WELCOME TO TECHNICAL WRITING

  ON-LINE ENG 121

Dr. David B. Axelrod

(Suffolk County Poet Laureate)

All material Copyright (C) 2008  David B. Axelrod 

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Poet Laureate: Dr.Axelrod

FIRST ASSIGNMENT

A BUSINESS LETTER OF COMPLAINT

Have you ever bought a product that just plain sucked? Did you want your money back?
Given how many people are using the internet to shop, there must be a major increase in letters of complaint. It's not like you can walk into the store and get an instant refund. As likely, you will have to write a letter.

Do you have a complaint? Does something need fixing? Do you want something changed, exchanged, remedied, removed? Is there a policy or a rule that needs to be changed? 

What you need to do is write a letter, following a very specific form, that will get you what you need: your money back, the product or situation fixed, the changes made. You've got the idea...

If you do this assignment correctly, you will not only write your letter, you will mail it out and you will, I would hope, have the results to report to me and the class before the term ends. What could be a better "extra credit" than a successful reply to your first assignment--the letter you have to write? 

HOW TO WRITE YOUR LETTER

Your textbook Chapter 9 discusses letters and provides models. The letter you are asked to write for our class is not specifically taught. Hence, you can learn from the text but must follow the explicit instructions I give in order to complete your required assignment.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at how few folks can do what seems like a fairly simple and straight- forward task such as this. But it is just difficult enough to make it worth teaching! 

I'm going to give you a set of instructions which I'm asking you to follow. Granted there are an infinite number of ways to approach just about any task. What I'm asking you to do is try this one very specific approach. My reasoning in holding you to the form below is IT WORKS! 

First, this is a business letter. Check the book and/or a standard manual and adhere to all the details of inside address, formal/business punctuation, date, closing, etc. which a business letter requires. Be accurate!

Second, follow my outline.

I. Address your letter to a person. Find the correct name, spelling, title for the person you would best contact to solve your problem.

II. Open with a compliment or at least a positive statement which will put the reader in a proper frame of mind to help you.

III. Present your problem or request in a simple, direct, declarative short statement.

IV. Back up your request with exactly the facts which justify or explain your reasoning.

V. Finish with a clear statement of what you expect next.

A business letter as often is just one single page. As much as possible try to say everything in one page. If you ask the reader to turn the page, it should be for a very good  reason.

This letter is an exercise in your following instructions, in your being accurate and in your producing something of genuine use. It doesn't have to be long to do the job well. If you are careful and clever you will do well. If you send the letter out and better still, if you get results which you can report for us, you will get a bonus of extra credit!