DIzzIE
6th March 2007, 22:31
Complaint Letter Scam Writing Tips
BY: DIzzIE (2003)
Introduction
All right, I know that this is nothing new, this ‘scam’ has been going on for ages, with various variations, these are just some helpful tips on writing professional letters that will ensure good results ;).
What?
Basically the ‘scam’ simply involves writing a letter to a particular manufacturer complaining about the product you ‘purchased.’ The goal is to receive coupons for free products, or a check. While this can be applied to any consumer good, customer satisfaction being an important aspect of every company’s mission statement, experience has shown that it is most successful in ‘grocery store’ items, particularly food and personal hygiene items.
All one has to do is pick a product, look at the box and find the address of the company that makes it, or simply type the product name into a search engine and check out the ‘Contact’ area of their website.
Next, one proceeds to write a letter explaining how one is [was] a loyal customer but has found that the last purchased product did not meet expectations, in that it was flawed, damaged, etc…
Letter Writing Tips
First of all, it is always better to write a complaint letter, versus a praise letter (saying how much you liked the product), due to the fact that companies are more worried about loosing customers, and in some cases possible legal action.
While the content of your letter should be obvious, here are a few pointers about that as well: Keep it short. Two-three paragraphs will suffice, and maximum length should be one page, keep it to the point.
Start the letter off by saying that you were a loyal, long-term customer (hence increasing the value of the loss of your business in the reader’s mind)
Proceed to state exactly what the product was, for example ‘Pop Secret Extra Movie Butter 12 pack Microwavable Popcorn,’ versus just ‘Pop Secret Popcorn,’ this helps the company compensate you for a specific amount. This also leads me to another point: always go for the larger package, for example don’t just say you bought one can of ramen noodles, say that you bought a bulk 25 package.
State the irregularity found in the product, keep this reasonable, don’t go overboard. For example, it is advised that you don’t say anything extravagant like ‘there was a dead rat in my bag of cookies…’ instead say something like ‘the cookies were stale beyond consumption, the ones that weren’t were crushed…’ Basically vent your dissatisfaction.
Make it clear that you are very upset over this matter, and while you can be blunt and state that you expect a full refund, this is not necessary. As long as you express your strong dissatisfaction, you can expect either a coupon or check within two-three weeks. Also not stating a direct request for a refund will show that you are not focused on the money, just with the bad quality of the product.
Sealing the deal
While it is almost 100% likely that you will receive retribution without even a direct request for it, let alone a UPC code, if you want to be completely certain that you will receive a refund/coupon, include a UPC code with your letter. This can be obtained by simply going to grocery store and cutting off a pertinent UPC. Don’t just toss the UPC into the envelope, attach it to the letter with a paperclip.
Formality goes a long way, and helps show your professionalism.
The letter should be composed in either formal block or semi-block format. The semi-block format has the sender’s address, and date on the right side of the page, followed by a double space, and the receiver’s name and address on the left hand side, followed by a double space, a salutation (Dear, To Whom It May Concern, etc…), another double space, and then the letter body with a double space between paragraphs and a closing indented Sincerely, followed by a quadruple space, and then your name printed, with the quadruple space being where you hand-sign your name after printing. If you are enclosing a UPC code, a double space below your name, include ‘Attachment’ or ‘Enclosure.’
A formal block letter on the other hand, has everything beginning on the left hand side of the page, with no indentation. To see examples of these formats look at some letters you have received or type something along the lines of ‘business letter formats’ or ‘block format letters’ into a search engine.
Also, be sure to use your real name (unless you have false identification) so you can be able to cash the check.
Also, here are a few sites with their tips on Complaint Letter Writing
howtocomplain.com/info/cl-template.shtml
pueblo.gsa.gov/crh/caw_afterubuy_letter.htm
I hope this has provided you with some helpful pointers, best of luck :)
BY: DIzzIE (2003)
Introduction
All right, I know that this is nothing new, this ‘scam’ has been going on for ages, with various variations, these are just some helpful tips on writing professional letters that will ensure good results ;).
What?
Basically the ‘scam’ simply involves writing a letter to a particular manufacturer complaining about the product you ‘purchased.’ The goal is to receive coupons for free products, or a check. While this can be applied to any consumer good, customer satisfaction being an important aspect of every company’s mission statement, experience has shown that it is most successful in ‘grocery store’ items, particularly food and personal hygiene items.
All one has to do is pick a product, look at the box and find the address of the company that makes it, or simply type the product name into a search engine and check out the ‘Contact’ area of their website.
Next, one proceeds to write a letter explaining how one is [was] a loyal customer but has found that the last purchased product did not meet expectations, in that it was flawed, damaged, etc…
Letter Writing Tips
First of all, it is always better to write a complaint letter, versus a praise letter (saying how much you liked the product), due to the fact that companies are more worried about loosing customers, and in some cases possible legal action.
While the content of your letter should be obvious, here are a few pointers about that as well: Keep it short. Two-three paragraphs will suffice, and maximum length should be one page, keep it to the point.
Start the letter off by saying that you were a loyal, long-term customer (hence increasing the value of the loss of your business in the reader’s mind)
Proceed to state exactly what the product was, for example ‘Pop Secret Extra Movie Butter 12 pack Microwavable Popcorn,’ versus just ‘Pop Secret Popcorn,’ this helps the company compensate you for a specific amount. This also leads me to another point: always go for the larger package, for example don’t just say you bought one can of ramen noodles, say that you bought a bulk 25 package.
State the irregularity found in the product, keep this reasonable, don’t go overboard. For example, it is advised that you don’t say anything extravagant like ‘there was a dead rat in my bag of cookies…’ instead say something like ‘the cookies were stale beyond consumption, the ones that weren’t were crushed…’ Basically vent your dissatisfaction.
Make it clear that you are very upset over this matter, and while you can be blunt and state that you expect a full refund, this is not necessary. As long as you express your strong dissatisfaction, you can expect either a coupon or check within two-three weeks. Also not stating a direct request for a refund will show that you are not focused on the money, just with the bad quality of the product.
Sealing the deal
While it is almost 100% likely that you will receive retribution without even a direct request for it, let alone a UPC code, if you want to be completely certain that you will receive a refund/coupon, include a UPC code with your letter. This can be obtained by simply going to grocery store and cutting off a pertinent UPC. Don’t just toss the UPC into the envelope, attach it to the letter with a paperclip.
Formality goes a long way, and helps show your professionalism.
The letter should be composed in either formal block or semi-block format. The semi-block format has the sender’s address, and date on the right side of the page, followed by a double space, and the receiver’s name and address on the left hand side, followed by a double space, a salutation (Dear, To Whom It May Concern, etc…), another double space, and then the letter body with a double space between paragraphs and a closing indented Sincerely, followed by a quadruple space, and then your name printed, with the quadruple space being where you hand-sign your name after printing. If you are enclosing a UPC code, a double space below your name, include ‘Attachment’ or ‘Enclosure.’
A formal block letter on the other hand, has everything beginning on the left hand side of the page, with no indentation. To see examples of these formats look at some letters you have received or type something along the lines of ‘business letter formats’ or ‘block format letters’ into a search engine.
Also, be sure to use your real name (unless you have false identification) so you can be able to cash the check.
Also, here are a few sites with their tips on Complaint Letter Writing
howtocomplain.com/info/cl-template.shtml
pueblo.gsa.gov/crh/caw_afterubuy_letter.htm
I hope this has provided you with some helpful pointers, best of luck :)