Writing box: an email of complaint
- Use clauses of concession to give balance. Although a short delay might be acceptable, ...
- Use passives to be less direct and more formal. We were only informed of the timetable change ...
- Remain polite and be assertive but not aggressive. I would like to emphasise that treatment such as this cannot be tolerated.
- Use emphasis to strengthen your position. Never have I experienced such discomfort.
- Use initial comment adverbs: realistically, ultimately. Ultimately, the fault lies with the supplier.
LESSON 6A WRITING AND VOCABULARY | An email of complaint
- failed to arrive on time – It didn’t arrive on time
- in excess of 30 minutes late – More than 30 minutes late
- The second issue was – The next thing that went wrong was
- You may remember that – You know that
- Finally, to our utter disbelief – To top it all
- at no time were we offered an apology – Not an apology from anyone
- we were extremely fortunate – Luckily
- just in time – By the skin of our teeth
Model formal email (email B)
- I am writing to complain about a journey my family and I recently made on one of your coaches.
- I would like to express in the strongest terms, how deeply disappointed we were with your company’s service.
- we believe we should receive monetary compensation for the inconvenience we suffered and the disruption to the smooth running of our journey.
- Obviously, we hope that your coach service will be drastically improved for future customers.
- Yours faithfully,