Complaining about goods or services to the right people is effective in getting a satisfactory resolution. Advice for communicating more assertively.
Do you have a valid complaint?
Take a few deep breaths. Try counting to ten. Relax and think about your disgruntlement. Once you know you aren't operating from anger or disappointment alone, consider your grievance against whatever business or entity it may be. If someone else were making this complaint to you would it hold water? If you feel someone else could convince you and you feel some letter writing or other complaint filing is worth the risks and rewards, continue on to develop your complaint into a clear and thoughtful argument.
Who do you write to?
It is always best to try to resolve issues directly with the party who wronged you as they can help you the most. If approached correctly they will see you as helping them. In this case you aren't really complaining but sharing with a person on the same team as you who wants what is best for you. If you see them in this light when writing, you are likely to get the best service. You may also want to contact someone at the corporate headquarters of the business you have a discrepancy with.
If this approach doesn't work, you may need to find organizations that the provider of this product or service must answer to. By knowing what such organizations are responsible for you will know what issues to address and what not to address when writing them. Remember that they are your friends, your heroes who are about to bring you justice. Make sure to treat them with such a view.
To find such people, do a little research on the Internet or at the local library. With search engines, online news sites and consumer advocacy websites, it shouldn't be too hard to track down who you need to make contact with.
Preparing to write an influential complaint letter.
You will want to put some time into this to make sure all the bases are covered and that you have a balanced letter that isn't overkill. First draw a graph and list all the whos, whats, whens, wheres, hows and whys involved. This shouldn't take over 3 minutes if your case is really solid. Second, list your complaints or the parts of your complaint to see how many complaints you really have hear. It is likely you will only get to argue one point if you want to win, have someone else invest their time for you and not come off looking like someone who complains for the sake of complaining. If there is one valid argument you can make and win and get most of what you want, make that point.
Writing the letter.
Type your letter in an even, cordial tone addressed to an individual if possible. Stay focused and make only the needed points. Be clear and know the specifics. Use a quality document application on a computer if at all possible. Study carefully and include all the appropriate parts of a formal letter including addressing, salutations, body and closing. Enclose copies of receipts or other information that will prove helpful. Make it clear exactly what kind of compensation you are looking for whether a substitute product, a refund or an apology or rain check. Sign and date the letter and send it with sufficient postage.
