Complaint Letter No. 3
Compensation: Postal order to cover purchase costs incurred, and a pledge by SmithKline Beecham Consumer Healthcare to forward the said dental floss sample to their Quality Control Laboratory for analysis.
Customer Issues Department
SmithKline Beecham Consumer Healthcare
Brentford TW8 98D
23rd August 2000
Dear Sir / Madam
I felt it necessary to put pen to paper and highlight the problems I have experienced with your dental floss (please find enclosed).
This dental floss not only feels like string, it is so difficult to get in between the gums that it actually cuts them – if we were living in Dickensian times, this floss could have been used for extracting patients’ teeth.
I am very rarely driven to complain, but at the very least, I expect a full refund. After using your floss, my boyfriend and I were nursing our cut, bleeding gums for some time afterwards.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully
Ingrid Stone
The Response:
31st August 2000
Dear Ms Stone
Thank you for your letter concerning Aquafresh Dental Floss. We are sorry to hear of the problems you and your boyfriend experienced whilst using our product.
Although it is unlikely that the pack of Aquafresh Dental Floss that you used is in any way defective, we have forwarded the sample you returned to us to our Quality Control Laboratory for analysis. We will contact you again when we have received their report but must advise you that in some cases this may take several weeks. We should point out that Aquafresh floss is thicker than traditional floss but thinner than dental tape. People whose teeth are more closely spaced may therefore experience some problems in using the floss. If you or your boyfriend are at all worried about your condition, we recommend that you contact your dentist for medical advice if you have not already done so. Because you have returned the product to us, I have enclosed a postal order to cover the purchase costs incurred.
We apologise for the discomfort and inconvenience you have been caused. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention, and please be assured that the matter will be thoroughly investigated.
Sincerely for
SMITHKLINE BEECHAM CONSUMER HEALTHCARE
Alison Sutherland BPharm
Medical Information Executive
complaintsqueen.com 
You’ve inspired me as I feel I’ve dropped off in recent months and settled into a lazy acceptance of general levels of crap products and service just like every other apathetic bleeder out there.