Best tips to write an effective complaint letter

If you're having a dispute with a business or government agency and you haven't gotten anywhere by talking to someone on the phone or in person, try putting your complaint in writing.

Yes, there's a chance your letter or email will be trashed and you wasted your time. But if you direct it to the proper place such as the president, owner or manager's office, it might catch the attention of someone with the authority to help you.

Phone calls to businesses, especially big businesses, and government agencies often fail because the customer service reps just don't have the power to do anything for you. And while they may promise to escalate your issue to someone in a higher position, you'll never know if that happens.

A written complaint not only provides another avenue to get your problem to someone who might be able to help, but it also usually results in a more concise and even-tempered summary of your beef than if you have a conversation with someone.

And once you have your story written down, you can just keep emailing or mailing it to other executives or managers if the first attempt fails, instead of calling again and waiting on hold. You also can post your complaint on social media, which often gets a prompt response because businesses don't like other potential customers seeing complaints.

If you're considering legal action, proving that you put your complaint in writing in an attempt to resolve the situation could support your case. Sending it by certified mail will get you proof it was received.

When you write your letter, be concise and be polite. Stick to the facts, be as detailed as possible and include any pertinent evidence such as receipts or photographs (send copies, keep your originals). Request specific action and give them a deadline to respond.

You can find other tips about how to write an effective letter and a sample letter from the Federal Trade Commission here: http://www.ncpw.gov/blog/how-write-effective-complaint-letter?utm_source=govdelivery.

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Paul Muschick of The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) helps consumers fight errors, incompetence and arrogance by businesses, governments and institutions.

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