A Le t t e r of

Compla int
 What is a le t t e r of complaint ?

A letter of complaint, or a complaint letter, is a formal letter normally

written to deal with a problem when a customer is upset about the
product / service received and want to complain about it.
 Jude Seaborne
118 Home Street sender’s name
Brisbane, QSL 4000 & address
Australia
Centre Management Department
226 Queen Street
recipient’s address Brisbane, QSL 4001
Australia

date 1st February, 2023

greeting Dear Sir or Madam,

content

salutation Yours faithfully,

sender’s Jude Seaborne
signature
Tips for Compla int
Le t t e r Writ ing
 use a tone that is polite

 avoid using offensive and

disrespectful words OR being too
abrupt

 introduce yourself properly

 purpose of writing should be loud

and clear
 Are t he s e s e nt e nce s polit e ?

•I am writing to complain about that pig pen which you call a shopping centre.

•I was extremely disappointed with the food and service at the restaurant.

•I demand a full apology.

•Give me my money back now.

St ruct ure

Int roduct ion Main Paragraphs Conclus ion

 01
Int roduct ion
 What e le me nt s t o be include d?

Say why you are writing and summarise your complaint.

Why? 01 02 Who?

Whe n? 03 04 Whe re ?
 Sample Se nt e nce s

Say why you are writing and summarise your complaint.

 I am writing on behalf of myself and my friends …
 I am writing to draw your attention to …
 I am writing to inform you …
 I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with / disappointment on…
 I would like to make a formal complaint about …
 I am writing to complain about …
 I wish to lodge a complaint about …
 This is a letter of complaint concerning …
 Int roduct ion
who
I am writing on behalf of myself and my friends to draw your
where
attention to an incident that took place at the Queen Plaza
when why
Shopping Centre last Saturday. I would like to make a formal

complaint about the way we were treated by the staff at the

summary
centre.
02
Ma in Pa ra gra phs
What e le me nt s t o be include d?

2 - 3 paragraphs

 Describe what happened

 Describe your reaction to the incident

 What e le me nt s t o be include d?

Use narrative tenses to describe the incident you are complaining

about
 Past Simple:
describing the main events of a story: completed past actions
 Past Continuous:
setting the scene: an activity in progress around a time in the past
 Past Perfect:
clarifying, if necessary, that one past event happened before another
 Main Paragraphs : What happe ne d?

Last Saturday, some friends and I met at Plaza Café in the

centre. We had bought some drinks and were enjoying
ourselves when the manager of the café approached our table
and accused us of being too noisy. When we tried to reason
with him, he immediately called the security. A moment later,
two guards arrived and forced us to leave the café and the
shopping centre. To make matters worse, they threatened to
call the police and told us not to return in the future.
 Sample Se nt e nce s

Give your reaction to the incident: disappointed

appalled
 We are particularly upset because … upset
 I was very disappointed when… outraged
 To make matters worse, … devastated
shocked
 The truth / fact is (that) …
 Without doubt, the worst part of this whole incident was …
 … I / we decided to contact you and complain.
 Main Paragraphs : Re act ion

We are particularly upset because the fact / truth is that we

were no noisier than some of the other people in the café. To
be honest, we are amazed that the centre security guards are
allowed to treat customers in this way. Without doubt, the
worst part of this whole incident was being thrown out of the
busy shopping centre like criminals. We were so humiliated
that we decided to contact you and complain.
What e le me nt s t o be include d?

 Say what you would like to happen + (Warning)

 Make a final statement

 Mention that you expect a reply

Solut ion
 Sample Se nt e nce s

Say what you would like to happen:

 I / We urge you to (e.g. reconsider your policies).

 I / We ask / demand that you (e.g. investigate the matter).

 I am sure you will wish to look into this and find out what happened.

 We request you to take strict and immediate action in this matter…

 Sample Se nt e nce s

(Warning:)

 Otherwise, we may have to (e.g. look elsewhere for our supplies)

 I’m afraid that if these conditions are not met, we may be forced to
take legal action.
 Sample Se nt e nce s

Make a final statement:

 It is simply unfair to discriminate against young people in this way.

 This situation is causing us a great deal of inconvenience.

