Start the letter off right! Make sure to send your letter to the correct contact person. Never send it to a generic department (Exp. To whom it may concern, or Attn: Consumer Complaints). The lead in paragraph should be brief. Begin by explaining why they should listen to you. (You are a regular customer – been for years) Let them know that you appreciate their service but there is something that you need to bring to their attention.

State the problem clearly in just a couple of sentences. You want to mention the particular item you are upset about without offending them. Provide as much detail as possible; when it aired / which issue it appeared in / which store, the date you noticed the problem, and why you are upset about it.

Include our recommended solution. If you want the company to stop running an ad, let them know that. If your suggested solution is changing something, we need to give them some suggestions. Also you want to give them a business reason to follow up on your complaint and let them know the consequences if they don’t (you will think twice about shopping at their store). Illustrate how the item you are complaining about negatively impacts their business, and how changing it will yield better financial results for them.

Set a deadline for a response. Make sure that you end the letter in a positive note. Say thank you and always hand sign the letters. Don’t use a computer generated signature or stamp.

Guidelines

• The letter should be businesslike.
• The tone of the letter will let them know how serious you are.
• The letter should not be able to tie you to ANY organization
• They should be non-religious – if they know you are a Christian they will write you off.
• Make sure your sentences are short
• Be optimistic
• Let them know that they have offended you without offending them
• Be firm but not threatening
• Be polite – Your letter is less likely to be taken seriously if you come across as extremely angry or attacking in your letter. A polite letter expressing your concern will be more likely to get the results you’re seeking.
• Make it easy to read. Make sure your letter is legible, grammatically correct and spell-checked. The time you’ve taken to write a complaint letter will be wasted if the recipient can’t read or understand what you’ve written.

Don’t:

• Be cruel, rude, aggressive, or sarcastic
• Be too wordy
• Be offensive
• Vent your anger & frustration