Writing to complain effectively

The angry complaint is satisfying to write and is the least likely to succeed, largely because it makes the reader's job harder.

Before writing

The groundwork.

Gather the facts: dates, times, names, reference numbers, amounts.

Find the organisation's complaints procedure, which usually exists and usually specifies a route and a timescale.

Establish what you are actually entitled to, which may be more or less than you assume.

Decide what outcome would resolve it.

And write to the right person, since a complaint to a general address will take longer.

The structure

Which does most of the work.

What happened, factually and chronologically, in short paragraphs.

What the effect was.

What you have already done about it, including previous contact and reference numbers.

What you want, specifically.

By when.

What you will do if that does not happen.

Six sections, and none of them needs to be long.

Tone

Where most complaints fail.

Calm and factual reads as credible; angry reads as unreasonable and gives the reader a reason to discount it.

Which means removing the adjectives, the sarcasm and the accusations of incompetence.

State the facts and let them carry the weight, since a well-documented failure needs no editorialising.

And do not threaten anything you will not do.

Being specific about the remedy

The most commonly missing element.

"I want a refund of £84 and confirmation that the direct debit has been cancelled" can be actioned.

"I want this sorted out" cannot.

Name the amount, the action and the date.

Which also prevents the response that addresses something you did not ask about.

And where you want an apology or a change in process, say so explicitly, since these are not assumed.

Evidence

What to include and how.

Attach or enclose copies rather than originals.

Refer to them in the text: "as shown in the attached receipt dated 3 March".

Include only what is relevant, since a large bundle is not read.

Keep a copy of everything you send.

And note the date and method of sending, which matters if it escalates.

Length

Shorter than feels adequate.

One page for most complaints.

A chronology as an appendix if it is complicated.

Which is more likely to be read in full and acted on.

And a long complaint invites a response addressing the easiest part of it.

Escalating

When the first response is inadequate.

Follow the organisation's own process, which generally has stages, since skipping them gives them a reason to send you back.

Ask for a final response or deadlock letter, which is frequently what an external body requires before it will look at the case.

Then approach the relevant ombudsman, regulator or trade body, most of which are free to use.

Keep the same calm register at every stage.

And be aware of time limits, which apply to most external schemes and are strictly applied.

Complaining publicly

Which is sometimes effective and has costs.

Social media frequently produces a fast response, particularly for consumer matters, since the audience is the point.

It is less effective for complex cases requiring investigation.

Anything defamatory or inaccurate creates a problem for you rather than for them.

And it should generally follow the formal route rather than replacing it, since external bodies will ask what the organisation said.

Complaining at work

Where the stakes are different.

Understand the procedure before starting, since informal and formal routes have different consequences.

Keep contemporaneous notes, dated, at the time rather than reconstructed later.

Be factual and avoid characterising motives.

Consider whether an informal conversation would resolve it, which is frequently true and frequently skipped.

And take advice — from a union, a professional body or an adviser — before submitting a formal grievance, since the process is difficult to reverse.

When to stop

Which is a legitimate decision.

At some point the time spent exceeds what is being recovered, and continuing is a choice about principle rather than about the remedy.

Which is a reasonable choice to make deliberately and an unpleasant one to drift into.

And deciding in advance how far you will take it makes the whole process considerably less consuming.