University of California Irvine Week 10 Complaint Letter

This week’s task is to write either a complaint letter or a letter that breaks bad news. The challenge inherent to these two types of correspondence is to maintain a tone that is cordial and professional while complaining or delivering news someone doesn’t want to hear.

____ Read the section on Complaint Letters in the enclosed document “Letters That Hit the

Mark.”

____ Write a complaint letter using business letter format. Adopt a neutral tone to

inspire action on the part of the recipient. The goal is to avoid provoking a defensive reaction. Note that this type of letter may follow the MBA (main point, benefits, action) format.

OR

____ Write a letter that delivers bad news of some sort. For example, you could reject

someone’s job application, program application, request for credit or request for a refund. Include a “buffer” statement to soften the blow, something like “We had over 500 applicants, making selection difficult.”