A letter of complaint for a delay in the arrival of goods ordered, or for a requested service to be provided, seeks not just an explanation but action. Complaint letters of this type looks for results while expressing disappointment and/or dissatisfaction.

It’s best to write in a clear and polite manner to receive the attention deserved or the desired action. A letter of complaint about a delayed order must be addressed to a senior manager of the company, such as the head of Customer Relations or Chief Executive Officer. In certain cases, like if you ordered merchandise online, you need to allow several weeks before lodging a formal complaint about delayed delivery.

A standard letter of complaint regarding a delay in the delivery of an order will usually require a follow-up call or email to inquire about reasons for the delay. Here is a sample letter of complaint about a delayed order:

December 3, 2010

The Customer Service Manager
Seasonal Impressions
864 Bridle Creek Dr
Jordan, MN 12345

Dear Sir/Madam:

I browsed your website on November 1, 2010 and found some items I liked. I immediately placed an order for LED Cascading/Snowfall Christmas lights. That was over four weeks ago. The Christmas season is here, but I still have not yet received the item I ordered. As you can see from the attached photocopy of my transaction details, I paid extra for a rush order.

Your website assures prompt delivery of orders on completed transaction. My credit card company has confirmed that the exact amount of the items I purchased had been billed to my account, but I have yet to take receipt of the item I ordered. I have requested for my LED Cascading/Snowfall Christmas lights to be delivered by parcel to my residential address at 175 Daffodil Street, York, KS 55211.

If the item has already been sent out, please furnish me with the delivery tracking number. Please call me at (465) 896-5555 regarding the status of my order. I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Aman Hapi

A letter of complaint about a billing error must be sent at the soonest possible time, and must be written in a courteous, yet firm manner. Note that errors (like in the case of wrong amount or missing quantity of goods received as shown in the sales invoice) are usually not intentional. The facts must be double checked and only the relevant details must be included in the letter.

The main purpose of a letter of complaint about a billing error is to immediately bring to the Collection Officer that an error was made while processing the bill. A common example is double charging of a customer for a single credit card purchase, which is reflected in the billing statement. In this case, a customer service officer may be called, upon receipt and after reviewing the credit card billing statement with the error.

The transaction report and billing statement may then be faxed to the credit card company along with the letter of complaint. Once the error is acknowledged, the equivalent amount may be offset in the succeeding credit card statement. In other cases, like when a guest checks in at a hotel and is given a billing summary, any error may immediately be checked and brought to the attention of the front desk manager.

Here is a sample letter of complaint for a billing error:

Dec. 1, 2010

MS. JANET CELIA
Front Desk Manager
St. Regis, Shanghai
889 Dong Fang Road, Pudong
China

Dear Ms. Celia:

I am writing this letter to point out an error in my hotel bill summary that I requested from the front desk clerk. I would like to bring to your attention that I checked in on November 30, but the summary indicates that my check-in date is November 29.

The billing statement therefore shows that I am being billed an additional night at St. Regis, Shanghai.
Kindly investigate this matter and correct the billing error before I check out this evening.

Sincerely Yours,

Terry Carroll
Hotel Guest