Letter to a Furniture Company About a Late Delivery

The question

How to approach this formal letter question

A formal letter goes to someone you do not know, such as a manager or a council. Use a polite, impersonal tone and cover every bullet point.

1. Open with "Dear Sir or Madam," and state your purpose in the first sentence.
2. Give one paragraph per bullet point with specific details.
3. Avoid contractions and slang; use polite requests (I would be grateful if...).
4. Close with "Yours faithfully," and your name.

How to plan this answer

Structure

1. Opening: 'Dear Sir or Madam' and a line stating that you are writing to complain about your order and the late delivery.
2. Paragraph 2: describe the order: the desk and two chairs, the date you placed the order, and the promised delivery day.
3. Paragraph 3: explain how the delay is affecting your work, such as working from a cramped space or missing meetings.
4. Paragraph 4: state the firm delivery date you expect, and ask for compensation such as a refund of the delivery charge or a discount.
5. Closing: request a written reply within a stated number of days and sign off 'Yours faithfully'.

Points to cover

• Order details: the order number, the date it was placed, and the exact promised delivery day, which was last Monday.
• Effect on work: you have had to use a kitchen table as a desk, and a team meeting has been moved because of the lack of space.
• Previous contact: mention the dates of your unanswered emails to show that you have tried to resolve the issue.
• Compensation: a partial refund, a refund of the delivery charge, or a discount on a future order.
• Firm date: a named day within the next five working days, with written confirmation sent to your email address.

Useful vocabulary

• I am writing to complain about: I am writing to complain about a late delivery of my recent order.
• I placed an order on: I placed an order on 2 May for one desk and two chairs.
• was scheduled to arrive: The items were scheduled to arrive last Monday.
• despite several emails: Despite several emails, I have received no reply.
• I would like to request a firm delivery date: I would like to request a firm delivery date in writing.
• by way of compensation: I would like to request a partial refund by way of compensation.
• considerable inconvenience: The delay has caused considerable inconvenience to my business.
• I expect a full response within: I expect a full response within five working days.
• Yours faithfully: Yours faithfully, followed by your full name, when you do not know the manager's name.

Common mistakes

• Using contractions such as 'haven't' or 'it's' in a formal complaint.
• Writing an angry tone, for example 'This is ridiculous', rather than staying polite and controlled.
• Asking for compensation without specifying what kind of compensation you want.
• Failing to state the promised delivery date, which makes the complaint sound vague.
• Ignoring the emails you sent, which weakens the claim that nobody has responded.

Examiner tip: State the exact promised date and the number of unanswered emails, so the manager can see the problem clearly and respond to each of your three requests.