Complaint letter
Something you bought is faulty, or the service was not what you paid for.
A complaint that gets resolved has four things in it: what you bought and when, what went wrong, what you want done, and by when. Anger is optional and usually counterproductive; the reference number is not.
Keep a copy. If the complaint goes to a regulator, an ombudsman or a card issuer later, this letter is the evidence that you raised it first.
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On I bought from you. Unfortunately it has not worked as I expected, and I am hoping you can help.
What I would like is. Please let me know what you can do.
Thank you for looking into it.
Still to fill in: your full name, who you are complaining to, what you bought, date of purchase, what went wrong, what you want.
A finished example
The same template with every field filled in. The names and details are invented.
On 9 May 2026 I bought a Corsair dishwasher, model CDW-400 from you for £429.00, order ORD-77120. Unfortunately it has not worked as I expected, and I am hoping you can help.
The machine stops mid-cycle and shows error code E4, leaving standing water in the drum. It first did this on 2 June, three weeks after delivery, and now does it on roughly every second wash. I have cleaned the filter and checked the drain hose as your support line suggested, and neither made any difference.
I have already been in touch about this once. I called your support line on 4 June and again on 19 June. On the second call I was told an engineer would be booked within five working days, and I have heard nothing since.
What I would like is a replacement. If you could let me know by 7 September 2026, that would help me plan around it.
Thank you for looking into it.
Complaint regarding a Corsair dishwasher, model CDW-400, order ORD-77120 Dear Sir or Madam, On 9 May 2026 I bought a Corsair dishwasher, model CDW-400 from you for £429.00, order ORD-77120. Unfortunately it has not worked as I expected, and I am hoping you can help. The machine stops mid-cycle and shows error code E4, leaving standing water in the drum. It first did this on 2 June, three weeks after delivery, and now does it on roughly every second wash. I have cleaned the filter and checked the drain hose as your support line suggested, and neither made any difference. I have already been in touch about this once. I called your support line on 4 June and again on 19 June. On the second call I was told an engineer would be booked within five working days, and I have heard nothing since. What I would like is a replacement. If you could let me know by 7 September 2026, that would help me plan around it. Thank you for looking into it. Yours faithfully, Helen Mbeki Customer reference CU-884213
Questions
- What should a complaint letter include?
- What you bought and when, the order or account reference, what went wrong in plain facts, what you want done about it, and a date by which you want an answer. Everything else is padding.
- Should I be angry in the letter?
- No. The person reading it did not build the product, and a letter that insults them gets handled slowly and grudgingly. Firm and specific gets better results than furious.
- How long should I give them to respond?
- Fourteen days is the common expectation and is long enough to be reasonable. Say the date rather than the number of days, so there is nothing to argue about.
- What if they ignore it?
- Escalate to whatever body covers the trade, such as an ombudsman, a regulator, or your card issuer for a chargeback. Having written first, with a date, is usually a precondition for any of those.
- Email or letter?
- Either, but keep proof. Email gives you a timestamp; a posted letter sent with proof of delivery is stronger if the matter is likely to escalate.