I read these reviews frequently and I often see complaints made that are legitimate and relevant but have reduced impact because they are subjective.

I have had many years experience of commercial management in several different countries, in which I have been involved in numerous disputes and complaints. From experience gained over the years I have this advice for those who have a complaint to make or a warning to post.

First though, let me say that many of the situations being complained about could EASILY have been avoided by doing simple research and asking detailed questions of the school concerned beforehand. A school that is out to rip you off will not like being asked many detailed questions and will very quickly discard you quite rightly as a potential troublemaker for them. However, if you do have a complaint to make try following these guidelines.

1) Stick rigidly and ONLY to the facts. This is THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF ANY COMPLAINT, because if you stick only to facts, your adversary cannot ignore or refute them. Moreover, if you confine yourself only to facts, your adversary will realise he has an intelligent plaintiff on his hands and will be at a psychological disadvantage immediately, for it is the truth that hurts the most.

2) Do NOT succumb to the temptation to personally insult your adversary no matter whether you refer to a school as an entity, or some individual within it. It may give you a "good" feeling to eloquently slag someone off but to the average reader this can make you appear as the likely cause of the problem you're complaining about. Furthermore, if you resort to personal attacks you reduce your own standing and give your adversary ammunition with which to shoot back at you.

3) Do not use expletives or call people names. Just because the Headmaster you are complaining about put you in a dirty apartment and then ripped you off for a month's salary is no reason for you to call him a "thug" or a "crook" (even if he is one!) Remember to stick only to facts.

4) Do not gratuitously expand your complaint to include other factors that have no direct connection with the issue you're complaining about. If you're complaining about the aforementioned Headmaster (see last paragraph), it is of little interest and no relevance to complain about how dirty his town is or how unreliable the telephone system and how dangerous the local bus-drivers. Your adversary will shoot you down in flames by saying - quite rightly - that he has no control over these. Keep tightly to the core of your complaint

4) Do not use adverbs. They are great in fiction and poetry but in a complaint they reduce its impact and can give your adversary cause to claim that you are exaggerating your case.

5) Say only what is true and what you can prove if called on to do so. Remember that your adversary will not smile benignly on you for complaining here. Instead he will at best ignore you, or more likely will respond with counter-claims against you. The more targets there are in your complaint, the more likely he will score direct hits on you.

6) Do not compose your complaint in here. Compose it somewhere else first and when you are satisfied with it close the file and do not return to it for AT LEAST three days. Then reopen your file and read your complaint again but THROUGH YOUR ADVERSARY'S EYES. Many people when writing a complaint "get onto a roll" and become increasingly vituperative as they proceed. This can show you up quite badly. After three days or more, you will find that your mood has changed and you may wish to make some calming alterations. Then you can cut and paste your text into here and post it straight away.

7) Finally, the complaints that succeed or have the greatest impact are those that are clear, factual and written in unemotional language. That do not rely on personal attacks and invective. That are not riddled with exaggerations and potential untruths. Bear in mind also, that your adversary is entitled to be able to understand what you are saying, so keep it simple and clear - use your English well - you're an English teacher after all, dammit!

Have a GOOD day!

Dave