The language of complaints

Terms like 'disgusted', 'infuriated', 'enraged', 'amazed' have no place in business. You can express dissatisfaction by saying:

This is the third time this mistake has occurred and we are far from satisfied with the service you offer.

Unless you can fulfil our orders efficiently in the future we will have to consider other sources of supply.

Please ensure that this sort of problem does not arise again.

Do not be rude or personal. In most cases correspondence between firms takes place between employees in various departments. Nothing is gained by being rude to the individual you are writing to; you may antagonize someone who has probably had nothing to do with the error and, rather than getting the error corrected, s/he could become defensive and awkward to deal with.

Do not use words like 'fault' ('your fault', 'our fault') or 'blame' ('you are to blame'); these expressions are not only rude, but childish. Therefore, do not write:

It is not our fault, it is probably the fault of your despatch department.

But:

The mistake could not have originated here, and must be connected with the despatch of the goods.

Never blame your staff, and finally, while writing the complaint remember that your supplier wants to help you and correct the mistake. He is not in business to irritate or confuse his customers but to offer them a service.