[tab name=’Guidelines’]

Guidelines : About poor Service

Complaining about Poor Service, Defective or Inferior Products

Guidelines and Alternate Phrases

• Summarize the problem briefly, specifically, and clearly. Include all information basic to the problem or resolution such as complete names, addresses, phone numbers, full description of the product or service, dates, places, amounts, methods of payment, previous correspondence, and file numbers. Include enough detail so a previously uninvolved reader can understand what has happened, but do avoid irrelevant detail that will only obscure the real issues.
• State the facts of your complaint in an organized, easy-to-follow format. A bulleted list is an effective way to give specifics. In most situations, a once-upon-a-time format is not an appropriate arrangement of facts or issues.
• Decide what specific action you want and firmly stick with it. Don’t sound wishy-washy in what you will accept as restitution.
• Please remove the $48 charge from my account.
• Please send a replacement tray by overnight mail.
• I will appreciate receiving an explanation and an apology from the service representative.
• Please send a replacement part immediately.
• We ask you correct the situation by closing the old account and establishing an entirely new one.
• We suggest you discuss with your staff the importance of a prompt response in such emergency situations.
• In the future, please send all the authorizations directly to me for my signature before beginning any work projects on our behalf.
• We have written you about these subscriptions on two previous occasions. If the changes cannot be made by the next issue (March), please cancel all three subscriptions.
• If we can make these two changes in the printed form, I’m confident we can reduce our internal costs by as much as 50 percent.
• Be firm about any agreed-upon deadline with regard to any delayed response you have been promised.
• I’ll expect to hear from you by Friday.
• As you confirmed, I will be looking for the replacement shipment within 10 days.
• As you suggested, I will wait to hear from Mr. Cox on August 15 about what adjustments he will make on the price.
• Sound factual, not emotional.
• My calls have not been returned. (Not: The return calls have never materialized.)
• As you know, we have a $200,000 investment in this equipment, and we must have it operate dependably 24 hours a day. (Not: We have a $200,000 investment in this equipment; we would like to have it work occasionally.)
• Assume a confident tone about a suitable resolution. Avoid aggressive or sarcastic statements. Assume the reader will give you a fair deal until he or she proves otherwise.
• I know you will want to correct the situation immediately.
• I was sure if I pointed out the difficulties to you personally, you would make every effort to solve the problem.
• I hope you can restore our confidence in your product and service.
• You have given us excellent service in past years, and we want to continue to depend on you for our data processing needs.
• We feel confident you can correct the structure with minimal expense.
• You have always been fair in your dealings with our organization, and we have every confidence you will decide to make an adjustment in this situation.
• If we haven’t heard from you by August 5, we will assume you prefer to cancel the project altogether. I hope that’s not the case.
• We appreciate your attention to this detail.
• We are eager to hear how you think the problem can be corrected.
• Let us know if you need further information to verify the claims we have presented here.
• We are looking forward to continuing our relationship on future projects.
• We believe we can count on your best efforts in this regard.
• Thank you for your usual attention to our concerns.
• If follow-up letters become necessary to gain the reader’s cooperation, become stronger in stating your next course of action while maintaining an objective tone.
• If we don’t hear from you by August 6, we will be turning the problem over to our legal department.
• We will be forced to cancel our account with your firm if we do not have a suitable resolution by August 6.
• Be sure to attach any necessary documentation for your claims such as invoices, receipts, canceled checks, order numbers, authorizations, and so forth.

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[tab name=’Example 1′]

Example 1: Letter About providing poor Service

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Winger:

We are experiencing problems with several of Hobart’s valets recklessly driving in our garage–problems such as spinning tires, speeding, and driving with car doors open. To date, there have been no accidents or injuries reported by our tenants, but we want to notify you formally of your responsibility in this situation.

Please see your valets are reminded of the safety hazards involved. Also, we ask that you no longer park cars in more than one entrance ramp on week days and you leave at least one entrance ramp open at all times during the weekend.

I have every confidence these problems can be remedied with both your attention and mine.

Sincerely,
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[tab name=’Example 2′]

Example 2: Example letter for poor service

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Hightower:

We are very concerned about the quality of the plumbing fixtures and the condition of the drain lines at our St. Louis offices. On two previous occasions, our offices have been flooded because of leaks. On March 9, a third leak occurred that caused considerable damage to our printing operations. The total repair and replacement costs amounted to $3,459.

We have attached all the invoices for your reimbursement. Please let us know immediately if you prefer we follow some other procedure for handling the damage claims.

Additionally, as a matter of precaution against a recurrence and possible injury to our employees, we ask you do the following: replace the old drain lines above our printing operations and recheck the newer lines in other locations.

Would you please notify us immediately when the work is complete and let us know of other precautions that you plan to take?

Sincerely,
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[tab name=’Example 3′]

Example 3: Sample letter for poor service

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Martin:

One of my employees, Winston Walkman, attended your June 6 class in St. Louis and was very disappointed with the quality of the course. Specifically, the content did not match the course outline in your advertisements. Although the agenda listed three topics having to do with conflict resolution, less than half an hour was spent addressing those issues. Additionally, the instructor’s knowledge was inadequate to deal with the technical questions from the class.

I spoke to the instructor briefly at the end of the class, and he agreed the questions and customer situations brought up in class were beyond his experience.

In light of the expectations raised by your course announcement, I think we are entitled to a refund of our $350 registration fee. A copy of that registration form is attached.

Should you need to discuss the class situation with me or Mr. Walkman in more detail, you may reach us at 346-2209.

Sincerely,
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[tab name=’Example 4′]

Example 4:Poor Service Letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Frazier:

The four lamps we ordered from you on May 9 were shipped with improperly fitting globes. I’m returning the lamps for an immediate refund of $826.78. Because our first order took three weeks to arrive, we have decided to make an alternate selection at a local store rather than wait for your replacement.

