General English Level 6 V 3
UNIT 05 Business matters TOPIC 02 Mr Taylor's letter
LANGUAGE FOCUS 02 Letters of complaint
When we write letters of complaint we write in a polite, business-like manner. We explain the problem and request the action we want taken.
Roger Taylor writes:
Dear Mrs Sampson,

When we write letters of complaint we use the appropriate salutation (greeting). Roger knows the name and title of the person he is writing to, so he uses these. When we don't know this, we write Dear Sir/Madam .

Carol Sampson
Office Manager
HPK Electronics
24 Williams Street
Sydney 2000
12 Bank Street
Paynesville 2306

Roger Taylor puts the name and position of the person he's writing to and the company's address on the left of the letter, above the salutation.

Roger Taylor puts his own address at the top left, above the company's address. We sometimes put it at the top right. We write the date after our own address.

After addressing the letter, we write our points clearly in paragraphs. We write in a polite and business-like manner.

Roger Taylor writes:
I'm writing to complain about the lack of service at your head office.

We begin a letter of complaint by stating clearly and politely what the problem is. We don't write in an angry way.

We often begin with I'm writing to complain about + the problem or I wish to complain about + the problem .

I am writing to complain about the quality of your products.
wish

Examples

I am writing to complain about the service I received at your store.
I wish to complain about the washing machine I bought at your store recently.
I am writing to complain about your recent price increases.

Roger Taylor writes:
I visited your office last Thursday, January 23, to pick up a copy of your product catalogue and was very disappointed with the service I received.
Firstly, there was no-one at the reception desk and I had to ring the bell to get someone's attention.
Secondly, when I finally did get your attendant's attention, he was very rude!

When we write letters of complaint we give the exact details of the problem. We say what happened. We often use Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly, … and sometimes Finally to order our writing.

Roger Taylor writes:

I demand an explanation of this behaviour from the company as well as a formal apology from the receptionist himself.

Also, I would like a copy of the catalogue mailed to me immediately.

(Roger Taylor states the action he wants taken. He wants an explanation and an apology. He also wants a copy of the catalogue.)

Towards the end of the letter we write clearly what we expect and/ or what action we want taken. We use I would like … or I demand … or I'd greatly appreciate …
I demand is stronger and less polite than I would like or I'd (greatly) appreciate .

I would like an apology.
I would (greatly) appreciate your attention to this matter.
I demand that this situation be remedied immediately.

Examples

I would like a written apology and a full refund.
I would appreciate a letter from your office about this matter.
I demand a full refund.
Yours sincerely,


Roger Taylor

At the end of the letter Roger Taylor signs off by writing Yours sincerely . This is a polite way to end a formal letter.

Now go to 03 PRACTICE Letters of complaint.