The Power of a Complaint Letter
The Power of a Complaint Letter Every business hungers to be successful. Businesses want to put their best foot forward, and their best product to the consumer. However, on occasion, people become upset or disappointed when the product or service does not reach expectation. In this case, businesses often receive the dreaded complaint letter from customers. The purpose of a complaint letter is to bring a grievance to the attention of an owner or manager of the business, so action can be taken as soon as possible. When writing a complaint letter it is important to include appeals to the audience, structure of the letter, tone, and context. Also keep in mind, that playing into the emotions by usage of ethos, pathos, and logos can positively sway the result. Three complaint letters written by Ken Thomas, Chad Bradley, and Kyle Westergren are about having recently bought a pair of shoes from Reebok, PUMA, and Cool Sports Inc. Complaint letters are the reason that businesses strive to please their customers, and take into consideration the constructive criticism of another person.
Before crafting an effective complaint letter, one must first realize who their audience is, and what the purpose is. Consider who will be reading the letter and how likely or unlikely it is that the recipient will be sympathetic toward the complaint presented. Be clear on solutions given, and what can be done in return to fix the problem. The writers of a complaint letter want to address their issue by appealing to a specific audience. This audience could be board members, general managers, or even CEOs. In this case, the three complaint letters written by Thomas, Bradley, and Westergren, have expressed their problem to the general managers of the stores in which they purchased the shoes, and are seeking some sort of credit towards a new pair of shoes. By asking for a credit, one also wants to provide the reader with reason as to why restitution is being asked of, which is why one must first
Before crafting an effective complaint letter, one must first realize who their audience is, and what the purpose is. Consider who will be reading the letter and how likely or unlikely it is that the recipient will be sympathetic toward the complaint presented. Be clear on solutions given, and what can be done in return to fix the problem. The writers of a complaint letter want to address their issue by appealing to a specific audience. This audience could be board members, general managers, or even CEOs. In this case, the three complaint letters written by Thomas, Bradley, and Westergren, have expressed their problem to the general managers of the stores in which they purchased the shoes, and are seeking some sort of credit towards a new pair of shoes. By asking for a credit, one also wants to provide the reader with reason as to why restitution is being asked of, which is why one must first
Cited: Bradley, Chad. Letter. Reebok Customer Service Apr. 2009: 1. Print. Thomas, Ken. Letter. Cool Sports Inc. Customer Service Jun. 2004: 1. Print. Westergren, Kyle. Letter. PUMA Customer Service Canada Sep. 2008: 1 Print.