How do i word a letter of complaint.

[Melonfish]

This morning a bus from my local transport authority damn near killed me. i want to write a letter of complaint to them.
i've no idea how to word this.


seriously i do all my complaining in person, it gets you good results, but the seriousness of this incident this morning has left me wanting a more formal route so i'll be drafting a letter because i believe the conduct of the driver should be addressed sharpish before he kills someone.

whilst approaching a small roundabout on admirals road this morning LINKY a double decker bus decides to overtake me and go over the island.
btw the pic you can see on google there? thats how close i was, i was doinb about 17mph so its approaching fast.
i'm in secondary at this point (yes i should have been in primary to block him, trust me from now on consider it lesson learned)
now initially the pass wasn't that bad, i could almost touch it if i reached out. the main problem was that the bus then has to cut in to avoid the traffic island and go across the roundabout, i had already been braking tbh i applied them as soon as he attempted his pass and pulled more to the curb. the back end was still very close.

he then stops at the bus stop 100 yards ahead, i pulled up and asked him why he'd passed me at such a dangerous point, his response was "I left you room", to which i told him bluntly that he damn well didn't.
i told him then and there i was taking this to the transport authority and made to move off at which point he quipped "You were in the middle of the road!" so i moved back to his window and stated "I've got every RIGHT to be in the middle of the road pal."
then i moved off, pulled in and wrote the licence down on my phone and waited a few mins before the shaking stopped.
not a problem at any other point on my route to work, had a couple of close passes before and cut ins due to traffic islands but never anything this close.
my next buy is a helmet cam..

pete

 

[BSRU]

Just write a clear concise description of what happened, where it happened and any identifying information you have.
Try to avoid being over emotional, sarcastic, rude or using profanity.

Write it as though you were filling in a witness statement for the police.

An email would be better as they my have chance to save any on-board cctv footage, if you send a letter that's another day it could be lost.

 

[Red Light]

Just write a clear concise description of what happened, where it happened and any identifying information you have.
Try to avoid being over emotional, sarcastic, rude or using profanity.

Write it as though you were filling in a witness statement for the police.

An email would be better as they my have chance to save any on-board cctv footage, if you send a letter that's another day it could be lost.

+1. Also if you are used to complaining in person or by phone I would be inclined to do that but when you do so tell them you will be following up with a written complaint. The letter is then likely to just add to the process rather than kicking it off which means the wording is less critical.

 

[Melonfish]

I'm addressing the letter to their Operations Director, after studying their structure he's the best person to send it to, he looks after the staff you see.
it'll be sent by e-mail but in full formal format.
i'm just pondering the wording really, like i say never written one before.
pete

 

[pshore]

This morning a bus from my local transport authority damn near killed me ..... i believe the conduct of the driver should be addressed sharpish before he kills someone.

Have you contacted the Police and got yourself an incident number ? Get the incident recorded against the number plate at least.

I know the Police won't do much, but it might add +1 to a statistic in a database that will one day force the Police to take these incidents more seriously. It also will show the bus company that you are quite serious.

If crime ain't reported, how can the Police be expected to do anything about it.

 

[abo]

Don't write a massive long descriptive diatribe. Top brass types don't want to be presented with this sort of stuff, they 'don't have time' to read it and so more likely to brush it off or ignore it. Be concise and precise.

It'll probably be read first by his PA and sent off to someone else to deal with anyway, without him seeing it.

 

[Chilternrides]

It may also be worth pointing out that you encounter the buses regularly on this route but have neve before felt so threatened - it takes the sting out of "having a go" at the company if it's presented as an unusual event.

 

[smiorgan]

I'm addressing the letter to their Operations Director, after studying their structure he's the best person to send it to, he looks after the staff you see.
it'll be sent by e-mail but in full formal format.
i'm just pondering the wording really, like i say never written one before.
pete

How about

"Sir

This morning I was commuting to work along [road] at around [time] when one of your buses [reg] overtook me at [roundabout].

Your driver overtook me on the approach to the roundabout where there is a traffic island. The overtake happened close enough to the roundabout that they were forced to cut in sharply to avoid the traffic island, into the road space I was occupying. I had already been braking for the roundabout in order to yeild to traffic but was forced to brake more sharply and narrowly avoided a collision.

