COMPLAINTS

OPENING

Complain as soon as you realize a mistake has been made. There

is no need to open by apologizing for the need to complain.
 We would like to inform you…
 I am writing to complain about…
 EXPLAINING THE PROBLEM

• Politely point out the mistake to your receiver.

• If the mistake occurs several times, you may be able to work
out why it is happening.
 In a recent shipment from New Tech Answers, there are two
problems: we received the wrong manuals and our account
was incorrectly billed.
 On April 1, we placed the following order: one copy of TM-
0053-3, and one copy of TM-0056-7. On May 7, we received
two copies of TM-0035-3. We did not receive TM-0053-3 or
TM-0056-7.
 SUGGESTING A SOLUTION

• If you think you know how the mistake can be corrected, let
your receiver know
 Please send us the two (2) manuals that we ordered. Also
please correct our account, No. 594-NT…
 I would be grateful if you could send my consignment as soon
as possible, and collect the wrongly delivered goods.
 CLOSING

Thank the reader

 Thank you for your attention to this matter.
 I appreciate your taking care of this for me.
 Thank you in advance.
 REPLY A COMPLAINT

Opening
Acknowledge that you have received the complaint, and thank
your customer for informing you.

- Thank you for your letter of 6 August informing us that…

- We would like to thank you for informing us of our accounting
error in your letter of 7 June.
- We are replying to your letter of March in which you told us
that...
 REPLY A COMPLAINT

Body
Asking time to investigate the complaint
→ While we cannot give you an explanation at present, we are
looking into the problem and will contact you again shortly.
→ Would you please return samples of the items you are
dissatisfied with, and I will send them to our factory for tests.
 REPLY A COMPLAINT

Explaining the mistakes

→ The mistake was due to a fault in one of our machines, which has now
been corrected.
→ It is unusual for this type of error to arise, but the problem has now been
dealt with.

Solving the problem

→ Two manuals-TM-0053-3 and TM-0056-7 have been sent to your attention
under separate cover. In this letter, I have enclosed a discount coupon for ten
percent off your next purchase. In addition, a revised invoice is enclosed. We
have al so deducted the cost of shipping and handling.
 REPLY A COMPLAINT

Closing
→ Finally, may we say that this was an exceptional mistake and
is unlikely to occur again. Please accept our apologies for the
inconvenience.
→ Let me say again how much we regret any inconvenience.
→ We cannot apologize enough. Your satisfaction is very
important to us.