LETTER OF

COMPLAINT
 OBJECTIVES FOR THE LESSON

DESCRIBE A LETTER IDENTIFY THE WRITE A LETTER OF

OF COMPLAINT. INFORMATION DISCUSS THE COMPLAINT USING
POINTS INCLUDED DIFFERENT THE FORMAT
IN A COMPLAINT ELEMENTS/STRUCTU GIVEN.
LETTER. RE OF THE LETTER
OF COMPLAINT
LETTER.
WHAT IS THE LETTER OF COMPLAINT
This is a business letter written by a consumer to a manufacturer
or retailer regarding a problem with a product or service, or about
problems in your community to business owners or leaders in the
community. This type of letter is usually written with the
expectation that corrective action will be taken.
THE FORMAT OF A BUSINESS LETTER
A. A business letter always contains a few parts:
i. Sender’s Address
ii. The date
iii. Recipient or Receiver’s address
iv. A salutation
v. A body consisting of a few concise paragraphs
vi. A closing
vii. The sender’s signature
viii. The sender’s typed name, title, and contact information
ix. A list of enclosures, if necessary
REASONS FOR WRITING A BUSINESS LETTER
a) Purpose – to inform, to request, to thank, to apply, to complain.
b) Topic – To highlight a problem and say what actions are to be taken to rectify it.
c) Audience – this should always be to someone of professional standing. A business manager,
owner, etc.
 TIPS TO WRITE AN EFFECTIVE LETTER OF
COMPLAINT

a) Be clear and concise. ...

b) State exactly what you want done and how long you're willing to wait
for a response.
c) Use a polite tone - avoid using an angry, sarcastic or threatening
words and phrases in letter.
 THE HEADER AND SALUTATION OF THE
LETTER OF COMPLAINT

i. Sender’s Address
ii. The date
iii. Recipient or Receiver’s address
iv. A salutation
v. Subject
THE HEADER AND SALUTATION
OF THE LETTER OF
COMPLAINT
 THINGS TO DISCUSS IN THE BODY OF THE
LETTER OF COMPLAINT
• Outline the good(s) or service(s) you are complaining about, include key
dates, such as: when and where you purchased the good(s) or service(s).
• Describe in detail the problems you have with the good(s) or service(s).
• Explain the specific action you want to be taken.
• Outline when the requested action should be taken and possible steps that
you might take if nothing is done.
• Provide your contact information and available times for contact.
• Closing
SAMPLE BODY OF THE LETTER
OF COMPLAINT
Other useful expressions

Paragraph 1:
I am writing in connection with……/I am writing to draw your
attention to……../I am writing to complaint about………/I wish
to complaint in the strongest terms about……………
Paragraph 2:
Other useful expressions to use in this paragraph: Firstly…; to make matters
worse…….; What is more……; In addition….; As a result….; Therefore…….;
consequently …..
Paragraph 3:
Useful expressions to begin this paragraph: As you can imagine I am quite
disappointed……; as you can imagine I am quite upset……; I would like you to refund
my money/pay compensation/replace the product.
Paragraph 4:
Useful expressions to end your letter: I would appreciate it if you could look into this
matter as soon as possible/ I insist that you resolve this matter immediately/ I look
forward to hearing from you / I look forward to receiving a prompt reply.