How To Write a Complaint Letter and Maybe Get Free Dinner

I have been meaning to tell this story for a while now.  More than a few months back our car got totaled.  We were rear ended while getting off the highway and in turn hit someone else, who hit someone else.  Luckily it wasn’t too bad and no one got hurt but we did have to start shopping for a car immediately.

We ended up really liking a slightly used Honda Accord that we found at a Chevrolet dealership.  It was about an hour away so Mr. Juicefairy worked with a salesman via email to get the price where we were comfortable.  Then when it was time to see the car we made the hour drive after work to take a look.

The salesman who was helping us pretty much had the worst attitude ever.  He made it seem as though he were doing us a favor, since we were getting a decent deal on the price, rather than treating us as a customer bringing him much needed business.  Since the economy has hammered the automotive industry you would assume they would a little grateful for a sale.  The uncomfortable customer service almost stopped us from buying the car but it was such a good deal we decided to move ahead anyway.

The car only came with one key, which was annoying because it has keyless entry and having a new key made is pretty costly.  The salesman surprised us by saying he would contact the last owner and see if they had the other key to pass along.  Weeks passed and although the prior owner had delivered the key he had still not mailed it.  When he finally did mail it he threw it in a regular paper envelope, rather than something that could hold something heavy, so the key of course fell out in the mail and we got an envelope sans key.  We called him to complain and he said they would only give us half of what it cost to replace the key since he was doing us a favor by getting us the key in the first place.

At this point we were pretty annoyed and decided to send a complaint letter to his manager.  Worst case scenario is that they would just ignore us, but we were hoping they would at least replace the key that was lost.  Mr. Juicefairy used this template to draft a complaint letter and mailed it direct to the manager of the dealership.

To our surprise, the manager wrote us back with an apology, offered to cover the key fully and also sent us two gift certificates to Chili’s for a total of $50.  That letter, which cost nothing, saved us about $75 on that key and got us a free dinner.  We were just happy to get the key but by them going above and beyond it made us feel not just vindicated, but like we were valued customers.  We would probably consider buying a car from them in the future now just because of this gesture.

Moral of the story is that it never hurts to ask.  There is no shame in admitting you were unhappy with the service you received and letting someone know you expected more.  Because in the end, the customer is not always necessarily right, but should be treated with respect none the less.

Remember these things when writing your complaint letter:

1. Read it over carefully to make sure your letter is not too aggressive.  No one wants to help someone with a bad attitude.  So write your letter and then take a day.  Go back to it later and see if the letter is still diplomatic and courteous while getting your disappointment across
2. Type your letter and make sure to spell check.  Just like a resume you want your letter to be taken seriously.  Bad spelling and typos may keep that from happening.
3. Include receipts and other documentation that help your case.  Make sure to send copies and not originals.
4. Make sure you are writing to someone that can actually help you.  Sending the complaint letter to the right person is important if you want action taken.