standinfor.me

Email templates · Any business

How to email a business to complain about poor service

Something you paid for was done badly: a haircut that was nothing like what you asked for, a cleaning crew that skipped rooms, a restaurant meal that arrived cold after an hour, a repair that did not fix the problem. You want the business to know and to make it right. A complaint by email is better than a review or a phone call for a first attempt, because it gives the owner a chance to fix it privately, it puts the facts in writing, and it is calmer than a conversation where both sides get defensive. The goal is a specific remedy, not an apology, so name the remedy.

Before you send

  • The facts in order: date, time, location, what you booked or ordered, who served you if you know, and exactly what went wrong. Stick to what you saw and were told, not how it felt.
  • The receipt or booking confirmation with the amount you paid.
  • Any photos you took at the time. A picture of the unfinished work or the wrong dish settles arguments before they start.
  • What would make it right: a partial refund, a redo at no charge, or a credit. Decide which one you actually want; asking for "something" gets you a coupon.
  • Whether you raised it in person at the time, and what was said. If you did not, say so plainly; it is common and no excuse is needed.
Subject Concern about my [service] on [date] 
Hi [owner or manager name, or the business name],

I was a customer at [business name] on [date] for [what you booked or ordered, such as "a deep clean of a two-bedroom apartment"], booked under [your name] and paid $[amount], receipt attached.

I'm writing because the service fell short in a few specific ways:

- [First problem, factual, such as "the kitchen and both bathrooms were not cleaned at all"]
- [Second problem, such as "the crew left 45 minutes before the booked end time"]
- [Third problem, if any]

[If you raised it at the time, add one sentence here: who you told, when, and what they said. Otherwise delete this line.]

I'd like to give you the chance to put this right. What would work for me is [the one remedy, such as "a refund of half the fee, $95" or "a return visit at no charge to finish the rooms that were missed"]. Could you let me know by [date, about a week out] whether you can do that?

I've attached [photos / the receipt] so you can see what I mean.

Thanks,
[Your name]
[Your phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • An owner who cares replies within a day or two with an apology and either the remedy you asked for or a close alternative. Accepting a reasonable alternative, such as a redo instead of a refund, is fine if it actually solves your problem.
  • A bad answer blames you, disputes facts you have photos of, or offers a small discount on a future visit you do not want. Reply once, restate the remedy in one line, and say a discount does not address the service you already paid for.
  • If there is no reply after a week, send one follow-up on the same thread. After that, an honest public review describing exactly what happened is fair, and for card payments over a meaningful amount, a chargeback is an option when the service was substantially not delivered.
  • Keep the whole exchange. If it ends up in a dispute with your card issuer or a small claims court, the calm email with photos is your best evidence.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Complain to a business about poor service and get it fixed 
Hi StandIn,

Please raise a complaint with a business about a service that was done badly and get them to make it right.

The business: [name, email address, and the owner or manager if I know them].
What I paid for and when: [service, date, amount paid, booking or receipt number].
What went wrong: [the specific problems, as a short list].
What was said at the time: [what I raised and how they responded, or "nothing"].
What I want: [partial refund of a specific amount, a redo, or a credit].
Evidence: [photos, receipt, or "attached"].

Keep it factual and polite, follow up if they go quiet, and tell me if the offer they come back with is worth taking.

Thanks,
[Your name]

Related templates