Business to business letter of complaint from self re poor service

Every so often, you receive poor service from another business. You're obliged to complain about your treatment by someone else's staff or their quality of professional service.

A complaint can damage your business relationship, but so can the grounds for the complaint.

Some people don't know how to complain effectively.

They either garble the complaint, or make it sound trivial by being too diplomatic to make their points properly.

You need to make a case for your complaint.

A few pointers:

Don't write or send anything while you're upset.
Make sure you have your facts straight.

Ask yourself some questions:

Is your complaint justified?
What are the ramifications of complaining?

When writing a complaint, be specific:

Give dates and times for the events concerning your complaint.
Say clearly what the problems were.
Be clear about what you want done to rectify the complaint.

The example below spells out the problems, the circumstances, and what the complainant wants done regarding the complaint.

Example

Addressee

Your reference
Our reference
Contacts

Dear

Complaint regarding offensive behavior of your staff

Please be advised that at 9 AM on the 10th of January 2009, a member of my staff contacted your office concerning an overdue delivery of materials (Order 09/2445).

An unidentified male staff member of your firm became abusive, refused to discuss the order, and hung up after swearing at our staff member.

You are hereby notified this behavior will not be tolerated.

The following matters regarding this complaint must be addressed by close of business on 19th January 2009, without fail:

A formal apology from your firm, in writing, is required.
The information regarding Order 09/2445 must be provided.

Any failure to comply with these requirements will result in legal action being taken against your firm concerning Order 09/2445.

No further correspondence will be issued regarding this matter, and if the above conditions are not met legal action will commence without further notice.

Yours sincerely

Signed
Title
Date

Disclaimer

Please note:

This text is intended for advisory and guideline purposes only.

Any business letter can become a legal document, so check your content properly before issuing.

Any executable or statutorily defined document should be checked for compliance with legal requirements, and you should seek legal advice regarding its contents.