A sample complaint letter for a stalled claim

The Federal Trade Commission publishes a ready-to-use template for the letter that often unsticks a stalled claim. It walks you through the essentials: your contact and account or transaction numbers, the product name with its serial and model number, the date and place you bought or had it serviced, and a plain statement of the problem and the resolution you want — a refund, repair, exchange, or credit. Two details do the heavy lifting: enclose copies of your receipts, warranties, and contracts (keep the originals), and send it by certified mail with a return receipt, keeping a copy for yourself. Set a deadline, and name your next step — the BBB, your state attorney general, or a local consumer-protection office.

A letter like that is only as strong as its description of what went wrong, and “it doesn’t work right” is the weak link. OwnWise strengthens exactly that line: describe the symptom and it pins down the likely fault, whether it’s a covered defect, and what a fair repair should cost — so your letter documents a specific, credible problem the company can’t easily wave off.

Use the FTC’s template to write the letter; use OwnWise to make sure the defect it describes is precise and credible.