Letter of Complaint About Incorrect Billing

When a business is incorrectly billed by a supplier or another organisation there is no reason to dance around the issue. A letter of complaint detailing the incorrect charges, what the correct charges should be and the agreement guiding the charges should be sent immediately to the entity responsible for the incorrect bill. The incorrect bill should be attached as proof of the disputed charges. A letter of complaint about incorrect billing should always be formatted as a formal business letter and its tone should remain professional but firm. There should be no mistaking that the incorrect invoice will not be paid until the abnormal billing issues are cleared up.

Content of a Letter of Complaint About Incorrect Billing

A letter of complaint about incorrect billing should very clearly state the charges that are in dispute and a copy of the disputed bill or invoice should be attached for reference. In addition to pointing out what has been charged incorrectly, the letter should include a reminder of what the correct charge should be and information on how the correct charge was decided upon originally. This might mean referencing a contract or other document, or reminding the supplier of past precedents and/or verbal agreements. If it has been agreed that there must be a notice period before prices and other charges may be changed then this information should be included as well as references to this original agreement.

Format of a Letter of Complaint About Incorrect Billing

Even if a letter of complaint about incorrect billing is meant to be a "friendly" reminder it should still be formatted as a formal business communication. This letter of complaint could become the first in a series of complaints or even be submitted to legal proceedings if the matter is not resolved. The point of sending a letter is to get the complaint down in writing and create documentary evidence of the dispute. To this end, the letter should include the names, job titles and organisational details of both the writer and recipient. Formal salutations and closings should be used. A space should be left for the writer's signature. The letter should be typed and printed on organisational letterhead and then delivered via post or courier.

Sample of a Letter of Complaint About Incorrect Billing

Mr. James Wong
Job Title
Organisation One
Organisation Mailing Address

Date

Mr. Fred Smith
Job Title
Organisation Two
Organisation Mailing Address

Dear Mr. Smith,

Please find attached an invoice from [Organisation Two] dated [Date]. In this invoice it appears that [Organisation Two] has charged [Organisation One] [Incorrect Amount of Money] for [Items]. As per our [Document] dated [Date], the correct charge for [Item] should be [Correct Amount of Money].

At this time [Organisation One] requires a corrected invoice reflecting the correct charge for [Items] before payment can be made. Once [Organisation One] receives a corrected invoice we will endeavour to make payment as fast as possible. Should this be outside of [Organisation One]'s normal payment cycles we will issue an extraordinary payment for the invoice.

If you would like to discuss this matter please don't hesitate to contact me on [Telephone Number or Email Address].

Yours sincerely,

____________
Mr. James Wong
Job Title