The Art of the Complaint Letter Has Been Mauled By Email

The art of writing letters has lost its glory, with the advent of email. But what is mourned most is the now-extinct letter of complaint, and an author who has spent more than a decade of his life honing the skill is peeved.

Martin Staniforth said Britons have instead adapted firing off email "rants".

"Part of the problem with an email is it is all too easy to fire off an angry rant," the Telegraph quoted Staniforth as telling.

"But I don't think that is at all useful," he said. "It might make you feel good, but it is no way of getting an organisation to respond, he added.

Explaining why he opted for a good old-fashioned letterhead and envelope, he said: "Companies do prefer emails, they are easier to deal with, but letters are better because they have more impact.

"They show the writer has put more time and consideration into their complaint. As a result they get more respect: they have more weight to them.

"A complainer needs to think, 'What is this really about and what do I want to get out of it?' "

Staniforth, who uses the pen-name John Summers, insisted he was no consumer champion but said he had taken up light-hearted complaining as a hobby.

"Organisations are quite cautious. If I had a screw lose, I could choose to be offended," he added.

Source: ANI