A letter of complaint
Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and tips and do the exercises.
Preparation
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to express my dismay at the service at your Eden Hill branch on Saturday 14 January.
I often collect prescriptions from the pharmacy on behalf of my grandmother, Mrs Elaine Bingham. On this occasion there were two prescriptions: one for 10 x 50 mg Kendomol and one for 50 x 100 mg Leoprone. I was served quickly even though there appeared to be only one pharmacist on duty. However, as I was leaving I saw that I had been given 500 mg tablets of Kendomol. This is ten times stronger than the prescription called for.
If I hadn't noticed the difference between the prescription and the actual tablets, my grandmother could have taken a dangerous overdose of Kendomol. I would be worried about getting any future prescriptions at Eden Hill.
The pharmacist apologised and corrected the mistake but I wanted to bring it to your attention. I think it happened because there were not enough staff on duty. I understand that mistakes happen but there needs to be a minimum of two pharmacists at all times so all prescriptions can be checked.
I hope you can take steps to make sure this mistake does not happen again.
Yours faithfully,
Roger Bingham
Tips
- Focus on the most important facts. Don't give unnecessary background information.
- Make sure you include:
- the reason for writing (e.g. I am writing to ...)
- what went wrong
- what you would like to happen now.
- Complaint letters are usually written in a formal style.
- Use passives to be less direct and more formal, e.g. I was served quickly.
- Use Yours faithfully to sign off if you don't know the name of the person you're writing to.
Would this sentence ever be correct in English, even if it sounds old-fashioned or something similar:
"For no wise, law-abiding spouse would become an accomplice to gold smuggling."
I'm especially curious about the first part.
Hello Aona,
Yes, that is a correct sentence. It's very formal and literary in style but is correct.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Dear Sir/Madam,
I'm writing to express my dismay with the service at Bokis.com at 14. January.
I ordered several books from your internet service Bokis.com, but when they arrived the package was broken, and two of the books were water damaged. I called customer service but they said the package must have been broken after they sent it. In the rules and regulations at Bokis.com it specifies that the company takes responsibility for the package right on to the deliverance.
On the background of this I would like a refund for the two books that were damaged, or preferably, new copies of the two books sent to my address with a reduced price because of the delay and damage compensation.
I hope to hear from you soon
Yours Faithfully
Sam Bingham
Dear Sir/Madam
I hope you are well, I am writing from Eden Hill branch, because we read you email and we are consternated about that situation.
The mean mistake was the pharmacists have several patients and he doesn't pay attention. Moreover, we have into account our clients comments and off course, they will be a new pharmacists to duty with the currently.
However, we have been implementing a new pharmacy system that verifies the prescription and the deliver of the pills.
Due to this fact, you must be calm in our installations and this mistake will never happen again.
Yours faithfully,
Angela Rodríguez
Dear Madam,
I'm writing to express my dismay regarding the service I received from 10 to 12 August at The Grand View Hotel.
On this occasion, I had previously booked a double room with a sea view at $150 per night, as the advertised price online indicated.
Unfortunately, when I arrived, I noticed I was given a single room overlooking the parking lot. Also, the air conditioning did not work during my entire stay. I called the hotel staff, but my requests were ignored, and they did not fix it. Finally, when I checked out, I was charged $200 per night.
This issue has ruined my entire holiday experience, and it has made me doubt the quality and reliability of your service.
I would be grateful if you could issue a partial refund and take steps to make sure this does not happen again.
I trust that you will improve your service and solve this matter promptly.
Yours faithfully,
Tabatha Zarza
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the appointment services at your hospital.
I booked an appointment with a Consultant in Internal Medicine for 1:00 PM. I arrived 10 minutes early and completed the check-in process at the reception. I was then directed to the consultant’s office, where I waited for more than an hour. During this time, I noticed that I was not the only patient scheduled for 1:00 PM — there were around ten patients given the exact same appointment time. This is highly unacceptable.
As a private hospital, when patients schedule appointments and pay significant fees, they expect the service to be efficient, well-organized, and punctual. Unfortunately, my experience did not meet these expectations.
I will reconsider returning to your hospital in the future unless improvements are made to ensure smoother operations and a better patient experience. I hope you take the necessary steps to address this issue and restore the hospital’s good reputation.
Yours faithfully,
Ghufran
Have you ever made a complaint? What happened?
I made a complaint against a cashier in a microfinance institution. This happened a long time ago. The institution offered the possibility to send and receive money.
For a reason I do not know, I was asked to fill unnecessary forms and this was resulting in an extremely long time to retrieve the money I came to collect. My complaint at the agency produced no effect, so I called the supervisor for remedial.
I made a complaint to a Danish hotel about the cleaning-up in my bedroom. The hotel's management apologized to me.
Dear Dian
I am writing my dismay about the room that I have booked in this hotel. I am a regular guest but last night was horrible because the heater doesn't work and the room was cold. However i had spoken with a receptionist and i ask to change room but the hotel was full booked and she propose to me , if i would like another blanket to put on the bed, i said yes because i was tired and i just want to sleep, but i didn't was satisfy. I would like ask for the refund last night, and i hope don't will happen again.
Regards
Vanessa
I think I haven’t made a complaint yet in written form. I complained many times on phone when I had a problem with my bank account or when the internet connection is poor. But I don’t think I wrote a complaint before, maybe in next time