Your Right to be Heard How to Complain Effectively

By Phone or by Letter? A complaint LETTER is important because it:  puts your complaint on record with the company; provides a “paper trail” (a record)  helps preserve any legal rights you may have in the situation  ensures that the company knows your side of the story  helps avoid the “he said, she said” verbal confusion, miscommunication, misunderstanding  gives you a chance to “present your case” in the best possible way without a phone call that can fuel emotions

 helps to alert government agencies involved in your case (cc’d copy of letter)  can alert government agencies to any questionable business practices (cc’d copy of letter)  can lay the foundation for any future legal case  lets the company know you are serious about pursuing your complaint (some businesses ignore complaints that are not in writing)

Effective Complaint Letters Are: Concise Authoritative Factual Constructive Friendly

Concise Your letter should be able to be understood QUICKLY. It must make its main point in less than five seconds!

Authoritative An authoritative letter establishes your credibility – that you can be trusted, that you know your facts, and that you probably have a point! Letters that are well written (good grammar and spelling) and professionally presented with firmness and clarity have more credibility and are taken more seriously.

Factual Present the facts so the reader can see immediately the relevant facts (who, what, where, when, why, how) and justify action to resolve the complaint. Take an objective point-of-view: “this happened (for whatever reason), it can’t be undone, now let’s resolve it”

Constructive Letters with positive statements that suggest positive action will encourage quicker decisions to actively resolve the complaint.

Friendly It’s not about placing blame and finding fault!

An approach like this:

will get a result like this:

Letters with a tone that is considerate, cooperative, and complimentary will get better results! When your complaint letter is based on cooperation, relationships, and constructive problem-solving, the reader will be more likely to respond positively and want to help. People like to help nice, friendly people!

Before You Begin Be sure you have a valid complaint.

Dear Who??? Complaints should be directed first to the customer service department of the company or manufacturer, then referred upwards (manager, company president, CEO, etc.), if necessary. Look on package labeling, invoices, websites for company, manufacturer and/or customer service information.

The Letter Format Business format, centered on page: Return address (yours) Date Inside address (with a person’s NAME and TITLE) Salutation Body (four paragraphs) Complimentary closing (Sincerely) Signature Typed name If appropriate to your situation, add : cc Enclosures

The Letter Body Paragraph 1 Main Idea what happened/need for adjustment “I recently bought this, with this problem, and would like you to…” Paragraph 2 Details who, what, where, when, why, how Paragraph 3 Effect of Problem explain the negative impact of the problem “Because of (this problem), I am unable to complete my Senior Project…” Paragraph 4 Specific Request for Action pertinent to your complaint state exactly what you want done and how long you are willing to wait be reasonable “ To resolve this problem, I am requesting that you…by (date). After that time, I will contact…”

Action Ideas Free replacement of defective part Free repair Refund Credit Reduction in price Free inspection leading to repairs Explanation, apology, change in policy New shipment with correct item Cancellation of order Your ideas specific to the problem

Letter Details Same format as cover letter Professional font (Arial, Helvetica, New Times Roman) Centered vertically on page Left justified Check spacing between letter parts Single spacing within paragraphs Signed in black ink Enclosures noted, if applicable

21801 – 44 th AVE W Mountlake Terrace, WA January 2, 2012 Mary Smith President ABC Company 123 – 4 th ST Seattle, WA Dear Ms. Smith: Paragraph 1 Paragraph 2 Paragraph 3 Paragraph 4 Sincerely, Your Signature Your Typed Name Enclosures: Cc:

And finally… Send your complaint letter with a “return receipt requested”. This will give you proof that the letter was received and will tell you who signed for it. Keep a copy of your letter and all correspondence from the company. If the problem remains unresolved, consider filing a complaint with: – your state or local consumer protection office – the Better Business Bureau – the business’s regulatory agency (banking, insurance, etc.)

“Don’t find fault, find a remedy…” – Henry Ford ( , American founder of the Ford Motor Company)