Dustin Hipps 11312 Leadenhall Ln. Charlotte, NC 28262 dhipps@uncc.

edu (828) 461-3191 February 3, 2013 To: Demarini Corporate Office Dear Sir or Madam: I am writing you to express my concerns and disappointment with a recent product purchase I made with your company. I recently received the 2012 - 32.5 inch, 29.5 ounce Demarini Voodoo as a Christmas gift. Upon receiving this gift, my mind was focused solely on baseball. I could not wait for spring to come so I could break out my new bat, and begin preparing myself for the upcoming season. Shortly after receiving the bat I went to an indoor batting cage to try it out. The bat had a lot of pop, and the noise it made when it struck the baseball solid pumped me up even more for the upcoming season. I immediately knew that the 2012 Demarini Voodoo would be a hot bat this year. However, the second time that I used my brand new bat I began to realize that it sounded different when I would hit. My first instinct was that I was not striking the ball cleanly, so I needed to do some tee-work to improve my hand-eye coordination. After 25 minutes of continuous hitting the sound remained the same. I began to become frustrated with myself and decided to pack up my bag and call it a day. The whole drive home all I could think about was the sound that the bat was making while hitting. Was it my fault or was something wrong with the bat? How can I fix this? After pondering the thought the whole way home I decided to examine the bat to see if it had any cracks. Since the bat was brand new this did not seem logical, but sure enough, there was a crack on the handle of the bat right where it meets the barrel. Demarini has been my bat of choice since I was in little league. I started off with the Demarini F2 and have been in love ever since. Besides this instance I have been pleased with the outcomes of previous Demarini bats. I do not understand why this bat cracked, as none of the others have ever had this happen. It might have something to do with the new BBCOR technology that was used in the 2012 edition, or it could be just an unordinary incident. Regardless, I have lost $300 due to this malfunction. This is unfair to me as a consumer of your product, and as a baseball player. Now, instead of using my new bat and getting comfortable with the way it feels I am forced to resort back to my old bat, which is not nearly as exciting. I feel that since the bat broke after only two uses I should receive a full refund of $300, or another brand new 2012 Demarini Voodoo. Thank you in advance for your consideration of this matter. I have had great experiences and fond memories of my past association with Demarini products and trust that as I move forward in my baseball career I will continue to use reliable bats made by your company. Sincerely,

Dustin Hipps

Dustin Hipps Adam Padgett English 1102 February 11, 2013

Student, Dustin Hipps, in his complaint letter assignment, `recounts a disappointing Christmas gift that he received last year. Hipps purpose is to convey his disappointment in the product he received as a gift that was purchased from the Demarini Corporation. In addition, he hopes to have the product replaced as a result of voicing his dissatisfaction. He adopts an emotional approach in the tone of his letter in order to appeal to the reader and demonstrate the emotional letdown that was experienced as a result of the faulty product he received. Hipps begins his letter to the manufacturer by describing the excitement generated by receiving the product as a gift for Christmas. He continues to build the intensity of his anticipation to use the product in the upcoming season. Using this approach, he establishes to the reader his predetermined expectations for the quality of the product he has received from the manufacturer. After emphasizing his level of excitement he goes on to say that something went wrong with the product. Rather than immediately dismissing the product as faulty, Hipps demonstrates to the company that he proceeded to go through different options to rectify the situation. When all efforts failed he questions the realm of possibilities that could have caused the product to not live up to his expectations, during which he never lays claim to exact cause of the problem, but rather expounds upon the

utter disappointment felt at the discovery of the faulty product. He then flatters the reader with a brief history of his association with and use of previously purchased products from the manufacturer. This approach establishes that he is not just some random consumer, but rather a loyal customer and proponent for the company. In conclusion he summarizes that to cure all the disappointment he has experienced the company can erase any bad experiences by refunding and replacing the product in question. His implication with this is not that it should be done as a favor for him, but rather in an effort to save the good name and rapport the company has established through the years with loyal customers such as him. One important element of style is the degree of formality in which the letter is written. Because the article is targeted to an individual that cares about the public perceptions of the company, Hipps writes informally using common easy to understand language grazed with traces of emotion. His personal reflections, Demarini has been my choice of bats since Little League draw the reader in and establish a connection with not only the writer, but also the disappoint felt in the discovery of a faulty product. He employs the use of rhetorical questions, Was it my fault or was there something wrong with the bat within the letter to challenge the reader to ask those very questions should they have been put in his position. Hipps also uses a pattern of highs and lows within the letter. He reflects upon his excitement of being given the product as a gift and then describes his disappointment that the product is faulty. He continues the pattern as he illustrates the fond past memories associated with other company products and then admonishes the company for causing him to revert other products as a result of their inability to deliver a quality product.

In conclusion, Hipps vocalizes his experience s with several of the products that the manufacturer has produced. He demonstrates that over those experiences he has been very pleased with the results of using those products. For those reasons, he was surprised and extremely disappointed to discover that the particular product in question was faulty. Rather than complain about only the specifics of this one instance he portrays his overall experience with the company in an effort to appeal to the convictions of the reader in hopes of making amends for the bad experience that he has encountered. His words reach out to the moral fiber of the reader to right the wrong that has been created by his company.