Complain
Complain Complain
How To Write A Letter Of Complaint!
Complain Now - Don't Just Take It On The
Nose
Complain now, don't just take it. Too many of us
are quite happy to complain in private but never make our complaint heard to the
relevant people. If you have cause to complain, do it now, but do it
properly. Don't lose your temper and just pick up the phone shouting your
complaint at the first person to answer. If you need to complain by letter give
the letter some thought. A letter of complaint written correctly will
often get you more than you bargained for.
I make it a point to complain to the relevant
person if I am unhappy with a product, event or situation. There are ways
to complain and ways not to complain. The following rules are from
experience I do not profess to being an expert in the art of complaining, but
have generally always had success when I have had to complain by following a few
golden rules. I impart these rules to you in the hope that they will help
you when you find that you have need to complain.
Complain Politely
Whenever you want to complain remember the golden
rule, be polite and courteous and try to avoid sarcasm. Ask yourself this
question if someone were complaining to you about something how would you want
them to talk to you. Once you have identified how you would want to be treated
then try to complain in the same manner. This rule is true whether complaining
in person or by letter.
Whomever you complain to directly are likely to
respond to your complaint far better if they are treated professionally as they
will not be on guard. Don't be rude, but do be firm; it is important that
the recipient of your complaint understands why you are complaining and what
effect not responding to your complaint will have.
Complain As Appropriate
Complain appropriately, it is
important to remember the story of the boy who cried wolf. If you complain
about everything and everyone all of the time it is very likely that your
complaint will not be taken seriously. If however you complain when
appropriate and start by following the correct channels you will almost always
achieve results, sometimes your complaint may bring you more than you
anticipated.
Initially always contact the
customer services department and complain politely about the issue concerning
you. Usually you can do this by telephone and if you complain politely
then you will usually find that your complaint will be dealt with to your
satisfaction without having to take the next step.
Remember, however angry you
are, try to just calm yourself a little prior to calling to complain. I find it
always helps to write down a list of exactly what you you want to say and what
you want to achieve from your complaint.
Keep A Precise History For Any
Complaint
Remember to keep records when
you complain. If you have to complain by phone remember to write down the
date, the time, who you spoke to and what was said, I cannot stress how
important this is. If you have to take the matter further and complain to
the owner or a company executive it will make you complaint seem much more
professional if you can state the exact details of any contact that you have had
with representatives of the company. If you have had to write to the
company before regarding this complaint, then include a copy of the letter as an
enclosure.
Complain To The Correct
Person
When you complain, try to ensure that you complain to the
correct person. You are looking for a resolution to your complaint so it
is important to remember that you will need to address it to the person who can
resolve your problem. In the case of smaller companies this will be the owner of
the company. In the case of larger companies you will need to address it
to the appropriate executive. Most company executives do not want unhappy
customers so will try to resolve any reasonable complaints quickly and
efficiently.
Do some groundwork, if you can find out the name of the
person who is in charge of the company or department that you have issue with
then address your complain directly to them. If not then I have often
found that addressing the complaint to the director of the particular department
will usually get the desired response. Even if the department does not
have a director your letter will usually end up with the head of that
department.
Keep Your Letter Of Complaint Short
Remember that if you complain to a company executive or owner
they will be busy people. Your complaint will be far more likely to be
read if you keep it concise. As a general rule of thumb (unless your complaint
is particularly complex) try to keep your letter to no more than a page in
length.
If I Complain By Letter What Should My Letter Of Complaint
Include
Whether you complain by letter, by telephone or in person
there are some things that your complaint must always include.
-
The Facts - You want to give exact details of your
complaint. It may be that your complaint now includes issues that you
have with their representatives in addition to your original complaint, so
include all previous contact details, times, dates, who you spoke to and of
course the reason for contacting their company in the first place. Remember
state only the facts of the issues you have
-
What You Want - What do you want from the company
to resolve your complaint. Be reasonable, tell them that you want the
product replaced immediately with a new one, or that you want them to send a
courier to pick up the faulty product and refund you your money. Often
you may end up with more than you bargained for.
-
The Consequences Of Not Dealing With Your Complaint
- What will be the next step if they do not deal with your complaint
successfully. I often find that if I close a letter with a deadline
and ultimatum it usually gets a response. For example please respond to this
letter within the next fortnight or I shall be forced to take this matter
further.
-
Contact Information - If you have cause to
complain remember to give your contact details. Include your address,
telephone number, email address and fax number if you have one.
-
Order/Part numbers And Account Details (if
relevant) - Remember it will make things quicker and easier for the
person to whom you have addressed your complaint if they can access your
account details and the order or part number that you are complaining about.
Don't Be Afraid To Complain
Finally, remember, don't be afraid to complain. If you are
unhappy with a product or service however small then complain to the appropriate
people. Look at it from both sides, I often find it helps to look at the
issue from both sides. Be understanding, point out that you understand that
things like this can go wrong but that it must be resolved.
Always try to remember that in reality you are doing them a
favour by complaining. If people complain to each other and just say "well
I their service was appalling, I will never buy from them again!" but do not
complain to the company in question, how will they know that they are doing
something wrong.
Most companies would want to know that they have problems
before it loses them customers and business. They would rather that you
complain to them than complain to your friends about them. |
