a letter of complaint

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 4

a letter of complaint

In period 3 you are going to read two books and write a letter of complaint.

This LessonUP lesson is copied from the following website:

https://engxam.com/handbook/how-to-write-a-letter-of-complaint-fce-cae-cpe/

engxam.com

What is a letter of complaint?

A complaint letter is a letter written to concerned authorities if we are not satisfied with the service provided by them. These letters are usually formal in nature. Sometimes when we order a product and it is received defective then we write the letter to the related person or company, complaining about the product

lay-out of a letter of complaint

salutation

Dear Sir/ Madam,

If you do not know the name of the person you are writing to, use this. It is always advisable to try to find out a name.

Dear Mr Jenkins,

If you know the name, use the title (Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms, Dr, etc.) and the surname only. If you are writing to a woman and do not know if she uses Mrs or Miss, you can use Ms, which is for married and single women.

 

formal

•  You should always be polite and respectful, even if you complain. A useful way to achieve it, especially in formal letters is to use ‘modal verbs’, i.e., would, could or should.
• Do not use any contractions ( he's -> he is  I 'd -> I would)
• Do not use street language, slang or any other forms of informal language.

The Introductory Paragraph

You should identify what the issue is and any relevant information that you believe is important. Include more details if it’s applicable to the situation.

example:

I want to express my strong dissatisfaction with the service I received during a visit to your restaurant on…

the body

You can extend your thoughts and feelings further. Yet, be sure to stick with the facts and avoid putting emotions into your letter.

Include the time of the issue, location, people involved and what the problem was.

Any complaint should be supported with a justification:

Complaint: I still haven’t t received the goods.

Justification: I sent you a cheque three weeks ago.

the closing paragraph

Write how you want this problem to be solved. You can also throw in some compliments about something you liked about their company’s product or service.

  

Yours faithfully

{You name}

 “Yours sincerely” or “Yours faithfully”?

“Yours sincerely” is typically employed in English when the recipient is addressed by name (e.g. “Dear Mr Johnson”) and is known to the sender to some degree, whereas “Yours faithfully” is used when the recipient is not addressed by name (i.e., the recipient is addressed by a phrase such as “Dear Sir/Madam”).

linking words

 TIP: Remember about “linking” in the letter!

Between paragraphs:

Firstly, I had booked table […]

Then, the waiter brought us the wrong starters […]

To make the matter worse, the cake was stale […]

Within a paragraph:

My wife and I will not […]; however, […]

In spite of the fact that […], the waiter brought the wrong starters.

tips

• Focus on the most important facts. Don’t give unnecessary background information.

Make sure you include:

• the reason for writing (e.g. I am writing to …)
  
• what went wrong
  
• what you would like to happen now.
  
• Complaint letters are usually written in a formal style.
• Use passives to be less direct and more formal, e.g. I was served quickly.
  
• Use Yours faithfully to sign off if you don’t know the name of the person you’re writing to.
  

Also:

• Always proofread your letter after writing it, check for sentence structure, grammar, spelling mistakes…
  
• Proofread your letter again (and again) after you have revised it.
  
• Be respectful when you write, even if you are writing a letter of complaint.

Letter of Complaint: Useful Phrases & Language

Opening

Dear Sir or Madam, 

I am writing to express my disappointment with/ dissatisfaction with the service I received in…

I would like to lodge a formal complaint against your company for the reasons outlined below:

I feel compelled to write to you in order to describe the ....

Letter of Complaint: Useful Phrases & Language

Listing Problems

First of all,

Not only was there a hair in my wife’s soup, but the main course also arrived cold.

On top of that…

As if that was not enough…

To top it all off…

My first complaint is

 The first problem is

 The first thing I would like to draw your attention to is

 My first concern is

The straw that broke the camel’s back was…

Letter of Complaint: Useful Phrases & Language

Complaining Expressions

The standard of the… was not up to scratch.

The… was not up to the expected standard.

The… left a lot to be desired.

The… failed to live up to our expectations.

We were left bitterly disappointed by…

The quality of the customer service we received was woefully inadequate.

The… was an absolute disgrace. (very strong)

Overall, our visit to your (restaurant) was an unmitigated disaster from start to finish.

Letter of Complaint: Useful Phrases & Language

Making Recommendations

I strongly recommend that your organisation…

It would be advisable to…

I suggest re-evaluating your procedures regarding…

Letter of Complaint: Useful Phrases & Language

Requesting Action

It seems only fair that you should… (offer me a full refund).

I would appreciate it if you…

I would be grateful if you…

I suggest that you replace the item.

I therefore suggest that I be given a full refund.

I would be grateful if my money was refunded.

I would be grateful if you could give me a full refund.

Should these demands not be met, you will be hearing from my lawyers.

I expect to receive compensation to the amount of (€2000) for the…

Letter of Complaint: Useful Phrases & Language

Sign off

I look forward to receiving your reply.

I look forward to hearing from you.

I look forward to receiving a full refund.

I look forward to receiving a replacement.

I look forward to receiving your explanation.

I expect to receive a prompt reply to this letter.

Yours faithfully,

assignment: letter 1

You recently stayed at one of a chain of large hotels and encountered a number of problems during your stay. Write a letter to the company’s head office detailing the problems you had, describing what happened when you complained to the hotel staff and suggesting ways the company could improve its service.

