Which tool to choose
Three situations, three choices.
You write a letter every now and then and start from scratch. Use ChatGPT in the free version: it searches the web, reads the files you upload, and for a letter it's more than enough. The free plan gives you a certain number of messages a day with the most capable model; once you cross the threshold, it switches to a lighter model until the reset (usually a few hours). The exact numbers change often, but to write and refine a complaint you won't graze them.
You already have the letter in Google Docs and just want to improve it. You could stay inside Docs with Gemini, but there's a concrete limit: Gemini-assisted writing in Docs requires a paid Google plan (or enrollment in the test programs), at the moment it only runs from a computer and often only in English. Translated: if you don't pay and you write in Italian, you probably won't see that feature. In that case copy the text into ChatGPT, have it reviewed there and paste it back into the document.
You already use Microsoft Word or Outlook. Copilot is integrated, but to write a single letter the same reasoning as ChatGPT applies: the free chat is the fastest path with no interface constraints.
For most readers, the answer is free ChatGPT: no subscription and native Italian.
How to do it
The principle is one: the AI writes as well as the information you give it is precise. From a generic prompt comes a generic letter.
From browser or app the path doesn't change:
- Go to chatgpt.com (or open the app). You can use it even without registering, but with a free account you keep the chat history.
- Open a new conversation.
- Paste the prompt below, choosing the complaint or apology version, and replace the example data with yours.
- Read the draft and check the facts (dates, amounts, order numbers): the AI doesn't know them, if you don't give them it fills them in as best it can.
- Ask for the refinements in the same thread.
The prompt for a complaint:
Write a formal complaint letter in Italian.
Who is writing: Mario Rossi, customer.
Recipient: customer service of (company name).
What happened: I ordered an oven (order no. 12345, paid €320 on May 3) delivered on May 10 with the glass door cracked.
What I've already done: I wrote an email on May 12, no reply in 10 days.
What I want: replacement of the product within 14 days or a full refund.
Tone: firm but polite, no threats.
Length: maximum 200 words.
Close by citing the right of withdrawal and the legal warranty of conformity, without inventing law numbers.
The prompt for an apology letter:
Write a personal apology letter in Italian.
Who is writing: Mario, to a colleague.
To whom: Laura, a colleague.
What happened: during Monday's meeting I interrupted her several times and dismissed her proposal with sarcasm in front of the team.
What I want to convey: I take responsibility, I acknowledge her idea was valid, I want to make amends by proposing we present it again together.
Tone: sincere, direct, without defensive apologies like "but I was stressed".
Length: maximum 150 words.
Do not use stock phrases like "I'm sorry if you felt offended".
If the draft still sounds robotic or too long, don't rewrite it by hand. Write one of these requests in the same thread:
- "Make it shorter, maximum 120 words."
- "Firmer tone, I'm losing patience but staying polite."
- "Warmer and less formal, it's someone I know well."
- "Add a precise deadline: I want a reply within 7 days."
The AI gives you a new version taking into account the context already provided.
A concrete example
Giulia had booked a hotel in Rimini, paid €480 in advance, and on arrival was assigned a different room: no sea view and smaller. At reception they told her "it's all full". She wanted a written complaint to obtain a partial refund, but off the cuff all that came out was an angry, confused email.
She opened ChatGPT and pasted the complaint prompt, entering: name of the property, booking and stay dates, amount, category booked and category received, the sentence said at reception, and the request for a 40% refund for the downgrade. Firm tone, maximum 180 words.
The first draft was good but weak in the closing. Giulia wrote: "Add that I have photos of the room and the booking confirmation as proof, and set the reply within 10 days." The second version contained a final paragraph that listed the proof and a precise deadline.
She pasted the text into an email, attached the photos, sent. The hotel replied in five days offering €150. Less than a quarter of an hour at the desk, against the half day of failed attempts.
When it does NOT work (and how to fix it)
If the AI invents facts, dates or laws
It's risk number one. The AI doesn't know what happened to you: if you don't write it, it fills in with plausible but false details, including citations of non-existent law articles. Fix: reread the draft line by line and delete every number you didn't provide. In the prompt always write "do not invent regulatory references". If you need to cite a real rule (like the 2-year legal warranty of conformity in the Consumer Code), verify it from an official source before inserting it.
If the letter sounds fake or cloying
It happens with apologies: plastic phrases come out like "I'm sorry if you felt offended", which shift the blame onto the other person. Fix: in the prompt forbid conditional apologies and ask for direct assumption of responsibility. Then reread out loud: if you'd never say it that way out loud, have it rewritten more simply.
If the free version slows down or blocks you
When you exceed the threshold, ChatGPT doesn't shut off: it switches to a faster but less capable model until the reset. For a letter the difference is minimal. If you notice quality drops, wait for the reset or move the same prompt to Gemini (gemini.google.com) or Copilot: the prompts I gave you work identically on all of them.
If you have to write in another language
ChatGPT writes complaints and apologies well in English, French, Spanish, German and the other main languages. Add to the prompt "write in English". For rare languages or for texts with legal value in a foreign language, have the result reviewed by a native speaker.
A tip from someone who actually uses it
Don't ask for a single version. After the first draft, write: "Give me three variants: one diplomatic, one neutral, one firm." In a few seconds you have three registers in front of you and you choose based on who will read it. For a supplier you want to keep working with you'll use the diplomatic one; for a company that's been ignoring you for weeks, the firm one. This way the AI stops being "the writer in your place" and becomes the advisor who shows you the options.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use AI for a letter that has legal value?
For the draft yes, for the legal value no, not on its own. The AI gives you structure and tone, but a formal notice or a registered letter with legal effects must be checked by someone who knows your case. Use it to avoid starting from the blank page, then verify facts and regulatory references from official sources or with a professional.
Does the AI know my consumer rights?
It has general notions, but don't trust the law numbers it produces: they tend to be imprecise or invented. Write yourself in the prompt the right you want to invoke, or ask the AI to describe the principle ("I have the right to replacement of the defective product") without citing specific articles.
Do I have to give my personal data to the AI?
Enter only what's needed for the letter and avoid very sensitive data: the contents of the chats can be read by a person during quality checks. A safe route: write the letter with a placeholder name and enter the real data by hand afterward, when you copy the text into the email.
Can you tell the letter was written by an AI?
You can tell only if you leave it as-is. Raw drafts have recognizable tics: pompous phrases, all-the-same closings, useless lists. Two moves are enough to make them yours: cut the excess adjectives and rewrite the first sentence by hand, the one that sets the tone. A letter that starts from your own personal opening and continues with the body structured by the AI is indistinguishable from one written entirely by hand, and it cost you a tenth of the time.