Letters of complaint can be a sensitive piece of writing. Done with little regard for professional presentation, they are likely to elicit nothing but a defensive or dismissive response. Instead of spurring positive action on the part of those receiving the letter, it is more likely that the complaint will be ignored or even resented.

Calm is the operative word when writing a letter of complaint. Whether you're writing it to your cable provider, office supervisor or neighborhood association, an angry letter is less effective for getting what you want than one written clearly, concisely and with valid points.

Start Positively

Keep in mind that businesses and most people, in general, would prefer to co-exist peacefully instead of being involved in arguments and disputes. Know that the other party would probably like nothing more than to clear up the issues just as much as you do.

Write Clearly

Instead of writing while you are hot under the collar, let the emotions pass before composing your letter. When you do, make your points clearly. Outline your grievances in a list if you can to make it as unambiguous as possible. Use an English grammar software to ensure that your words are expressed correctly to avoid any misunderstanding.

Stick To The Subject At Hand

Many people make the mistake of rambling on about unrelated topics when writing complaint letters. The narrower the focus of your grievances, the sooner the other party can identify the problem on their part and foster a solution for it.

Follow-Up

Be patient. If you're dealing with a problematic company, chances are good that they are receiving dozens of the same complaints daily. Wait a week (if the problem can wait that long) for a response and follow-up with another letter if you don't receive any.

Written communication is important

For one, written documents are easier to understand than verbal instructions which can lead to some amount of miscommunication. Second, written documents and letters give you something to refer back to in case there are things you want to clarify. Lastly, it allows you to have a documented record of the communication, which you can look up anytime someone needs to be made accountable for when things go awry.

Don't forget to provide enough information to allow the other person to make a picture of the situation or carry out the action needed. A simple instruction like ?Can you schedule a meeting for me? is seldom sufficient. Who will be in the meeting? When do you want to hold it? What will the meeting be about?

If you want your letter to be sufficient for your contractors to complete the orders or understand your message, you'll need to include all pertinent information. Anticipating what kinds of things they'll need to know to carry the task out will have to be part of your job. Otherwise, they'll just come back with an email asking for clarification, which really saves you no time in the end.

Additionally, make sure your instructions are clear. Put it through a grammar and spell check to ensure that your sentences are neither confusing nor do they contain incomplete thoughts. Imagine yourself in your contractors place. Would you understand the information and instructions based on what you have written so far?