 Sample Se nt e nce s

Mention that you expect a reply:

 I / We look forward to your response.
 I / We look forward to receiving a reply soon.
 We feel there must be some explanation for…
 Please let us know the corresponding solution…
 I / We hope to get a favourable response from your end at the earliest.
 I / We look forward to hearing from you shortly.
 I / We look forward to receiving your explanation of these matters.
 Conclus ion

As you are the manager of the centre, we urge you to

action
reconsider your policies towards teenage customers. It is
final statement
simply unfair to discriminate against young people in this way.
warning
We have contacted the local media about the incident and
expecting a reply
look forward to your response.
 English and Portuguese
Addresses
F3 Composition – A letter of Complaint
Addresses

•Macau Address
•Chinese
•Portuguese
•English
Macau Address (Chinese)
• Country – City
GENERAL
• Road/Street – No
(BIG)
• Building – Floor - Flat
↓
• Addressee
• (中國)澳門
SPECIFIC
• 商業大馬路251A-301號
(SMALL)
• 友邦廣場19 樓 1903室
• 陳大文
Street Number

If you google 澳門商業大馬路,

English Address SPECIFIC
• Addressee (SMALL)
• Floor – Flat – Building (Block/ Phase) ↓
• Street No - Road/Street GENERAL
• (Region) City – Country (BIG)
• Susan Lai
• 12th floor, Flat G, Magnolia Building (Block 1)
• 212 Sycamore Street
• WAN CHAI HONG KONG
• CHINA
Macau Address (Portuguese)
• Addressee
• Road/Street - Street No
• Building – Floor – Flat
• (Region) - City – Country
• Chan, Tai Man
• Avenida Comercial De Macau, Nos.251A-301
• AIA Tower, 20 Andar 1903
• Macau
• China
Difference Between Zip Code and Postal
Code
• These codes are numbers or a combination of numbers
and letters which stands for geographic location, point or
route.
• They are used by the postal department or courier
companies in automated sorting of the piece of mail and
quick delivery.
 Difference Between Zip Code and Postal Code
BASIS FOR
ZIP CODE
COMPARISON
Meaning The zip code is nothing but a
coding system commonly
used in the United States
which helps in identifying the
location and accelerating the
delivery of mail.
Countries The United States and the
Philippines
Objective Reference and location
identification
Contains Numbers only
POSTAL CODE
Postal Code is an alphanumeric or
numeric code, which helps in
tracking the location at which the
mail-piece has to be delivered.
All the other countries except the
US and the Philippines.
Reference, location identification,
census and route planning
Numbers only or a combination of
numbers and letters, or
sometimes punctuation marks are
also used with numbers and
letters.
Avenue – (Avenida)
• a wide road with trees or tall buildings on
both sides, or a wide country path or road
with trees on both sides
Road (Estrada)
• a long, hard surface built for vehicles
to travel along
Street (Rua)
• a road in a city or town that has buildings
that are usually close together along one
or both sides
Alley (Travessa)
• a narrow road or path between buildings
 Portuguese address
Portuguese English
Avenida / Alameda Avenue
Estrada Road
Rua Street
Travessa Lane / Alley
Edificio Building
Jardim Garden
Put the addresses in the correct format.
1. Addressee: Jessica Chan
2. Road/Street: Avenida da Amizade
3. Street No: nº 1023
4. Building: Edifício Nam Fong
5. Block No: Bloco 1
6. Floor: 1
7. Flat: V
8. (Region) - City: Macau
9. Country: China
Jessica Chan
Avenida da Amizade, nº 1023,
Edifício Nam Fong, Bloco 1, 1º andar "V",
Macau
Put the addresses in the correct format.
1. Addressee: Hong Kong Tourism Board – Sydney Office
2. Road/Street: Druitt Street
3. Street No: 80
4. Building: Hong Kong House
5. Floor: Level 4
6. Unit: C
7. City: Sydney
8. Postal code: NSW 2000
9. Country: Australia
Hong Kong Tourism Board – Sydney Office
Level 4 Unit C Hong Kong House
80 Druitt Street
SYDNEY NSW 2000
AUSTRALIA
Put the addresses in the correct format.
1. Addressee: John Jones
2. Road/Street: Clear Street
3. Street No: 1010
4. Building: Marketing Department
5. City: Montreal
6. Postal code: QC H3Z2Y7
7. Country: Canada

John Jones
Marketing Department
1010 Clear Street
MONTREAL QC H3Z2Y7
CANADA