You wrote a complaint and described what happened. The company did not reply, or a copied phrase arrived with no real solution. Usually that is not because your situation lacks merit. It is because of how the complaint is written. Companies receive dozens to hundreds of emails a day. Those that do not clearly say what, why and what next easily end up in the "we will deal with it later" pile. Here are the five most common mistakes when writing a complaint and how to avoid them.
Mistake 1: The complaint is only emotion, no facts
The most common mistake is that the complaint mainly describes how angry you are. It lacks specific details about what exactly is at issue. Sentences like "this is terrible, customers should not be treated this way" are understandable. The employee reading the complaint cannot tell from them which order number to look up or what actually happened.
What to do instead: State a specific date, an order or contract number and a factual description of the situation: when and how the problem occurred. You can mention emotion, but only after you have clearly set out the facts, not instead of them. A company responds to facts faster, because it can look them up and verify them.
Mistake 2: There is no specific request for a solution
Many complaints end with a description of the problem. That is where they stop. There is no sentence that says what exactly you expect from the company. Without it, the employee does not know whether to offer a repair, a replacement, a refund, or just an apology. They often choose the option that is cheapest for the company, not the one you wanted.
What to do instead: End the complaint with a clear request, for example "I request a full refund to account number XY" or "I request replacement of the goods with an item free of defects". A specific request speeds the complaint up. The company knows exactly what to do to close the matter.
Mistake 3: No proof that you sent the complaint at all
If you send the complaint through a contact form on a website or an ordinary email with no delivery confirmation, you have nothing with which to later prove that you got in touch. The company can then claim that no complaint arrived. You have no way to prove otherwise.
What to do instead: For more important matters or higher amounts, send the complaint in a way that can be documented. Ideally by email with a read receipt, or by registered post. Keep a copy of what you sent and the date of sending. For smaller, routine matters, an ordinary email is enough. Even then, keep the entire communication thread.
Mistake 4: A vague or unworkable deadline
Phrases like "please deal with this as soon as possible" do not bind the company to anything. "As soon as possible" can mean a day for the customer and easily a month for the company. Both sides feel they are acting properly.
What to do instead: State a specific date by which you expect a reply or a resolution, for example "I expect a response within 10 working days of delivery of this email". If the complaint concerns an area where the law sets a specific deadline (for example complaints about goods or energy billing), refer to that deadline directly. It gives your request clear support.
Mistake 5: The complaint goes nowhere after the first ignored reply
Many people send a complaint, get an unsatisfactory reply or none at all, and that is where it ends for them. Part of companies rely on exactly this. Not every customer is willing to go further. If the first attempt does not work, it is only the first step, not the end of the road.
What to do instead: If the company does not respond or offers a solution you disagree with, send a more formal and more specific demand. Repeat the facts, refer to the previous communication and state that if the matter is not resolved you will consider further steps, for example a submission to a supervisory authority such as the Czech Trade Inspection Authority (Česká obchodní inspekce), or a formal pre-action letter that you draft yourself. Companies often react differently to a more formal tone than to the first, less specific email.
What a complaint that works should look like
A well-written complaint contains five elements: your identification details and the details of the order or contract, a factual description of the situation with specific dates, a brief explanation of the impact on you, a clearly formulated request for a solution, and a specific deadline by which you expect a reply. If the complaint contains these elements, the company has no room to delay a reply by saying it is unclear what exactly you are raising or what you want.
The rest differs depending on who you are in a dispute with. Each area has its own deadlines and its own supervisory authority. When an online shop does not refund your money within 14 days, you follow the Civil Code and supervision sits with the Czech Trade Inspection Authority. For a phone bill where the operator charges you for a service you did not order, the Czech Telecommunication Office (Český telekomunikační úřad) decides the dispute. When the landlord does not return the deposit, no supervisory authority stands over it and the dispute is a civil-law matter. If a business lets the flat, you can try out-of-court resolution at the Czech Trade Inspection Authority. And with a fine from an authority, for example when appealing a parking fine, the Code of Administrative Procedure applies and the deadlines are much shorter, so it really does not pay to delay a response there.
What to do next
Putting all five elements together and staying in a factual tone takes more time than it might seem. Especially when the whole situation has you stressed.
Legamik is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. In complex disputes, we recommend consulting a lawyer.