10 Secrets For Writing Killer Complaint Letters

10 Secrets For Writing Killer Complaint Letters

Copyright © Shaun R. Fawcett

As Webmaster of a number of popular writing help destination sites, I am often asked to assist people with writing their complaint letters. In fact, “complaint letter” info and samples are among the most popular subjects of searches on my Web sites.

Personally, I enjoy writing complaint letters because, if one is done properly, nine times out of ten it will receive a favorable response. So there is usually a reward involved. You might not always get everything you’re looking for, but it’s rare that a well-crafted complaint letter won’t get you some serious action.

This is a revised and updated version of an article I wrote a couple of years ago that will tell you exactly how to approach and write a complaint letter:

Complaint Letters WILL Get You Action…

Complaint letters aren’t always fun, but sometimes they need to be written. In many cases, if people don’t complain, the problem agency at fault (i.e. company or government) won’t even know that the problem you and others may have experienced even exists.

Ultimately, legitimate complaints, by even a few people, can (and often do) result in better service for everybody. Not only that; writing them can be personally beneficial too!

That’s right. Writing complaint letters can be an empowering and therapeutic experience! It allows one to take action instead of playing the role of a victim and “nursing” an ongoing resentment towards a company about poor service or treatment received. Once the complaint letter is written and in the mail, one can “let it go” knowing that one has done something tangible and constructive about the situation.

Not only that, but properly written and handled complaint letters get action!

After I started writing complaint letters, I began receiving gracious letters of apology and contrition from senior executives including bank vice-presidents and v.p.s of marketing for giant corporations.

Getting those, felt one heck of a lot better than “polishing” an ongoing resentment and getting even angrier the next time something bad happened. Sometimes I even get discount coupons and free merchandise!

Last year, a one page complaint letter earned me a $2,200 credit from a major credit card company. Another one got a body shop to write-off a $1,000 repair bill.

10 SECRETS THAT WILL GET YOU ACTION

Here are 10 trial-and-error strategies I have learned for writing complaint letters that are guaranteed to get you attention and action.

1. Write To The Senior Person Responsible
It is important that you get the name and detailed mailing address of a very senior person responsible for the product or service that you are complaining about. I generally try to write to the V.-P. level. Never go below Director level if you want a serious response. Name and address information can be obtained from the organization’s Web site or by calling the company and asking for the name and title of the senior person to whom you should write.

2. Don’t Send An E-Mail
When it comes to sending a serious complaint to a company DO NOT send an e-mail, regardless of what it may say on their Web site. E-mails are usually handled dismissively by low level “customer service” people. If you want serious attention and action, the formal written complaint letter is the only way to go. (yes, by snail mail!). When it arrives in the V.-P.s office, it triggers a bureaucratic process that ensures that the right people will see your letter, and will act on it.

3. Keep It As Short As Possible
Preferably, no longer than one page, two at the very most. When drafting a complaint letter there can be a tendency to go on and on just to make sure the recipient gets the point. Keep it focused, and as short as possible, but without diluting the facts of your message too much.

4. Give It A Heading For Easy Identification
Place a heading at the top of the letter with information that the company or agency will relate to, such as your account number or customer number. Make it easy for them to find you on their computer filing system.

5. Clearly Explain The Situation
Make sure that you give all of the specific details needed so that the company/agency can verify your claim without you having to get into an endless game of telephone tag with them. If at all possible, break it up into specific bullet points. Include specific dates, times and places, as well as the names of people you dealt with. If you’re not sure of these when composing the letter, call them back and ask for the specifics. (You don’t have to say it’s for a complaint letter).

6. Use A Positive and Respectful Tone
I have found that the best approach is to use a positive upbeat tone. Remember, you are writing to a senior person who probably sympathizes with what happened to you and will likely give you the benefit of the doubt. Your tone should convey the message that you are the innocent victim and you understand that the company wouldn’t have done such a thing deliberately. Also, DO NOT put them on the defensive by expressing your anger too much (even if you are really angry). Make it a calm, considered and deliberate communication from a “concerned customer”.

