Letters of complaint and replies

The purpose of a letter of complaint is to get a problem solved so avoid emotional language (e.g. lam absolutely furious...). In any case, the person reading your letter is probably not the person who caused the problem. When replying to letters of complaint, avoid blaming a member of staff by name. Instead use a passive structure. Compare the following examples:

1 Mrs Smith, in our accounts department, sent the wrong invoice.

2 The wrong invoice was sent due to an error in the accounts department.

A letter of complaint should be structured as follows:

1 Begin with a clear reference.

2 State clearly what the nature of the complaint is.

3 Suggest a course of action that should be followed.

4 End the letter politely.

Task 1 shows a typical letter of complaint.

A reply to a letter of complaint should be structured as follows:

1 Begin with a reference to the letter.

2 If appropriate, apologize for the error and explain what happened.

3 Say what action you will take.

4 Apologize again and end the letter politely.

Task 2, when completed, provides a model for a reply to a letter of complaint.

Taski

Read this letter of complaint and answer the questions at the top of the following page.

PRINCES MARKETING

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.Wesson House. Newell Street. Birmingham. H3 3KL

May 19__

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