 

(220-260 words )

uitwerking brief 1

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to lodge a formal complaint against your company for the reasons outlined below. I stayed at the Epe-Zwolle Fletcher hotel from Monday March 6th to Wednesday March 8th 2023.

Firstly, I booked a twin-bedded room but when I entered the room I saw the room had a queen-sized bed. On top of that the room lacked a balcony although I had paid extra to get a room with a balcony. When I went to the reception desk to request another room I was told that this was not possible. No explanation was given. I then asked for the money back which I had paid extra for a balcony. The man at the desk said that it is the policy of Fletcher Hotels to give no refunds. I am very dissatisfied with the performance of the reception staff.

As if that was not enough, the meal we had in the restaurant on Tuesday night was not up to the expected standard. It was a disgrace to charge € 35 for a plate of cold chips, peas and a tiny piece of chicken. Complaints to the waiter about this, were ignored.

I expect a full refund of the money I paid for the room and the meal. It is advisable to train your employees in customer-friendly behaviour.

I am looking forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully,

Mr Timothy Dilton

(238 words)

assignment: letter 2

You and a friend, Sam, bought some CDs to help you improve your English. You were not happy with the CDs and have decided to write to the publisher, CD World. Write a letter to CD World explaining why you bought the CDs, why you are dissatisfied and saying what you would like the company to do.

(220-260 words)

uitwerking brief 2

Dear Sir/Madam,

  

I am writing you to express my dissatisfaction with the CDs I received in yesterday’s post. A friend and I ordered some CDs to help us improve our English. We specifically ordered a CD to improve our pronunciation, our listening skills and a CD with prompts for speaking exercises. There were several things wrong with the articles you sent us.

The quality of the customer service we received was woefully inadequate. When I phoned your customer service I was spoken to in a condescending tone, which I do not appreciate. The lady refused to send us the right CDs and accused me of ordering the wrong CDs myself.

Firstly, two of the CDs were language courses in another language than English; Spanish and Russian to be precise. As you can imagine these CDs will be of no help to improve our command of English. On top of that the third CD was not aimed at improving our English but a collection of English hit songs. Although listening to songs may help to improve one’s listening skills, listening to Celtic and Scottish folk songs will most certainly not do this.

I expect you to send me the ordered CDs as soon as possible. I think a discount of 50% is not unfair. With regard to your customer service, I suggest re-evaluating your procedures regarding dealing with customers who phone to complain about your service or products or school your employees in dealing with customers in a friendly way.

Yours faithfully,

Ferdinand Bowen

(255 words)

letter 3

You recently travelled to work by train, and were appalled because the train was dirty and the canteen facilities were poor. Due to work on the tracks, your train failed to arrive at its destination on time, which made you late for work. You have decided to write a letter of complaint to the railway company, expressing your views and stating what you expect them to do about the problem.

(220-260 words)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I recently travelled to work on one of your trains and I am writing you this letter to express my dissatisfaction with my journey. It concerns the 9:10 AM Zwolle – Amsterdam train of last Monday, 13 February.

Firstly, I was appalled by the state of the train. The carriages were dirty and the canteen facilities were poor. I could not even order a decent cup of coffee and the sandwiches were past their expiration dates.

On top of that, the passengers on the train were told that due to work on the tracks we would be delayed by at least half an hour. Not only did the train fail to arrive on time, but it also made me late for my work appointment, which made me lose an important client. There were no delays reported in the NS 

app nor at the platforms, otherwise I would have taken an earlier train to make sure I arrived in time. As you can imagine, I was left bitterly disappointed by the service and standards of the NS.

It seems only fair that you should offer me a full refund of the ticket. Sadly, the loss of time cannot be compensated. I strongly recommend that your organisation reviews the app service and takes time to provide better cleaning of the carriages before departure.

I look forward to receiving a refund and apology.

Yours faithfully,

T. Simmons

(235 words)

letter 4 

You recently had a short holiday to Greece organized by the company TravelWise. There were some downsides to the trip, which you posted about online and tagged the company in. The manager of the company sent you an email asking to state the problems which had occurred during your vacation. Write an email to the manager, explaining what the problems were and telling them what you want them to do.

Use 220-240 words. Write your letter by hand.

Dear Sir/Madam,

 I am writing you with reference to your email, in which you politely requested some feedback on my recent holiday to Rhodos, Greece, organized by TravelWise. As you already know I was displeased with numerous points, which is why my online review was negative.

Firstly, the hotel I stayed at was located in a run-down and dangerous neighbourhood on the outskirts of the city. On a few occasions I was approached by a drugs dealer and by different beggars. When it comes to the room it was completely different from what had been presented in your brochure. There was dirt everywhere, the lights were broken, and I even spotted a rat scurrying along my bathroom floor. I actually changed rooms a few times. However, it seemed all the rooms in this hotel were in a similar condition. Overall, our stay at this hotel was an unmitigated disaster from start to finish.

One of the reasons why I had chosen your company was the free of charge spa and trips organized by your staff. It turned out that I had to pay extra for all of these services. And, although it might be true that the water sports provided were amazing, it does not change the fact that my holiday was ruined by the above mentioned problems.

 

It seems only fair that you should refund all the costs of my holiday including the extra charge for the spa and the trips.

I expect to receive a prompt reply to this letter.

Yours faithfully,

Sam Smith

(256 words)

example letters

You can find three more example letters on the website 

https://engxam.com/handbook/how-to-write-a-letter-of-complaint-fce-cae-cpe/