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Complaint letter. This writer is seeking compensation for a number of expenses she incurred as a result of a reaction to cosmetics she purchased. This is an interestingly debatable situation—you wonder whether if cosmetics manufacturers state any disclaimers on their product packaging. Heading. The heading portion of a business letter includes the writer's address and date. For traditional business letters like this one, you don't normally include your name in the heading, although this writer does so. Inside address. The inside address provides the full name, title, and address of the recipient of the letter. If you do not have a specific name, you can department name or a position title. If possible, you should call the company or organization and get a specific name—as is done in this letter. Salutation. In this portion of the letter, use the same name as you used in the inside address. Be sure and punctuate the salutation with a colon, not a comma (which is for informal, friendly, nonbusiness letters). Introduction. The introduction to any business letter should be brief—four or five lines at the most. In this complaint letter, the writer does not state the compensation she will request later on—but you can there is a problem. This tactic can keep even the most resistant of readers reading. Background. This paragraph provides the narrative of the problem—with specific details and dates. Notice how many specific names, costs, fees, and amounts of time (although unfortunately not specific dates) this writer supplies. This paragraphs runs on rather long for a business letter. A good break point might be when she begins the discussion of her visit to the dermatologist. Request and justification. In this paragraph, the writer does little more than request the compensation. It's probably wise that she does not venture into the justification for her request. Is it really the company's fault that she has had an allergic reaction to this product? Closing. In this final paragraph, the writer of this complaint letter makes the usual expressions of hope for good will and fair play on the part of the recipient. Enclosures. To document her request, this writer includes copies of everything related to her request—the sales receipt for the cosmetics, the doctor's bill, the photographer fee. And she includes a photo of herself!
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