Read the following Letter of Complaint. Do you think the reader will want to or know how to best help the writer?

Complaint/Claim Letter

Gentlemen:

I don't think I should be charged twice for a flight I took only once! When I made my reservation to fly from Victoria to Los Angeles, I didn't know my father would get sick and require hospitalization on January 19. As a result, I could not make the trip on January 20 as I had originally planned.

I finally did make the trip on January 30. But WestAir charged me $169 again! Your booking agent refused to look at the letter from my father's doctor describing the hospitalization. She said I had to write to headquarters. I still have my tickets from the January 20 flight, so you know I didn't use them. My travel agent says that I am entitled to a refund. So why did I have to pay twice?

I'm all for deregulation of the airline industry, but what happened to compassion and integrity?!

Angrily yours,

Evaluate the letter on these criteria:

Q) Is the letter's content as clear as it could be?

Q) Is it direct in its approach? How would you revise the opening line? What specific, informative subject line would summarize the letter's contents?

Q) Does it use the "you view", but avoid blaming? What sentences or words would you add or change to show consideration of the reader's needs or interests?

Q) Are the guidelines followed for this specific document type in the Opening, Body, and Closing? What should be added, or changed? How could you make it easier for the reader to give the writer what he wants?

Q) Is it written to maintain goodwill? What would you add or change to change the letter's tone?

Q) What changes would need to be made for it to be formatted correctly as a letter?

Making notes while answering these questions will help prepare you for upcoming coursework. Practice makes perfect!