Business Letters About Consumer Complaints

Writing a Complaint Letter To Fight Consumer Fraud

Apr 2, 2009 Kent Ninomiya

There is a fine art to complaining. The complaint must be justified, rational, and delivered with emotional impact. A well thought out complaint will produce results.

A complaint letter is not an opportunity to vent anger. It is a well laid out plan to convince a business or organization to give a consumer what they want and do the right thing. This can be money, a refund, a replacement product, an improved service, disciplinary action against an employee, or simply an apology.

Business Letters

It is important to address the complaint letter to the right person working at the business. It must be someone with the power to give the consumer what they seek. These people include managers, regional managers, vice presidents, and even CEOs. Public relations directors are often effective if the complaint is potentially embarrassing for the company. Address the complaint letter the specific person making sure to spell their name and title correctly.

Complaint Letter

A complaint letter must not be a rant. It should always be professional and never petty. The phrasing is important because irrational people are usually ignored. People who seem beyond satisfying are likewise ignored since the company cannot win by engaging them. The request for action or compensation in the complaint letter should be reasonable and justified. The writer should always thank the recipient for their time and expected action.

Consumer Complaints

The letter must be very detailed about unsatisfactory product or service. Dates, times, names, products, serial numbers, and locations must be included. The company need to be able to track down the problem to confirm they have one. Provide documentation, pictures, and witness accounts. Make the description thorough but brief. The letter should not be longer than one page.

Complain with a Purpose

The consumer should ask for something specific in the complaint letter. It should be something reasonable and within the power of the letter's recipient to give. Most business people will give a complainer what they ask for if it is reasonable and it will make them stop complaining. It is helpful for the consumer to point out that they wish to remain a loyal customer and addressing the request will accomplish that.

Consumer Fraud

It is helpful to point out that that complaints will not stop if the letter writer's request is not considered. An effective way to do this is to state that the media has been contacted. No company wants allegations of consumer fraud heard in public. Television reporters, columnists, and bloggers are all effective messengers.

Small Claims Court

It is also important to let the company know that legal action could follow if they don't address a legitimate concern. This could include a lawsuit, small claims court, or criminal prosecution. In the CC section at the end of the letter, include names and addresses of influential people. Heavyweights that are always noticed include the Better Business Bureau, the state's Attorney General, and local prosecutors.

The copyright of the article Business Letters About Consumer Complaints in Marketing/PR is owned by Kent Ninomiya. Permission to republish Business Letters About Consumer Complaints in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Writing a Letter

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