What’s the first thing you do when your new purchase isn’t as good as you imagined? Like most people, you probably hurry to leave a bad review. While that is infinitely satisfying, your review doesn’t change your situation. You’re still stuck with stale coffee, broken headphones, or a poorly written essay. If you want to resolve the issue, swap your review for a claim letter. It’s much more likely to get you a replacement product or a refund.
But what is a claim letter?
In this post, we’ll explain the definition and types of claims, share a basic layout, and teach you how to write a claim letter that will get you what you want. It’s finally time to put your writing skills to good use and have them resolve your problems instead of causing them.
What is a claim letter?
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty details of how to write a claim letter, let’s go over the definition and its goal.
A claim letter is also known as a “letter before action”. It’s a form of business communication between customers and companies designed to settle disputes. You can write a claim letter when you’re unhappy with the services or goods and want a reimbursement or compensation for the money you spent.
Unlike a negative review, a claim letter can actually help improve your situation. For example, you can score a full refund or get store credit through the power of persuasion. Moreover, you can use this letter as evidence in court proceedings if you suffer significant losses.
Types of claim letters
Although the goal of a claim letter is usually to settle a dispute with a company, there’s more than one reason to write it. There are many types of claims, but we’ll focus on the three you’re most likely to encounter:
- Compensation claim letter is the most common type, dealing with faulty or damaged products or low-quality services. You can request a full or partial refund, store credit, and other forms of compensation. The key here is to provide enough evidence to support your claim.
- Insurance claim letter is a letter to an insurance company to receive your money or increase the payout sum. This letter should include all pertinent details, including relevant insurance information, information about the incident, and what you consider fair compensation.
- Warranty claim letter is designed to secure a replacement product or free repairs under the warranty conditions. It’s important to include initial purchase details and provide receipts and warranty documentation to support your claim.
You don’t need to worry about the claim letter type to understand how to write a claim letter. Despite their differences, these and other types of claim letters serve the same purpose—achieve your goal, whether it’s getting insurance money, getting a refund or a replacement product.
Five main elements of a claim letter
Many templates make claim letters more complex than they need to be. We believe there are only five major elements of a claim letter you need to know:
- Header. Placed at the top of the page, it includes your address, date, and recipient’s address. The formatting requirements differ, but usually, your address is right-aligned, and the recipient's address is left-aligned.
- Salutation. Typically, it's one line, including the recipient’s title and name. If you don't know who to address the letter to, you can include a position or department instead of the name.
- Body of the letter. Like an academic essay, a claim letter should have three components: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Open your letter with the heart of the issue. For example, if you aren't happy with a product, say so. In the next paragraph, include evidence and examples supporting your claim. In the final section, specify your desired outcome (refund, store credit, free repairs, etc.) and the deadline. You can also include alternative actions you plan to take if the company denies your claim.
- Signature. The standard sign-off includes a pleasantry, such as “sincerely” or “best regards”, your full name, and signature.
- Attachments. Additional materials aren't must-have components of a claim letter. But they can strengthen your claims if you have sufficient evidence, such as documentation, photos, or correspondence. Make sure to only mail copies, not originals, which you may require for legal procedures if your claim is denied.
Here’s a basic template for a claim letter structure that’s suitable for any business, industry, or product:
- Header
- Street address
- City, zip code
- First Name Last Name
- Date
- Company name
- Street address
- City, zip code
- Salutation
- Dr. Mr / Ms / Mrs
- Body of the letter
- Description of the problem
- Evidence of the claim
- Resolution requirements
- Signature
- Sincerely / Best regards,
- First Name Last Name
You can use this structure for any letter type. Adjust the body paragraphs to fit your goals, and it will work for warranty, insurance, and compensation claims.
How to write a claim letter
Now, it’s time to combine the elements of a claim letter we mentioned to craft your complaint. We analyzed success cases and denied claims and developed four simple rules to boost your chances of getting what you want. These tips will work whether you’re wondering how to write an insurance claim letter or a refund request.
Get to the point
Start your claim letter by directly stating your issue. Anyone reading your letter should understand it after skimming the first line. If you start gushing about the products or turn an opening into an angry rant, most managers will either ignore it or reply with a stock response.
