Common phrases for a complaint letter
Reason for writing:
I am writing in order to complain about
I am writing to complain about
I am writing regarding
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with
I would like to lodge a formal complaint against your company for the reasons outlined
below.
Introducing the complaint:
Topic sentence stating the positive point. + However, + problem….
Example:
We thoroughly enjoyed the first week of the holiday. However, after that we experienced a
number of problems.
I am dissatisfied/disappointed with the service/goods that I received/bought because..
First complaint:
Firstly
First of all
The first problem is / was
My first complaint is
My first concern is
The first thing I would like to draw your attention to is
Further complaints:
Secondly
Also
In addition
In addition to this
Added to this
…… is / was also unsatisfactory / unacceptable
Not only ……, but also
To make matters worse,
Furthermore
Mentioning negative consequences:
I'm afraid that…
Unfortunately,
The… was not up to the expected standard.
The… failed to live up to our expectations.
The quality of the customer service we received was woefully inadequate.
Expressing Dissatisfaction:
It is not acceptable to / that
I am not at all pleased that
I am disappointed because
Demanding action:
I suggest that you replace the item
I therefore suggest that I be given a full refund
I would be grateful if my money was refunded
I would be grateful if you could give me a full refund
I would like to request that
To resolve the problem, I would appreciate it if you could
Ending the letter:
I look forward to hearing from you
I look forward to receiving a full refund
I look forward to receiving a replacement
I look forward to receiving your explanation
I look forward to your reply and a resolution to my problem
, Example Letter of Complaint
Flat 303 Lucky Mansions
856 Cheung Sha Wan Road
Cheung Sha Wan
Kowloon
24 February 2020
The Administrative Officer
Exhibition Services
Exhibitions International
33 Kadoorie Avenue
Kowloon
Dear Sir/Madam,
I attended your exhibition Sound Systems 2020 at the Fortune Hotel from 13 - 14 February and found it
informative and interesting. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the event was spoiled by a number of
organisational problems. I explain each of the problems below.
Firstly, I had difficulty in registering to attend the event. You set up an on-line registration facility, but
I found the facility totally unworkable. Even after spending several wasted hours trying to register in
this way, the computer would not accept my application. I eventually succeeded in registering by
faxing you.
Secondly, the exhibition was held at one of Hong Kong's most prestigious hotels, but frankly the venue
was better suited to a medium-sized business conference than to a large exhibition open by registration
to the public. The lack of space led to serious overcrowding in the venue, particularly at peak visiting
times (i.e. lunch times and early evening). On one or two occasions I was also seriously concerned
about the physical safety of attendees.
The final point I want to make concerns product information. It is very enjoyable to see and test a range
of excellent sound systems, but it is also important to be able to take away leaflets on interesting
products, so that more research can be done before deciding which system to buy. However, by the
time I attended the exhibition all the leaflets had been taken.
Could I please ask you to look into these matters - not only on my behalf but also on behalf of other
attendees, and in fact on behalf of your company, too.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully
Michael Leung
Michael Leung
Reason for writing:
I am writing in order to complain about
I am writing to complain about
I am writing regarding
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with
I would like to lodge a formal complaint against your company for the reasons outlined
below.
Introducing the complaint:
Topic sentence stating the positive point. + However, + problem….
Example:
We thoroughly enjoyed the first week of the holiday. However, after that we experienced a
number of problems.
I am dissatisfied/disappointed with the service/goods that I received/bought because..
First complaint:
Firstly
First of all
The first problem is / was
My first complaint is
My first concern is
The first thing I would like to draw your attention to is
Further complaints:
Secondly
Also
In addition
In addition to this
Added to this
…… is / was also unsatisfactory / unacceptable
Not only ……, but also
To make matters worse,
Furthermore
Mentioning negative consequences:
I'm afraid that…
Unfortunately,
The… was not up to the expected standard.
The… failed to live up to our expectations.
The quality of the customer service we received was woefully inadequate.
Expressing Dissatisfaction:
It is not acceptable to / that
I am not at all pleased that
I am disappointed because
Demanding action:
I suggest that you replace the item
I therefore suggest that I be given a full refund
I would be grateful if my money was refunded
I would be grateful if you could give me a full refund
I would like to request that
To resolve the problem, I would appreciate it if you could
Ending the letter:
I look forward to hearing from you
I look forward to receiving a full refund
I look forward to receiving a replacement
I look forward to receiving your explanation
I look forward to your reply and a resolution to my problem
, Example Letter of Complaint
Flat 303 Lucky Mansions
856 Cheung Sha Wan Road
Cheung Sha Wan
Kowloon
24 February 2020
The Administrative Officer
Exhibition Services
Exhibitions International
33 Kadoorie Avenue
Kowloon
Dear Sir/Madam,
I attended your exhibition Sound Systems 2020 at the Fortune Hotel from 13 - 14 February and found it
informative and interesting. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the event was spoiled by a number of
organisational problems. I explain each of the problems below.
Firstly, I had difficulty in registering to attend the event. You set up an on-line registration facility, but
I found the facility totally unworkable. Even after spending several wasted hours trying to register in
this way, the computer would not accept my application. I eventually succeeded in registering by
faxing you.
Secondly, the exhibition was held at one of Hong Kong's most prestigious hotels, but frankly the venue
was better suited to a medium-sized business conference than to a large exhibition open by registration
to the public. The lack of space led to serious overcrowding in the venue, particularly at peak visiting
times (i.e. lunch times and early evening). On one or two occasions I was also seriously concerned
about the physical safety of attendees.
The final point I want to make concerns product information. It is very enjoyable to see and test a range
of excellent sound systems, but it is also important to be able to take away leaflets on interesting
products, so that more research can be done before deciding which system to buy. However, by the
time I attended the exhibition all the leaflets had been taken.
Could I please ask you to look into these matters - not only on my behalf but also on behalf of other
attendees, and in fact on behalf of your company, too.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully
Michael Leung
Michael Leung
