Learn to write formal letter: the letter of complaint

Letters of Complaint Samples

Sample 1

You bought a tablet at an online store and it is not working properly. You have the guarantee of the product. Write the letter of complaint to the store in which you will:

  • explain when and where you bought the product
  • describe the problem in detail and ask for a replacement or a refund

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing  to complain about the tablet that I bought from your website on 16 April.

Firstly, it took you three weeks to send it to me, but you promised it would be only two days.

Secondly, when I took it out of the packaging I realized that the screen was damaged.

Furthermore, when I checked the accessories, I noticed that the USB wire was missing.

Could you please exchange it?

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

Tom Brown

Sample 2

You are attending a language course that you are not satisfied with. You have talked to the school authorities about it, but nothing has changed. Write a letter of complaint to the school’s manager, Barbara Smith. in your letter:

  • give details of the course and remind her what your complaints are
  • suggest a possible solution and ask to discuss the matter in person.

Dear Ms Smith,

I am writing to complain about the course in business English for beginners run in your school on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. In fact, I have already talked to you about problems with this course and last week you promised a change for the better, but unfortunately nothing has happened.

Let me remind you that there are two main problems with this course. First, it is not provided on a regular basis as the instructor does not come on Mondays. Secondly, there is not enough business vocabulary in the coursebook. A language course which has no regular routine and uses wrong coursebook is not likely to help the students to learn a lot, is it ?

I hope it will be possible for you to find an instructor for the Monday classes and to replace the coursebook as soon as possible. Please let me know when I could come to your office to talk about the details.

Yours sincerely,

Olena Petrenko