Reader CMM was able to score a partial refund from CVS after they flubbed up her gift photobook order. Instead of bound and ready books, they handed her husband a pile of loose pages and covers and said “go to town.” Some of the pages had minor ink spots on them too.

CMM says she then:

…sent an email to CustomerCare@cvs.com, crafted according to your guidelines (explained the problem as succinctly as possible, stuck to the facts, and stated that it could be resolved by issuing me a partial refund for my partial books). I was going to be perfectly happy with a 15% refund, but they credited me with 50% of the books’ price, which I thought was pretty nice. And we did get the books together – couldn’t do anything about the ink blots but at least we had Christmas presents.

So yay, thanks for teaching me how to write an effective complaint letter!

Excellent, glad you got a satisfactory solution (though I think you could have shot for more, like a full refund or replacement). Once again, to write a good complaint letter that gets results, remember these three important tips. Make sure it’s:

1. Short and sweet
2. Professional
3. Offers a solution

Then you have a much better chance of getting what you’re asking for.

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