Complaints
Wednesday 18th September 2024
Complaints
Wednesday 18th September 2024
Role Play Complaint - Positive
Example
Karen: I have a problem. I bought these shoes last week and today the bottom came
off. I'm very angry.
Salesman: I'm sorry madam. It seems like there was a mistake in making them. We can
give you new ones.
Karen: Thank you, but I want my money back. These shoes are not good quality and I
am not happy with them.
Salesman: Okay, let's see what we can do. Were there any other issues apart from
the broken bottom?
Karen: Yes, when I saw these shoes in your ad, they looked different. That's false
advertising.
Salesman: I get why you're upset. Maybe I can give you something extra for your
trouble? Would that help?
Karen: Well...I really wanted those shoes, but some extra help would be nice.
Salesman: Great. How about a gift card?
Karen: Yes, that would be good. Can you also try to make sure this doesn't happen
again in the future?
Salesman: Definitely. We listen to our customers' feedback. Thank you for your
suggestion.
Karen: Thank you for understanding.
Salesman: No problem at all. Anything else you need help with?
Karen: No, that's it. Thanks for your help.
Role Play Complaint - Negative
Example
Catherine: Hello, is the boss here?
Receptionist: Sorry, she's not in today. What do you need help with?
Catherine: I bought this phone yesterday and now it's broken. It won't switch on at
all.
Receptionist: Oh dear, that's annoying. Did you drop it or damage it?
Catherine: No, I took good care of it. It just stopped working suddenly.
Receptionist: Let me see if others have had a similar problem. Can you tell me all
the details so I can make a complaint for you?
Catherine: Thanks. It's not right when a new thing breaks after one day.
Receptionist: We don't want our customers to be unhappy. What exactly happened when
the phone stopped working?
Catherine: I was making a call and then it shut down and didn't respond. That's
never happened before with my phones.
Receptionist: That's strange. Our company doesn't promote bad products. Please wait
while I find more info on this issue.
(5 minutes later)
Receptionist: Okay Ms. Catherine, there have been some problems reported with this
model recently. We'll give you a refund soon. Anything else I can help you with?
Catherine: Besides a refund, I think I deserve compensation for the wasted time and
disappointment.
Receptionist: I understand. I'll note that for management to review. We're sorry
for the trouble and we'll also offer you a discount on your next purchase.
Catherine: That's fair. Thank you. But I'll shop elsewhere, I don't like false
advertising and unreliable products.
Receptionist: We respect your choice. Hopefully, we can earn your trust again in
the future. Have a good day.
Model answer - what is good about this? What could be improved?
Structure
Brief opening paragraph 1 – you can ask how your friend is / apologise for
something / state the reason for writing the email.
• Paragraph 2 – explain why you bought the item
• Paragraph 3 – describe the problem with the item
• Paragraph 4 - say what you are going to do about it
• Brief closing paragraph 5 – this paragraph can include questions you have for
your friend / a future invitation / a suggestion/recommendation for your friend.
To be included:
Informal language - use of contractions
3 main paragraphs
A range of sentence structures (simple, compound and complex)
A range of sentence starters (connectives, adverbs and prepositions)
A range of punctuation (comma, exclamation and question mark)