7. Send Copies If Appropriate
There can be cases where it is wise to send a copy of the letter to other parties just to make sure that you will get some serious action. For example, in a case where you have been told to write to a Regional Manager of a program, it is often a good idea to make sure that someone in head office also gets a copy. I sometimes send a copy to customer services or customer relations, offices at the national level. Or, if there’s a regulatory body involved, make sure you show a cc: going to them.

8. “Shame” Them As Much As Possible
Companies that claim and advertise high levels of customer focus and service do not like to be criticized in those areas. If you have a strong case that makes them vulnerable in one of these areas, use as much ammunition as you can to embarrass them in these sensitive areas. Modern marketing terms such as: customer relationship management (CRM), one-to-one marketing, most valuable customer (MVC), and customer-centric focus, all tend to get their attention. Also, using such terms makes you sound like an authority. Another thing I often do is go to their Web site, find their “mission” or “customer service commitment” or whatever, and then quote it back to them in the appropriate place in the letter.

9. Imply You Might Take Your Business Elsewhere
I always do this near the closing. Companies don’t like to lose customers, especially long-time customers. Senior marketing people are well aware that study after study has shown that it costs five to seven times as much to recruit a new customer as it does to hold on to an existing one. Not only that, these days they are worried about the possible “viral” effect of a complaint against them being posted on online forums and/or blogs.

10. Ask For An Early Reply
In the closing paragraph of your complaint letter, state specifically that you are expecting an early reply. Make sure that you follow-up by phone or e-mail if you have heard nothing in three weeks. Some companies will send you an acknowledgement letter stating that they are working on your case and will get back to you within a week or two.

Use the above strategies and you are sure to get action with your complaint letters. And, don’t forget the old truism “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”!

BONUS : 10 Smart Moves For Getting Published In Top Magazines

Eager to see your byline in magazines like Smithsonian, National Geographic, Parade or Outside? Here are 10 tips on getting past the threshold of "Maybe" to "Yes" at top magazines.

1. Put timing on your side. You can change a perennial story, where there's no special reason to do it now rather than next year, to one that prompts an immediate assignment by adding a connection to some upcoming season or event. For instance, "the disposable versus cloth diaper debate" lacks any time element. But you can peg it to Earth Day, coming up in April, or specific future environmental powwows. You can get the same effect by tying a perennial topic to recent front-page news. If devastating floods are lingering in North Carolina, use that to make a piece on adequately insuring a business sound timely.

2. Freshen up perennial topics. Some magazines revisit the same topics again and again because relationships, or toilet training, or camping in national parks lie at the core of the magazine's mission. Hunt back about four or five years in the magazine's archives for these central topics and update them.

3. Create cover-worthy article titles. Editors sweat over the blurbs that go on the magazine cover. If you study the kinds of blurbs they favor, and give a similar title to your proposed article, you may score an assignment from a title that is exactly on target.

4. Be brief and detailed. This combination of skills has great value in the magazine world, and a query offers a perfect setting to demonstrate your mastery of rich compression. Let every sentence sparkle with detail, but say just enough to get the idea across.

5. Stay ahead of the pack. I once heard someone say that if you've read about an issue in Time or Newsweek, you're too late to query other top magazines on it. Spend energy pursuing stories that seem both trendy and unexplored.

6. Get your details right. Nothing kills confidence faster than factual errors! Recheck all information in your query before sending it.

7. Be truthful. Don't exaggerate the facts of a story, don't present fiction as real and don't inflate your credentials. This should go without saying, but not long ago a freelance writer sold an article in which she had presented a story she heard from a fellow airline passenger as something that had happened to her. She claimed she didn't realize that that was unethical.

8. Don't have a hidden agenda. Forget about any kind of revenge story, or about hyping a company in which you have some sort of covert financial interest.

9. Show enthusiasm. Make sure your writing feels alive and flavorful, not parched and pinched. I've heard a number of editors say they like to work with writers who show enthusiasm for their work.

10. Flatter an editor. A good number of editors write on the side for other publications, and if you happen to spot his or her freelance work and mention it in your query, you win points. Mentioning that you liked a particular issue of the magazine, or a certain cover story, helps build rapport, too. Make sure that any praise is specific and sincerely enthusiastic.