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Linda Yeung

Last week, we showed you how to write letters of complaint to  organisations or authorities. This week, we will focus on how to reply to a complaint.

Here are some guidelines:

acknowledge that you received the letter of complaint

explain the measures that have been taken to prevent such a thing from happening again

express your views on the problem

provide some sort of assurance to the complainant

provide contact details

Example 1

Dear Ms Leung,

We received your letter dated June 14, 2005. We are sorry to learn about your unhappy  experience at our store.

We have contacted the manager of the store you mentioned and tried to identify the staff member you described as 'rude and arrogant'.

We understand your frustration at not being allowed fit-ons, but this  has been our long-standing policy. Customers cannot try on clothes before buying them.  However, they can exchange purchased items that do not fit.

But, in view of your concern, our management team has decided to evaluate our policy and see whether it should be changed.

Although we have still not been able to identify the staff member you mentioned, we have reminded our sales team of the importance of a friendly attitude. We hope that every customer who visits our store will be offered quality service.

Should you wish to make further suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me by e-mailing: mxx@yahoo.com.hk

Yours sincerely,

Maggie Tong,

Customer Services Officer,

ABC Apparel Company

Example 2

Dear Mr Luk,

Thank you for your letter dated June 14, 2005, expressing your worries about escalating textbook prices. We have always regarded textbook prices as a top priority.

We contacted several publishers as soon as we  received your letter.

We found out that the prices of some textbooks, including those on biology and physics,  have gone up by an average of 15 per cent. This is a big increase, given that the printing costs have remained stable over the past few years.

To raise  public awareness, we  will reveal our findings at a press conference which will be held soon.

In the meantime, we are trying to arrange a meeting with government officials to discuss the introduction of regulations governing  textbook prices. We hope our efforts will help protect students' interests.

Please feel free to contact us.  My e-mail address is: taihon@tel.com

Best regards,

Chan Tai-hon,

Investigation Officer,

Complaints Division,

The Consumer Council



How to reply to a complaint