and ideas as to how you can write a formal complaint letter of complaint.

Related Complaint letter