A complaint reply is read closely by the customer, by their file and sometimes by a regulator, so it has to be clear and fair. This formal letter format sets out the apology, what the review found, the resolution and the next steps in that order. It opens with the point, keeps one subject per letter and ends with a named contact, so the customer knows exactly what happens next and nobody has to guess.

The sample is for Amberley Services, a fictional home delivery company that answers a late delivery and a damaged chair with a $212 refund and a $60 credit. It includes a five-step timeline, a summary table with a total of $272, and a chart of late deliveries falling from 38 to 14 per 1,000 orders. Replace the letterhead, names, amounts, dates and case number with your own records, and check each figure before the letter is signed.