How to write a letter of

complaint
Formal letter
• You saw this advertisement in the local newspaper and it looked nice.
Unfortunately, the place did not meet your expectations and you
were unhappy with the service.
• Ambience Restaurant is the best place to meet up with your friends
and spend a pleasant evening in good company. Privacy, comfort and
relaxing background music, plus a great choice of vegetarian dishes.
Come and enjoy! Satisfaction guaranteed! Efficient service is our
priority.
• Write a letter to Mrs. Jameson, the manager of the restaurant, and
ask for your money back.
SAMPLE ANSWER

Dear Mrs. Jameson,

I am writing to inform you that I was extremely disappointed with my recent visit to your restaurant.
I read your advertisement in the newspaper and decided to spend an evening there with my friend.
Unfortunately, I have a number of serious complaints concerning this visit.
According to your advertisement, the place is perfect for holding private conversations in a relaxing
atmosphere. However, it turned out that the music was so loud that we could hardly hear each
other. When we asked the waiter to turn the music down, he shrugged his shoulders rudely and said
that other guests were quite happy. Is that what you mean by ‘efficient service’?
To make matters worse, the place was crowded and we waited an eternity to be served. Although
the food was reasonably good, I consider it to be overpriced.
I would like you to take these points into consideration and I expect a refund from your restaurant.
I trust you will give this matter immediate attention and look forward to receiving your reply as soon
as possible.
Yours sincerely,
Mr. Lawson
Look at this task.

You are attending a course in London. Last week, because the trains were delayed by bad
weather, you were late for college every day. On the worst day, the train was 1 hour 20
minutes late and you missed two classes.
This is an extract from an information leaflet you have picked up at the station.

We hope you have a pleasant journey with Capital Rail, but if you have
any comments or complaints about our services, please write to the
Customer Care Manager at the address below.
What we promise to do when things go wrong:
If you are delayed for more than one hour you may claim rail vouchers
to the value of 50% of the journey made.
TASK 1

• Write a letter to the Customer Care Manager at Capital Rail

complaining about the poor service you have experienced and asking
for compensation. Use your own words as far as possible.

Read the instructions carefully and highlight the key points. Ask
yourself:
- What is the purpose of your letter?
- What do you want it to achieve?
Content

Your letter should include the following points.

Why you are writing

Which of your journeys were delayed
How long the delays were
What happened as a result of the travel delays
What compensation you require
Organization
Decide how you will organize these points into about four paragraphs.
What kind of things can you say in each paragraph?
In the first paragraph explain the reason for writing.
In the second paragraph explain exactly what the problem is. Give all the necessary
details about where and when it happened and who was involved.
Give other relevant information in further paragraphs if necessary.
In the final paragraph explain what action you want to be taken.

Style and register

Thinking about what you want the letter to achieve :
Should the letter be formal or informal?
What tone is appropriate, e.g. angry, humorous, sarcastic, cool and factual
 Useful language: Writing formal letters to complain
1. Reason for writing: 3. Introducing further complaints:
I am writing in order to complain about Secondly
In the second place
I am writing to complain about 5. Ending the letter:
Not only .......but also
to express my annoyance at …. In addition I look forward to hearing from you.
to express my concern about the In addition to this
fact that … I look forward to receiving a full refund.
Added to this
.......was also unacceptable I look forward to receiving a replacement.
2. Introducing the complaint: To make matters worse,
I look forward to receiving your explanation.
Firstly
In the first place 4. Demanding action:
First of all I suggest that you replace the item.
My first complaint is I hope you will consider the points I have raised very carefully.
The first problem is I would be grateful if my money was refunded.
The first thing I would like to draw your I would be grateful if you could give me a full refund.
attention to is
My first concern is I feel I am entitled to some compensation for the inconvenience I have suffered.
I shall expect a written apology at your earliest convenience.
Task 2
Question
Read this extract from a letter you have recently sent to a friend:

.... Oh, and by the way, don't go to Barry's Restaurant for your birthday. We went there last night - the service
was awful and the food was a disaster! I complained to the head waiter but he asked me to put it in writing ...

Write your letter of complaint to the restaurant manager.