How to Reply to Complaints

Aim:
This page is to help you write letters replying to complaints (also called adjustment letters). On this page are the stages of dealing with complaints, some useful expressions, some example letters, and an exercise.

Dealing with Complaints | Acknowledging receipt of a complaint letter |
| Accepting a Complaint | Apology for the error or fault | Accepting the Complaint		| Rejecting a Complaint | Regret at dissatisfaction | Rejecting responsibility for the problem leading to the complaint
|		|
|	|	|
A short explanation of the fault	Investigation to be made	Reasons for the rejection
|	|	|
|		|
| Proposal to settle the difficulty |
| An offer to take goods back, make a replacement, give a discount etc.		| If a third party (another person or organisation) is to blame, direct the complainer to that party
|		|
| A concluding paragraph aiming at retaining the goodwill of the customer

Useful Expressions

Acknowledging receipt of a complaint letter

• Thank you for your letter of … regarding / concerning / in connection with …
• I refer to your letter of … about / relating to …

Apology for the error or fault

• We must apologise for …
• We sincerely apologise for …
• Please accept our apologies for …
• I would like to apologise for the error made by our company in (verb+ing)

Accepting the Complaint

• We agree that the usual high standards of our products / services were not met in this instance.

A short explanation of the fault

• Introductory phrase
  • As a result of our investigation, we found that... (Not: After our investigation...)
• Causes
• The error was caused by … / was due to …
• Apparently, the problem was the result of … / resulted from …
• The cause of / reason for the mistake was …
• Effects
• As a result …
• This led to …
• Consequently …
• Solutions
  • We have modified / changed our ...
  • We have implemented a system to...
  • To prevent re-occurrences we have set up a verification procedure.
• Assurances
  • We assure you that this will not happen again.

Investigation to be made

• We are currently investigating the cause of ...

• We will investigate the cause of...

Proposal to settle the difficulty

• As a gesture of our regret, we are prepared to …/ we are willing to …/ we would like to …
• To show goodwill, we will …

An offer to take goods back, make a replacement, give a discount etc.

• We have dispatched the new items by express courier. They should arrive by
• To show our goodwill, we would like to offer you a 5% discount on your next order with us.

Regret at dissatisfaction

• While we can understand your frustration, ...
• We understand how disappointing it can be when your expectations are not met.

Rejecting responsibility for the problem leading to the complaint

• I regret to inform you that …
• I am afraid that …
• Unfortunately, I must point out that …

Reasons for the rejection

• This is because the guarantee period has expired.
• This is due to the fact that the guarantee period has expired.

If a third party (another person or organisation) is to blame, direct the complainer to that party

• We therefore suggest that you contact...

A concluding paragraph aiming at retaining the goodwill of the customer

• We look forward to receiving your further orders, and assure you that they will be filled correctly / promptly.

Example Letters

Exercise

Introduction:
This task is for you to practise matching the types of sentence you need in adjustment letters with suitable sentences.

Instructions:
Match the items in the boxes on the left with the items on the right:

1. Click in the table cell containing the item you want to move.
2. Click in the table cell where you want the item to go. The words will swap position.
3. If an item is in the right position, it will have a green background and a tick.
4. When all the table cells are green and have ticks, you have finished.

Related pages:
Adjustment letters:

• How to write adjustment letters - includes the stages of dealing with complaints, some useful expressions, some example letters, and an exercise.
• Adjustment Letter Constructor - build a letter of adjustment by selecting the right phrases.
• Letter of Adjustment (Reply to a Letter of Complaint) correction exercise.
• Positive Tone in Adjustment Letters
• Adjustment letter practice task - type in your letter and the computer will analyse it for you, and give you some feedback.
• Adjustment letter scenario and practice task - go through the interactive office scenario, then write your letter of adjustment and submit it. The computer will give you feedback.