Mika W.’s Writing a Complaint Letter for Dummies

So you have a complaint? Then you know the feeling of wanting to write a letter to someone and give them a piece of your mind? You just want to let them know to get their ducks in row, or to get their act together or to go to you-know-where, but especially in the professional writing arena its best to keep your writing genial, and not let your inner demons come out. There is no need to add fuel to the fire; rather it’s better to just kill it with kindness, and here is how:
Avoid leading with negative information – no need to attack the reader, ease into the issue at hand.

State Facts – assigning blame is not going to help, instead focus on the facts.

Be sincere and thoughtful – don’t forget that your writing is still directed towards an audience.

Keep their feelings in mind.

Keep your negative tone in check – it’s important to express your frustrations while controlling your emotions.

Apologize – If an apology is needed then don’t think twice to apologize.

Be positive – Use a positive tone as much as possible. Use words and phrases that will make your reader want to fix the problem.

Be polite – politeness will get you far.

Fix the problem – let the reader know what they can do to help fix the problem. Is there a discount that can be offered? A free trial...etc

Last, but not least check for content and sentence structure, correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, format, and mechanics; and analyze whether the message achieves its purpose. There is plenty more to complaint letter writing, so don’t forget to check out this great video!



Reference:
Bobrin, Sidney, Christopher Keller, and Christian Weisser. Technical Communication in the 21st Century. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2008.