A letter of complaint: writing tips Formal letters: review Letters of complaint are usually formal, so it can be useful to review some conventions for writing formal letters. Salutations: If you know the name of the person you are writing to, you should write Dear Mr Smith,… for men and Dear Ms Johnson,… for women. You can use Mrs for women who are married and Miss for women who are not married, but it is more appropriate to use Ms in all cases. If the person you are writing to has some special position, you can mention it instead of writing Mr or Ms (for instance: Dear Dr Jones,…). If you do not know who exactly you are writing to, you can write Dear Sir or Madam,…. Closing the letter: If you know the person you are writing to, you should write Yours sincerely at the end of the letter. If you do not know the person, you should write Yours faithfully instead. Addresses and dates: If you are writing a traditional letter (instead of an email), you should include your own address and the recipient’s address in it, as well as the date. There are different formats for writing this information, but this one is rather standard: -
Your address should go at the top of the page, on the right-hand side.
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The recipient’s address should go below your address, on the lefthand side.
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The date should go below both addresses, on the right-hand side.
Structure of a letter of complaint These are the points that you should include in your letter of complaint: 1. Salutation 2. Introduction (Why am I writing?) 3. Explaining the problem 4. Expressing dissatisfaction 5. Saying what you want 6. Closing the letter
Register If you are writing a letter of complaint, you should express your ideas in a rather formal tone. The phrases on both sides of this table have similar meanings, but the register is quite different:
INTRODUCTION I’m writing because I’m annoyed I write to express my dissatisfaction with...
regarding...
Note: the use of contractions is not appropriate in a formal letter. Besides, adjectives like annoyed are too colloquial. EXPLAINING THE PROBLEM This thing I bought last week doesn’t The television which I purchased on work the way it should.
the 25th of May has malfunctioned on several occasions.
Note: the example on the left is not very specific, as it does not indicate the precise item or the exact date. Furthermore, a word like purchased suggests a higher register than bought, and malfunctioned is also more formal than doesn’t work the way it should. Finally, the one on the left uses contractions. EXPRESSING DISSATISFACTION I’m really annoyed because you said I am highly displeased with the service it’d work for at least a year.
provided, as I was informed that this item came with a one-year guarantee.
Note: again, the use of contractions and the word annoyed are not very
appropriate. Apart from that, the use of the passive voice in the second example indicates a higher degree of formality. SAYING WHAT YOU WANT I want my money back.
I believe I am entitled to a full refund on my purchase.
Call me as soon as possible.
Please contact me at your earliest convenience.
Note: the examples on the left are too straightforward. You should not me so direct in a formal letter. Expressions like I believe I am entitled to... or at your earliest (= “as soon as you can”) and the use of please make your writing much more polite. Besides, talking about a full refund is more formal than saying you want your money back. CLOSING THE LETTER Hope to see you soon.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Note: the expression on the right is more appropriate for a formal letter, but the one on the left is perfectly acceptable for informal letters.
Linking words These are some useful linking words that you can include in your letter: Addition: in addition, besides, moreover, furthermore. These are all used at the beginning of a full sentence, and followed by a comma. You can also use apart from, followed by a noun phrase or a gerund. Opposition: however, nevertheless, nonetheless. These are all used at the beginning of a full sentence, and followed by a comma. You can also use although, followed by a verb clause; despite and in spite of, both followed by a noun phrase or a gerund. Cause: because, as, since. These are all used before a verb clause. You can also use because of, as a result of, due to or owing to, all of them followed by a noun phrase. Purpose: for is mainly followed by nouns. With verbs, it is much more common to use to or, if you want to be more formal, in order to or so as
to. These are all followed by an infinitive. Finally, you can use with the aim of, followed by a gerund.  Consequence: therefore, as a result, as a consequence, consequently. These are all used at the beginning of a sentence and followed by a comma.