Your driver failed to appreciate my speed or even my presence on the road. When I discussed this verbally with them they were adamant that they had given me room, but the fact is they overtook me on the approach to a roundabout where they would have to yeild and negotiate a pinch point.

I feel that the standard of driving fell well below what a professional driver should demonstrate. I would appreciate your investigation into this matter and a prompt response.

Sincerely

[etc]"

Edit to make sure I've interpreted the events right & possibly use stronger language (assertive, not swearing!). Glad you're OK.

 

[jack the lad]

I'm a complaints manager (but not for a bus company!) - so hopefully this will help a bit.

Be polite - rude & aggressive complaints are less likely to get the result you want, the organisation will just get defensive.
Deal with the specific incident that you are complaining about and don't generalise.
Give enough information to identify the person responsible - time, place, reg no, route number etc.
Set out your version of events in a logical order - by time is usually the easiest to follow - and it is usually easiest to follow them in a list format rather than in sentences and paragraphs. Keep it brief and don't add unecessary detail.
It is usually helpful to detail the issues that you want to be addressed and how you think they can be resolved - positive suggestions can be helpful, e.g. fitting blind spot mirrors, cycle awareness training etc.
It is helpful to set out what redress you want from your complaint - but be reasonable or it will not be taken seriously, the Chief Executive will not be resigning because one of their bus drivers got a bit closer to you in traffic than you would have liked.
Be aware that there are 2 sides to every story and even on your version of events it isn't clear cut that he was wholly wrong in his judgement and that you were wholly in the right, even if you didn't like it. They would not necessarily be wrong if they responsed that he did leave you enough room (just) but not as much as you would have liked, so it comes down to a matter of opinion and the mutual obligations of cyclists and bus drivers to compromise and share the road!

 

[Melonfish]

Reet, when i get in tonight i'm drafting this up, so far there's some brilliant advice on here chaps!
i'll post my draft later for you guys to look at.
but for now - the commute home
pete

 

[Digital_Cowboy]

This morning a bus from my local transport authority damn near killed me. i want to write a letter of complaint to them.
i've no idea how to word this.


seriously i do all my complaining in person, it gets you good results, but the seriousness of this incident this morning has left me wanting a more formal route so i'll be drafting a letter because i believe the conduct of the driver should be addressed sharpish before he kills someone.

whilst approaching a small roundabout on admirals road this morning LINKY a double decker bus decides to overtake me and go over the island.
btw the pic you can see on google there? thats how close i was, i was doinb about 17mph so its approaching fast.
i'm in secondary at this point (yes i should have been in primary to block him, trust me from now on consider it lesson learned)
now initially the pass wasn't that bad, i could almost touch it if i reached out. the main problem was that the bus then has to cut in to avoid the traffic island and go across the roundabout, i had already been braking tbh i applied them as soon as he attempted his pass and pulled more to the curb. the back end was still very close.

he then stops at the bus stop 100 yards ahead, i pulled up and asked him why he'd passed me at such a dangerous point, his response was "I left you room", to which i told him bluntly that he damn well didn't.
i told him then and there i was taking this to the transport authority and made to move off at which point he quipped "You were in the middle of the road!" so i moved back to his window and stated "I've got every RIGHT to be in the middle of the road pal."
then i moved off, pulled in and wrote the licence down on my phone and waited a few mins before the shaking stopped.
not a problem at any other point on my route to work, had a couple of close passes before and cut ins due to traffic islands but never anything this close.
my next buy is a helmet cam..

pete

Pete,

I presume that you've had time to calm down. As I can understand that one would be upset after something like that. If you haven't calmed down, wait until you've calmed down before you write your letter. As it's not a good idea to write this kind of a letter while one is still upset. After you've written it have someone who is disinterested and not connected to the event that you are writing about proofread the letter for you.

Keep to the facts, don't let your emotions get involved, and you should be alright.

 

[Melonfish]

Indeed, i was waiting till i calmed down. i'm actually going to draft this tomorrow. spent the entirety of wed night sorting my suit because today i got to watch my wife become a Bachelor of Science with honours
so letter writy tomorrow methinks.