HowtoComplain - Write your own complaint letter

complain to:
(enter organisation name here)

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Complaint Letter Templates

You can complain easily online using this website by simply entering the company or organisation name in the 'complain to' box on the left and following the instructions (for more information on howtocomplain.com and how it works please click here). However, if you wish to send your own letter rather than complain online you can use the following complaint letter templates to help you draft your letter.

You can copy and paste the following letters into your word processing application (Microsoft Word etc) or you can download any of the letters by clicking the download link next to the letter of your choice (these are Rich Text Format [*.rtf] documents that should only take a few moments to download and will work with all major word processors).

Please remember that these are only templates and you should change whatever you feel suits the nature of the complaint you are making.

General letter of complaint (download)
Complaint about goods you have bought (download)
Complaint about a service provided to you (download)
General tips

General Letter of Complaint

[Your address 1]
[Your address 2]
[Your address 3]
[Postcode]

[Other contact details you may wish to give, phone, e-mail etc]

[Date]

[Name of contact person, if available]
[Title, if available]
[Customer Services Manager, if you don't have a contact name]
[Company Name]
[Company address 1]
[Company address 2]
[Company address 3]
[Postcode]

Re: [Account number, product, service etc]

Dear [Contact Person or Customer Service Manager],

On [date], I [bought, rented, had serviced etc] a [name of product with model number, service performed etc] at [location and other details of the transaction].

I am disappointed because your [product, service, billing etc.] has [not performed as it should, was wrong etc] because [state the problem as you understand it giving as much detail as possible].

To resolve the problem I would appreciate your [state the action you require e.g. refund, service performed again etc]. Enclosed is a copy/are copies of the [receipt, contract etc].

I look forward to hearing from you and to a resolution of this problem. I will wait for [set a time limit] before seeking help from [Trading Standards, consumer group, solicitor etc (details of relevant authorities can be found through our complaints procedures section]. Please contact me at the above address or by phone [give numbers].

Yours sincerely

[Sign]

[Print Your Name]

Enclosures: [state documents you have enclosed , if any]
Cc: [Include Name, Company if you want to send a copy of this letter to someone]

Complaint about goods you have bought

[Your address 1]
[Your address 2]
[Your address 3]
[Postcode]

[Other contact details you may wish to give, phone, e-mail etc]

Re: [Account number, goods purchased etc.]

Dear [Contact Person or Customer Service Manager],

On [date], I bought a [name of goods purchased, model number etc.] at [location and other details of the transaction].

I am disappointed because your [name of goods purchased etc.] has [not performed as it should, was faulty etc] because [state the problem as you understand it giving as much detail as possible]. Therefore this product is not [of satisfactory quality, fit for the purpose described] as laid down by the law.

To resolve the problem I require you to [state the action you require e.g. refund, repair etc.] whilst reserving my right to claim against you. Enclosed is a copy/are copies of the [receipt, contract etc].

Yours sincerely

[Sign]

[Print Your Name]

Enclosures: [state documents you have enclosed , if any]
Cc: [Include Name, Company if you want to send a copy of this letter to someone]

Complaint about a service provided to you

[Your address 1]
[Your address 2]
[Your address 3]
[Postcode]

[Other contact details you may wish to give, phone, e-mail etc]

Re: [Account number, service provided etc]

Dear [Contact Person or Customer Service Manager],

On [date], I [bought, rented, was provided with etc.] a [service performed etc.] at [location and other details of the transaction].

I am disappointed because [the service you provided, your service etc.] was [unsatisfactory, unfinished, defective etc.] because [state the problem as you understand it giving as much detail as possible]. This is in breach of our contract as laid down by the law.

To resolve the problem I require you to [state the action you require e.g. refund, service performed again, rectified etc.] whilst reserving my right to claim against you. Enclosed is a copy/are copies of the [receipt, contract etc].

I look forward to hearing from you and to a resolution of this problem. I will wait for [set a time limit] before arranging for the matter to be corrected by a third party at your cost or seeking help from [Trading Standards, consumer group, solicitor etc (details of relevant authorities can be found through our complaints procedures section]. Please contact me at the above address or by phone [give numbers].

Yours sincerely

[Sign]

[Print Your Name]

Enclosures: [state documents you have enclosed , if any]
Cc: [Include Name, Company if you want to send a copy of this letter to someone]

General Tips

Try to make sure your letter is sent to the right person or department
Try and keep your letter short
Be polite as sarcasm or rudeness will not help your cause!
Say what you want for your complaint to be resolved
Give a reasonable timetable for action to be taken before you will consider other options
Keep a copy of letters you write

For more in depth tips please see our top tips on complaining section