Customer service teams
Ask for the context needed to understand the request before replying. This reduces the back-and-forth needed to establish the basic facts. Review “Nature of Complaint” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.
Complaint Form Template
Every unresolved complaint is a lost customer — or worse. This complaint form gives people a dignified channel to raise concerns, captures the key details your team needs to investigate, and signals that you take every issue seriously. Structured intake means faster resolution and fewer escalations.
Free for non-commercial projects, with unlimited forms and responses.
Last updated
About this template
A complaint form serves two functions that a general contact form can't: it legitimizes the act of complaining and it structures the intake in a way that enables resolution. When someone has a serious grievance — a billing error, a conduct issue, a product failure — being directed to a generic contact form feels dismissive. A dedicated complaint form signals that you have a process, that complaints are taken seriously, and that there's a path to resolution.
More about this template
This template captures the information your team needs to investigate and respond: what happened, when it happened, what the person is seeking as a resolution, and whether they've already raised this before. The 'desired resolution' dropdown is particularly valuable — knowing whether someone wants an apology, a refund, or a policy change shapes the entire response strategy.
formformform stores every complaint in your dashboard with the full submission history, giving you a documented record of every issue raised. This is especially important for organizations with compliance obligations — healthcare, finance, education, HR — where documentation of complaint handling may be required.
8 fields to make your own4 required in this starting form
Make it fit your workflow.
Use your own copy to change labels, remove questions and add the details you need. Try the preview alongside this guide to see what respondents will be asked.
The questions, explained
Fields in this template
Review the starting questions and choices. You can change them in your own copy.
Full Name
Alex Rivera
Email Address
alex@example.com
Phone Number
(555) 123-4567
Nature of Complaint
8 choices
- Product or service quality
- Staff or employee conduct
- Billing or payment issue
- Delivery or shipping
- Website or app issue
- Privacy or data concern
- Discrimination or harassment
- Other
Date of Incident
Please Describe Your Complaint
Tell us exactly what happened, including any relevant dates, people involved, or reference numbers.
Desired Resolution
6 choices
- Apology and acknowledgement
- Refund or replacement
- Disciplinary action
- Policy change
- Explanation of what happened
- Other
Have you contacted us about this before?
2 choices
- Yes
- No
Where it fits
Who uses this template
Suggested uses, and why this starting point can help. Adapt the questions to your own process.
HR departments handling workplace complaints
Use this as a starting point when you need the same essential information from each person. Review the questions against your process before sharing your copy. Review “Date of Incident” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.
Local government and public agencies
Lets residents file formal complaints about public services, permit offices, or city staff, with a documented submission trail for public accountability.
Healthcare providers
Use this as a starting point when you need the same essential information from each person. Review the questions against your process before sharing your copy. Review “Desired Resolution” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.
Educational institutions
Give participants a clear set of questions and keep the information together, making it easier to prepare, respond and follow up. Review “Have you contacted us about this before?” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.
Financial services companies
Captures regulatory-compliant complaint records from clients about transactions, advice quality, or account management with required documentation fields.
Hospitality operators
Use this as a starting point when you need the same essential information from each person. Review the questions against your process before sharing your copy. Review “Date of Incident” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.
Nonprofits and community organizations
Gather the details needed before making arrangements. Consistent answers help you spot special requirements and prepare the next step. Review “Please Describe Your Complaint” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.
What's included
Nature of complaint dropdown for categorization and routing
Date of incident field for timeline documentation
Detailed description field for full account of events
Desired resolution dropdown to set response expectations
Prior contact radio to identify escalations
Contact details for follow-up and documentation
Instant notification to the responsible team
All complaints logged and stored in your dashboard
How to create a complaint form
- 1
Click 'Use this template' to open it in formformform with all fields configured.
- 2
Customize the 'Nature of Complaint' dropdown to reflect the complaint types relevant to your organization — a healthcare provider might add 'Treatment concern' or 'Privacy breach'.
- 3
Update the 'Desired Resolution' dropdown to match outcomes you can realistically offer.
- 4
Set the notification email to route complaints directly to your complaints team, HR, or relevant department head.
- 5
Update the response timeline in the intro paragraph to match your actual SLA — one business day for urgent matters, five for standard complaints.
- 6
Publish and link clearly from your contact page, footer, and any customer-facing policy pages.
Best practices for your complaint form
Make the form easy to find
a complaint form that's hard to find signals you don't want complaints. That drives social media callouts instead. Link to it clearly from your contact page.
Acknowledge receipt immediately
an auto-response confirming the complaint was received and setting a response timeline prevents follow-up emails and reduces anxiety.
Include a prior contact field
knowing this is a repeat complaint changes how you triage and respond. Escalations need different handling.
Document everything
all submissions are stored in your dashboard with timestamps. Export and archive complaint records for compliance or audit purposes.
Set a firm response SLA
and meet it. Delayed responses to complaints generate more damage than the original complaint.
Separate HR and customer complaints
if your organization handles both employee and customer complaints, consider two separate forms to ensure correct routing and confidentiality.
8 form ideas you can build with this template
HR Workplace Complaint Form
Collects structured reports of workplace misconduct, harassment, or policy violations from employees, with confidentiality options and routing to HR.
Retail Customer Complaint Form
Captures product quality, staff conduct, and in-store experience complaints from shoppers, with order reference and desired resolution fields.
Healthcare Patient Complaint Form
Documents treatment concerns, billing disputes, and staff conduct complaints from patients, with incident date and department fields for investigation routing.
Local Government Complaint Form
Lets residents file formal complaints about public services, permit offices, or city staff, with a documented submission trail for public accountability.
University Student Complaint Form
Provides students a formal channel to raise academic integrity, grading, faculty conduct, or accessibility concerns with the institution.
Financial Services Complaint Form
Captures regulatory-compliant complaint records from clients about transactions, advice quality, or account management with required documentation fields.
HOA Complaint Form
Lets homeowners formally report rule violations, maintenance failures, or neighbor disputes to the HOA board with location and incident date fields.
Online Marketplace Seller Complaint Form
Allows sellers to report buyer misconduct, fraudulent chargebacks, or platform policy violations with order ID and transaction details.
Frequently asked questions
Is this complaint form free?
Yes, completely free. Collect and document unlimited complaints with no subscription required.
How do I make sure complaints reach the right team?
Set the notification email to a dedicated complaints inbox, your HR department, or the team lead responsible for resolution. Using a shared team inbox is recommended over an individual address.
Are submissions stored securely?
Yes. All formformform submissions are stored securely and accessible only to authorized users in your dashboard.
Can employees use this for internal HR complaints?
Yes. The form works for both internal HR complaints and external customer complaints. Customize the 'Nature of Complaint' dropdown to include workplace-relevant categories and ensure the form is linked from your internal HR portal or employee handbook.
Can I add a reference number field?
Yes. Add a short text field labeled 'Reference Number (if applicable)' for complainants who are escalating a previously reported issue.
What if someone submits a complaint about a third party?
Add a 'Person or department involved' field to your form so complainants can identify who their concern relates to. This helps you route the complaint correctly.
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