1 COMPLAINING AT WORK A: I want to lodge a complaint against my manager. B: Okay, what’s the problem? A: I am not happy with the way he talks to me; he is such an idiot! B: Okay, take a deep breath, we have to be professional. A: I’m sorry but I feel badly treated. B: It’s alright, but let’s try to communicate better to solve the problem. A: Yes, I know we are a team and we have to be professional. It’s important to put the focus onto solving problems rather than creating new ones. Especially in a place where you are being measured on performance! Be open to other people’s ideas and make sure you’re being reasonable. WHAT ARE COMPLAINTS? It is important to remember that English is not as direct as other languages. It is important to be polite and follow rules for socially acceptable behavior. For example, it is normal, when making a complaint, to start by saying “sorry” or “excuse me”, even though you haven’t done anything wrong. Being polite will help you get what you want. Complaints are expressions of "displeasure or annoyance" in response to an action that is seen by the speaker as unfavorable. Suppose you want to complain about the pizza you have just ordered because it's too salty, what are the expressions needed to express and respond to complaints? Here are expressions you can use when complaining: I’m sorry but I’d like to make a complaint about… I have a complaint to make. ... Sorry to bother you but... I'm sorry to say this but... I am sorry to have to say this but… I'm afraid I've got a complaint about... I'm afraid there is a slight problem with... Excuse me but there is a problem about... I want to complain about... I'm angry about... Excuse me if I am overstepping my boundaries, but… Perhaps there was a misunderstanding but… I’m sorry to say this but I am really quite upset/angry/disappointed… There appears to be a problem here… I would like/I want… o to lodge a complaint o to make a complaint o to report an issue o to give you some feedback o to inform you MATERIAL COMPILADO Y PREPARADO POR MARIA VERONICA VALDIVIA 2 How can we fix this? How could we amend this? Do you have any thoughts on how we could proceed? Is there anything that can be done to improve the situation? Could you help me with…? Examples: 1. I have a complaint to make. Your pizza is just too salty. 2. I'm sorry to say this but your food is inedible. 1. I'm afraid I've got a complaint about your child. He's too noisy. 2. I'm afraid there is a slight problem with the service in this hotel. 3. Excuse me but you are standing on my foot. 4. I want to complain about the noise you are making. 5. I'm angry about the way you treat me. RESPONDING TO COMPLAINTS POSITIVE RESPONSE TO COMPLAINTS: I'm so sorry, but this will never occur / happen again. I'm sorry, we promise never to make the same mistake again. I'm really sorry; we'll do our utmost/best not to do the same mistake again. NEGATIVE RESPONSE TO COMPLAINTS: Sorry there is nothing we can do about it. I'm afraid, there isn't much we can do about it. We are sorry but the food is just alright. THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT COMPLAINTS: When expressing a complaint in English, it helps to be polite. Although "I'm angry about your pizza. It's too salty" is one possible way of expressing a complaint, it is considered too rude and you'd better use more polite expressions if you want to get what you want! EXERCISES Complete the sentences with words from the box. Customer- not happy- ridiculous- manager- dissatisfied- service- fault- taste- replace-instead 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. This is ______________________. I want to speak with your _________________. What’s going on here?! You’ve just lost a _________________, forever. This food does not ______________ right. Could I have another meal sent to me __________________? I have found a _______________ with this shirt. Could I please ______________ it with another one? I am ___________________ with the cable TV ______________ you are providing. I am totally _____________________ with your service. MATERIAL COMPILADO Y PREPARADO POR MARIA VERONICA VALDIVIA 3 STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show to Student B) 1) What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘complain’? 2) Are you a complainer? 3) Who do you usually complain to? 4) What complaints do you have at the moment? 5) Have you ever complained in a restaurant, hotel, airplane or train? 6) How often do people complain to you? 7) How often do people complain about you? 8) Do you have any complaints about English? 9) What are your biggest complaints about your friends? 10) Do men or women complain more? Complete the diagram with words from the box. rude- nice- resolution- dissatisfaction-complain Bad Service ………………….. Conflict ……………… …………… Way ……………. Way ……………….. Read the text very well and find out the following information. Who are you? What is your address? Who will read your letter? What is his/her address? What is the complaint about? MATERIAL COMPILADO Y PREPARADO POR MARIA VERONICA VALDIVIA 4 Read the following question carefully and find out the above needed information. Last month you went on your honeymoon trip to Hawaii, which Universal Travel Agency made all the arrangements for. Your honeymoon trip turned into a disaster. Everything was terrible: reservations, hotels, hotel service, food, transports and flights schedules. Write a letter (of 200 – 250 words) to the manager of Universal Travel Agency, Mr. Ahmed Abdullah, P.O. Box 806 , Manama , Bahrain complaining about the bad service and suggesting ways to solve the situation . Your name is Jamila Ali and your address is P.O. Box 990, Manama , Bahrain . Use the format next page to write your letter. The Introduction and conclusion have been done for you. You only need to write the details: 1. Your address mentioned in the question 2. Today’s date 3. Receiver’s details [receiver’s name- receiver’s position- company’s address] 4. Details [when- where- who- the events before the bad situation- how the agency planned for your trip (promises & package)] 5. Details of the bad situation/ what made you dissatisfied & list of problems 6. What do you want them to do for you to make you happy? 7. Your signature and Your name in CAPITAL LETTERS Write your letter of complaint here. 3 1 ……………………………… ……………………………… 2 ……………………………… ……………………………… ……………………………… ……………………………… Dear ………………………………………, As a regular customer for your agency for many years, I have recently experienced a terrible service. Therefore, I am writing to complain and suggest ways to solve the huge mistake for which I believe Universal Travel Agency is responsible for. ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… 4 5 MATERIAL COMPILADO Y PREPARADO POR MARIA VERONICA VALDIVIA 5 From my experience, this situation was a dramatic disappointment from the superlative service that has been advertised in your brochures. In fact, I have always been loyal to your travel agency because of the exemplary treatment I have received from the staff. Because your agency caused the problems, I expect you to work seriously to obtain satisfactory resolution. Specifically, I expect you to: …………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6 I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, ……………………………………………… 7 The sentences below come from a letter of complaint but are in the wrong order. Put them in the right order and number them 1 – 10. (A) __ They then smashed a mirror and two vases as they were carrying the box upstairs. (B) __ Naturally, I expect a complete refund and compensation for the damage caused by the deliverymen. (C) __ I am writing to you about an antique box, I brought from your furniture showroom on September 18th. (D) __ When they finally got it into the bedroom, I noticed that the wood on one side was badly scratched. (E) __ Dear Sir or Madam, (F) __ I would be grateful if you would send someone competent over to pick up the box as soon as possible. (G) __ I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely ……… (H) __ I insisted that they take the box back to the showroom because of the condition it was in, but they refused and told me to get in touch with you. (I) __ As arranged, it was brought to my house by your delivery service on the day following the purchase. (J) __ As the men were carrying it into the house, they broke a panel off the side wall. STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show to Student A) 1) What kinds of things do you complain about? 2) When was the last time you complained about something? 3) Have you ever written a letter or e-mail of complaint? 4) Do you like complaining? 5) What is your complaining style – polite or aggressive? 6) How often do you complain to yourself in public? 7) Do you think complaining relieves stress? 8) Do you like to watch when other people complain? 9) Have you ever got a better service after you’ve complained? 10) Why might people complain about you? MATERIAL COMPILADO Y PREPARADO POR MARIA VERONICA VALDIVIA