How to Write a Professional Complaint Letter

Being as professional as possible will allow you to stand out from the crowd and increase your chances of receiving feedback.

1. Templates for writing a complaint letter are available online. Most look like a standard letter but it should be noted the more professional your letter looks, the higher your chances are for receiving feedback. http://www.howtocomplain.com/info/cl-template.shtml. http://consumerist.com/205899/how-to-write-a-complaint-letter.
2. Do not just be nice in the beginning; be nice throughout the entire letter.
3. Use a buffer. A buffer is a pleasant comment that is used to offset negativity from your complaint. A buffer can be used before the complaint, after the complaint, or both. The next step shows a buffer in action.
4. (Buffer) Considering I like all of the nine choices offered, I did not hesitate to make a trip to the University location that is only blocks away from my home. I chose the hamburger sliders, buffalo chicken sliders, and the southwestern eggrolls. Our meals came to the table, and at first everything looked as expected. (Complaint) After taking a bite of the buffalo chicken sliders, I noticed the chicken was severely undercooked. I explained the situation to our waitress and she promptly removed the chicken sliders, and came back when the new and fully-cooked chicken sliders were done. (Buffer) My roommate and I finished the rest of our meals and walked out of the restaurant relieved and satisfied.
5. Explain the action that you want. In my situation, I was served undercooked chicken at a Chili’s restaurant. Therefore, all I wanted was the restaurant to respond to my letter and notify their kitchen staff. I received a prompt response from the kitchen manager that told me she explained everything to her kitchen. In my case, all of my negative impressions of the restaurant were alleviated when I received the letter. In a situation where more is on the line, I suggest starting the process being as pleasant as possible and slowing getting more aggressive. Depending on the severity of the situation, a timeline may or may not be necessary.
6. Stand out from the crowd and be creative. One way to be unique could be to explain your history with the company you are writing to. Another way could be to talk about a story that happened when associating with the company.
7. A sample complaint letter can be found at the following address. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1515295/a_sample_complaint_letter_to_chilis.html?cat=22