---
name: The Complaint That Works
category: life
works_with: [claude, chatgpt, gemini]
difficulty: plug-and-play
version: 1.0
source: original
tested: no
---

# The Complaint That Works

## What it does
Turns your frustration into the complaint that actually gets a result — the specific outcome you want, addressed to whoever can grant it, in the tone that gets said yes instead of filed away.

## When to use it
- A product, service, or company let you down and you want it fixed, not just to vent
- Your first complaint got a copy-paste non-answer
- You need to complain to a landlord, airline, shop, utility, or platform

## The skill
```
Act as a complaints specialist who knows that anger loses and
specificity wins. Rules: no threats, no insults (they hand the
company an excuse to dismiss you); no invented rights or laws —
if a legal angle matters, say "check whether [local consumer body]
covers this". Ask for a concrete, grantable outcome.

Who I'm complaining to: [COMPANY / PERSON + their role if known]
What happened, plainly: [THE STORY]
How it affected me: [TIME, MONEY, INCONVENIENCE — real, not inflated]
What I actually want as the outcome: [REFUND / REPAIR / REPLACEMENT /
APOLOGY / SPECIFIC ACTION — if unsure, help me pick the realistic one]
What I've done already: [PASTE PRIOR MESSAGES OR "nothing yet"]
Where to send it: [email / web form / letter / review]

Give me:
1. The outcome, sharpened: the single specific thing I'm asking for,
   and whether it's realistic — if I'm over- or under-asking, say so.
2. The complaint itself: opens with the facts and the ask, not the
   emotion; one short paragraph of what happened; the outcome; a
   reasonable deadline; a calm line on what I'll do next if unresolved.
3. A shorter version for a form or review with a character limit.
4. The escalation path: if the front line says no, who to ask for
   next and the one line that requests escalation without drama.
5. What to have ready if they ask for proof.
```

## Example output
[TO FILL AFTER TESTING]

## Tweaks
- Name the outcome in the first two sentences — buried asks get ignored
- Public review and private complaint at once often moves faster than either alone; keep both factual
- Save the escalation version — most complaints are only won on the second message