A complaint letter: facts, evidence and a remedy

The idea

Build the body in three stages: order details and observable damage; its effect and any earlier contact; the remedy you want and a request for a reply. Contrast expectations with facts using ancak: an intact box does not mean an intact lamp. In Ürünün değiştirilmesini rica ediyorum, the product is what should be replaced; the passive noun form puts the requested action inside a polite sentence. Değişim mümkün değilse introduces a fallback, not a second simultaneous demand. Ask for timing with ne zaman tamamlanacağını. Use a comma after the salutation and put your signature below the closing.

Read the text

Examples

• Lambanın fotoğraflarını bu e-postaya ekliyorum.I am attaching photos of the lamp to this email.
• Kutuyu dün teslim aldım.I received the box yesterday.
• Sorunu size daha önce bildirdim.I have already reported the problem to you.
• Sipariş ettiğim masa lambası kırık geldi.The desk lamp I ordered arrived broken.
• Kutuda hasar yoktu, ancak lambanın camı kırıktı.There was no damage to the box, but the glass of the lamp was broken.
• Lambayı bu nedenle kullanamıyorum.For this reason, I cannot use the lamp.
• Ürünün değiştirilmesini rica ediyorum.I would like to request that the product be replaced.
• Değişim mümkün değilse ücretin iadesini talep ediyorum.If a replacement is not possible, I request a refund.
• İşlemin ne zaman tamamlanacağını bana bildirir misiniz?Could you let me know when the process will be completed?

Watch out

A complaint can be firm without guessing who caused the damage. Lambanın camı kırıktı reports a condition you saw; Lambayı bilerek kırdınız accuses the reader of deliberately breaking it. The photo shows damage, not intent. Also, Şikâyetçiyim alone expresses dissatisfaction without saying what response you want.

Try it yourself

1. Choose the observation, not a claim about intent: Lambanın camı kırıktı. / Lambayı bilerek kırdınız.

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   Lambanın camı kırıktı.

   Lambanın camı kırıktı. names the visible damage. The alternative adds bilerek, meaning deliberately, and claims knowledge of the other person’s intention.

2. Turn the command into a formal request for a replacement: Ürünü değiştirin. → Ürünün ___ rica ediyorum. (değiştirmek)

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   değiştirilmesini

   değiştirilmesini makes replacement the requested action. The product receives that action; değiştirmek alone would not fit after Ürünün in this sentence.

3. Choose the connector that expresses contrast: Kutuda hasar yoktu, ___ lambanın camı kırıktı. (ancak / çünkü)

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   ancak

   ancak connects two contrasting facts: the box was intact while its contents were damaged. çünkü would incorrectly present the broken glass as the reason the box was undamaged.

4. Complete the indirect question about future completion: İşlemin ne zaman ___ bana bildirir misiniz? (tamamlanmak)

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   tamamlanacağını

   tamamlanacağını refers to a future completion within the information being requested. The writer asks when it will happen; the sentence does not promise that it has already happened.

Use it today

Write a 120–150-word complaint about a fictional damaged purchase. Include a subject, salutation, invented order number and dates, two observable facts, the practical effect, an attachment, one preferred remedy and a conditional fallback. Ask when the matter will be resolved, then close and sign. Remove any claim about intent that your facts cannot support.