Seven-Year-Old Writes Perfect Complaint Letter, Gets Park Fixed
Louisiana seven-year-old Sydney Hotard fixed her broken playground by writing a well-crafted letter to her Parish President. Hotard was concerned that the plastic slide needed to be "more slippery" and that a nearby exposed electrical panel might be "dangerus." Upon receiving the letter, Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet was so charmed that he ordered municipal workers to immediately fix the playground.
Hotard, a student at Messiah Montessori School in Houma, said she was surprised. "I didn't think I'd get a response."
Claudet forwarded the request to Sterling Washington, the parish's parks and recreation director, who oversaw the improvements. He said they cost about $50 in supplies and work hours.
"Coming from a kid, who is our primary focus, it wasn't much of a surprise to me," he said. "It had to be addressed."
The slide was worn from graffiti and general use, he said. A maintenance worker used sandpaper to smooth its surface and make it slick again.
Workers also installed a new sign listing park rules and replaced a damaged electrical panel, he said.
Washington, who's served as director for eight years, said this is the first complaint from a child.
"It was nice to have a kid's perspective," he said, adding Sydney's concerns were taken "very seriously."
We can all learn from Hotard's experience. It's always worth asking for something you want, however simple or far-fetched your request might seem. And don't ever doubt the power of a polite, well-crafted missive. Though you may not have the cute factor on your side, there are still a few pointers you can follow to write an effective complaint letter. Or just find a seven-year-old to help you out. Said the Parish President: "It was the cutest letter in the world. It's going to be a memento."
7-Year-Old's Letter to Official Gets Playground Fixed [Fox News]
(Photo: Sarah606)
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Comments:
From now on, I'm getting grade school children to write all of my complaint letters.
She stole the form letter that Wall Street used when it requested bailout money.
Who says I don't have the cute factor on my side? Lookists!
Seriously though, that's awesome.
She's a future Consumerist editor maybe?
He said they cost about $50 in supplies and work hours.
A maintenance worker used sandpaper to smooth its surface and make it slick again.
Workers also installed a new sign listing park rules and replaced a damaged electrical panel.
All that work and materials for only $50.00 ????
This isn't a reprinted story from 1909 is it?
So where's the letter? I want to read it...
If a seven-year-old can write an effective complaint letter, anyone should be able to write an effective complaint letter.
Heh. Heh.
"Hotard".
I gotta find someone to use that on now.
I knew I had a kid for a reason!
Unslippery slides suck. Take a tin of silicone polish and let your kids spend a few moment waxing the slide first - much fun.
@Skipweasel: Skate wax works well too, but you have to let it sit in the sun and soften enough that it isn't lumpy.
Imagine if some other child wrote the letter...
"Deer mister parishman,
the park i go to is bad. dont be a poopyhead, fix the park! please, or ill tell everyboddy you have cooties! thankz."
@MissTicklebritches: To be fair, most complaint letters already look like they're written by grade school children.
@legion: I was in New Orleans last weekend, and there were buses with this name on them all over. I kept getting the giggles.
Weird that it should come up again.
I used to live in Houma, LA. They usually had a pretty decent local government, even if the state's government has been abysmal for decades.
Next time I have a complaint, I'll write the letter from the point of view of a small child. Seems to get results.
Dupe, albeit this time with a picture.
[consumerist.com]