Quick Tip #4: Use a proper salutation (A salutation is a greeting. It comes from the word salute.)
The worst ever salutation is “Dear Sir or Madam.” What could be more offensive than someone saying to you, “I have no idea who you are or what kind of person you are but either way, I am too lazy or don’t care enough to find out”?
Dear Sir or Madam is just not cool anymore. Not in this century.
If you are writing to a particular creditor, then find out the person’s name who is handling your account, and address them by their name. You could write: Dear Mrs. Warren, Dear Ms. Warren, or Dear Carolyn Warren: If using both the first and last name, that is formal, so you should follow it with a colon : rather than a comma. This is useful if you have the person’s name but do not know their gender. You can write, “Dear Casey Johnson:” for example. Never write “Dear Mr. or Ms. Johnson” because that is inappropriate and offensive.
If you are writing to the credit bureau and have no way of know which representative will open your letter, then still do not write “Sir or Madam.” Never write “I don’t know your sex” as a greeting. Instead,, use their title. “Dear Experian Representative:” is proper. Because you don’t have a name, use the colon ; rather than a comma at the end.
The greeting is the first impression. Don’t blow it by starting off with something that offends the reader.
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