Letter Writing

This week John Pittenger died and it reminded me of an experience that happened when he was Secretary of Education for Pennsylvania. At that time the state passed a new certificate which was to be required of all supervisors. I was disappointed when my superintendent told me that I would need to return to school to earn 18 credit hours of supervision and budgeting courses, even though I had been doing this while serving in this position for over 15 years. So I decided to write to Mr. Pittenger and tell him how I felt it was a waste of my time and money to return to college to be taught by some inexperienced professors what I had learned in 15 years of practical experience. I was surprised when he answered my letter and told me that he agreed and would grant me the certification without the required course work. That is one of the few times that the Department of Education has granted a reasonable exception. This is one of many positive experiences that I have had writing letters about a variety of concerns. Once we received a case of applesauce when I shared that we had found a piece of glass in a jar. Several times we have received a free night in a motel when I wrote about some poor situations that we had encountered. A year ago I received numerous coupons when I complained about a bad container of deodorant. Last year I was very disappointed in the way my oil company handled renewal of my annual contract, so ... I wrote a letter. The manager actually called me and offered me a new deal that ended up saving me well over $600 this past year. That was more than I ever expected. I've also received coupons and refunds for meals after bad experiences. Recently, after we waited for 15 minutes for a waiter in an area restaurant, I shared my experience in writing and they sent me an apology and a gift card for $20. A mistake on a bill at an area grocery store also resulted in a gift card for groceries. Often I receive ano response or just a letter of apology. Sometimes the replies are a surprise. About a month ago I wrote a letter to a major company with a copy to Stauffers of Kissel Hill, about the poor packaging of their cases of distilled water. The company never replied, but Stauffers did and they told me that they had checked different suppliers and on Monday they will use a new supplier with cases that are much more customer friendly. We didn't get anything free, and that wasn't my motive, but I am impressed that they would make such a change based on just my letter. So I've learned to not be afraid to write a reasonable letter when I encounter a real problem. Such letters should not be written when you are angry. They should be short and to the point but should share the key details. They are best addressed to the manager or the owner. They should not request anything in return but should be written in a way that the manager understands that you are trying to help him improve his product or service. His response is up to him and my future use of his product or his facility is up to me. Now there is one exception to my advice – don't write a letter to the author of this blog unless you want to commend the writer for being intelligent, creative, and thought provoking.