Suppose you ordered a paper without reading our essay writing services reviews and aren’t happy with the piece you received.
Starting a claim letter like this will get you nowhere:
“I am so disappointed. I thought you were better than other writing companies.”
or
“Your writer is an illiterate fool who cannot even use ChatGPT properly. I demand a full refund right this instant.”
You’ll have more luck opening your letter like this:
“I am writing to you in regards to the order ID 123456 I placed on January 1, 2024, that does not fulfill the requirements I specified.”
Provide reliable evidence
Most people forget proof when learning how to write a compensation claim letter. Think about your claim as a prosecution in court. The company is the defendant. Since defendants are innocent until proven guilty, it’s up to you to support your claim with evidence. At this stage, focus on hard facts, but don’t go into too much detail. For example, you can complain that your coffee machine broke in the morning, but you don’t need to specify it was 08:03 AM.
If we return to our example regarding poor writing quality, here’s how you can substantiate your claim letter:
“My instructions clearly stated APA format, but the writer used MLA guidelines to format the essay. I found ten typos throughout the paper, and the writer missed five commas.”
or
“I requested the writer to use at least five sources and support the argument with statistics, but they cited Wikipedia and YouTube and used anecdotal evidence instead of hard numbers.”
Detailed a desirable outcome
Keep your end goal in mind if you want to learn how to write a claim letter. After listing your evidence, specify the compensation you’d like to receive before a specific deadline. If you don’t, the company will suggest a solution you won’t like. You’ll get minimal store credit or a small discount for your future orders if you phrase your claim letter like this:
“I expect your company to make it up to me, or I’ll be very unhappy.”
Here’s how you can detail your compensation request to have a better chance of being heard:
“Under the Money-Back Policy terms (link), I want to receive a 50% refund within 10 business days. I will not accept store credit or discounts, nor do I want the writer to revise my essay.”
Keep your cool
It’s tempting to start venting when you’re writing claim letters. Considering the time and money lost, you’re understandably angry and upset. However, infusing your claim letter with these negative emotions will not help you achieve the desired outcome. So remember everything we shared on how to write a claim letter and keep your tone formal and professional. You can describe what you’ll do if the company denies your claim, but don’t make it a threat. Being aggressive and threatening like this will lower your chances of getting what you want:
“Do you know how many followers I have on TikTok? You don’t want to make me an enemy. I’m going to drag your brand through the mud so hard that no one will ever pay you a penny. Get me my money back asap!”
Here’s a better example:
“If I do not receive a 50% refund within 10 business days, I will mail a copy of this letter to BBB and file a complaint with my credit card company and bank to reverse my initial payment.”
Final thoughts
Now you know what a claim letter is and how to write a formal claim letter. It’s not as challenging as it seems at first glance, especially if you use the layout template we provided. And remember the three main components of a successful letter: your issue, evidence, and desired outcome. Follow our tips and use the examples we shared to craft your first letter of complaint and resolve any dispute.
But if you still don’t feel comfortable writing a claim letter, you can always get a professional to write it for you. You know our shortlist of recommended writing services, but we encourage you to check out Essay Market review and WritePaperForMe reviews to learn more about them before placing orders. By the way, these services are so good that you’ll never need to address your claim letters to them.
FAQs
A good claim letter describes your concerns with relevant details, examples, and evidence. Actionable claim letters must also include the desired outcome, like a refund or a replacement product, and the deadline. You may add a brief plan for future action if your claim isn’t satisfied, but avoid making it a threat.
After the header with the address, date, and salutation, start a claim letter by addressing your main issue. For example, if you’re unhappy with the services rendered, you can write, “I am writing to you regarding poor service I received from your company on Month Day, Year.” After that, detail the problem with examples.
Unlike college assignments, claim letter writing doesn’t have specific formatting requirements. Focus on readability in digital and printed form. Use a 12-point font that’s easy on the eyes (Arial or Times New Roman), and use 1.5 or 2 line spacing, but try to contain your claim letter on a single page. You can right-align your address and date and left-align the recipient’s address, but putting bo
