The oldest written customer complaint? Bad copper.

About 3,700 years ago, a customer complaint was pressed into clay.

Nanni, a buyer in the city of Ur, wrote to Ea-nasir, a copper merchant, after a Gulf voyage delivered copper of poorer quality than promised. 1 The British Museum describes the tablet as a letter about the wrong grade of copper, along with complaints about misdirection and delay.

Guinness World Records identifies the tablet as the oldest written customer complaint. The record dates to about 1750 BCE and was discovered at ancient Ur in southern Iraq. 2

Nanni also says his messenger was treated contemptuously and sent home empty-handed. Nanni demanded restitution and said he would choose future ingots himself. The surviving tablet records the demand; the tablet gives no answer about whether Ea-nasir paid him back. 3

The ingredients still feel familiar: a promised product, a disappointing delivery, and a customer asking the seller to make it right.