Attached is a copy of our May 9 order, the customer receipt, and our canceled check. Thank you for processing this refund immediately.

Sincerely,
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[tab name=’Example 5′]

Example 5: Complaint letter for poor service

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Subject: IRA account #12345678 and IRA account #910111213

Dear Mr. Fulbright:

Today I received my account statement from your office for the period ending 3/31/19– and found my instructions for rolling over stock into my IRA had not been carried out. I face severe tax consequences if this account cannot be corrected to indicate a rollover of my company stock into another qualified retirement plan within the next 14 days.

Needless to say, I am disappointed these instructions have not been followed and am inconvenienced by having to write this second letter of instruction. (Ms. Debra White, the account executive assigned to me, says she lost my January 16 letter.)

Please take the following actions to correct my account:

1. Roll over 406 shares of Allbright Company common stock into my qualified IRA account #12345678.

2. Roll over 150 shares of TRZZ common stock into my qualified IRA account #910111213.

3. Make the effective date of both transactions February 1 because the delay in the rollover was due to mishandling of my previous instructions.

I know you wish to maintain the good reputation of your brokerage firm, and I am counting on you to take care of these transactions immediately.

Yours truly,
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[tab name=’Example 6′]

Example 6: Poor Services Letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Lopez:

This letter will acknowledge receipt of your phone call today to say you have finished the brochures. As we explained to you on the phone March 19 and again in our meeting at your place of business on March 25, the brochures you erroneously printed in black ink rather than the brown ink we specified are not acceptable for the following reasons:

• All the inserts to be added to the brochures are in brown ink.
• All the cover letters to go with the brochures are in brown ink.
• The business cards and letterhead to accompany the brochures are in brown ink.
• The brochure’s brown cover does not look aesthetically pleasing next to the black ink, a real problem because we use this brochure as a sales tool in soliciting brochure/editorial/layout/design business.
• We have used brown ink on all mailouts, brochures, business cards, and letterhead to establish product and material recognition in the marketplace.
• Finally, our acceptance of your printing bid was contingent on a due date of March 24 (as can be attested by the typesetter, the photographer, the photo-processing lab, and the printer for the accompanying brochure inserts). Your delivery date on the brochures is 21 days past due.

With no work-order paper ever shown us about your record of our oral directions to you, you assumed black ink, never verifying job specifications with us in any written form.

Our original agreement was that you print 2,000 copies of our brochure at a total cost of $4,140 by our March 24 deadline. We regret the fact you chose, after you got a deposit, not to go through with your agreement to reprint the brochures in the brown ink we had specified.

While we in no way find the black-ink printing job acceptable, in light of your reversal of your decision to reprint as agreed upon in our telephone conversation of March 19, we are willing to try to salvage the situation by settling for a full payment of $3,110 for the brochures. In exchange for the $3,110, we will take the 2,000 black-ink brochures, all printing plates, and the return of our photos.

We had hoped to move our own brochure-printing business, as well as the printing jobs for our clients, to this part of the city, a much more convenient location for us. And, of course, we will, in the future, continue to take our large printing jobs to the two printing firms across town, which have served us well over the last seven years.

If we do not have a response from you within ten days from the date of this letter about our offer to settle this matter, we will pursue all legal avenues open to us to recover our total $2,070 deposit and all legal costs.

Yours truly,
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[tab name=’Example 7′]

Example 7: Sample Letter About poor Service

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Mossy:

On your flight #344 from Dallas to Tulsa on August 6, my bags were lost. Not only were they three days late in arriving, but also one arrived damaged. During the entire ordeal, your representatives continued to display a don’t-tell-me-your-troubles attitude in solving the problem.

To elaborate on the details:

• Upon arrival when I discovered my bags did not make it with me to Tulsa, I filed a claim with baggage service. The agent assured me the bags would arrive on the next flight at approximately 7:00 p.m. She took my name and hotel address and said the bags would be delivered there about 8:00 p.m. The bags never arrived.
• I called your Tulsa office again and spoke with Felicia Smith. She could tell me nothing and suggested I call the Dallas office again. I made four long-distance phone calls trying to reach the appropriate party. No one could tell me where the bags were. They suggested I “just wait.” I spent $10 on overnight toiletries.
• The second day I phoned your Tulsa office again, and Mike Hertz told me the bags had indeed arrived on the previous evening’s flight; he didn’t know why they were not delivered to me as promised. I explained I was traveling on to Norman, and he took my hotel address there and assured me my bags would arrive there by 6:00 p.m. the second day. I worked the second day in the same clothes.
• When I arrived at my Norman hotel that second evening, the bags had still not arrived. When I called the Tulsa office again, Suzanne Swartz told me she was “busy” and suggested I call her back collect in an hour. I asked to speak to her supervisor. She put me on hold for five minutes. When I hung up and called back, no one answered the phone.
• My bags (one with a broken handle and twisted rollers) were finally delivered at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday–four days after my Monday-evening flight. No apology or explanation was ever given to me about the delay or difficulty.

I request full payment for the damaged bag in the amount of $198. Also, I think it only appropriate that you reimburse me $10 for the toiletries and $19.86 for the four long-distance calls made to your airline offices.

Attached you will find:

• a repair estimate for the bag and a brochure listing the price of a comparable replacement bag
• my baggage claim receipt
• the hotel listing of telephone charges
• receipt for the toiletries
• boarding passes and a copy of the baggage claim check

My staff and I travel more than 60 percent of the year to all 50 states, and we schedule at least 2,000 flight segments on your airline. Needless to say, the quality of service I recently received has left a lasting impression. I hope you will want to correct that impression.

Yours truly,
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