Making Complaints

1. Making Complaints Activity 1 Activity 5 Activity 9 Activity 2 Activity 6 Activity 10 Activity 3 Activity 7 Activity 11 Activity 4 Activity 8 Activity 12

2. Lesson 1: Verbal complaints Discuss these examples of making complaints and what makes them effective/ineffective? How could they be more effective? Activity 1 “Oi, mate, this soup’s stone cold. What do you think you’re playing at? You give us the cold-shoulder when we came in, took flaming ages taking the order and now the food’s minging!” “Um, excuse me, um, I’m not sure about this soup. Is it meant to be like this? I’m not sure whether I like it. Sorry.” “Waiter, this soup is disgusting. I demand you do something about it now! I will not be paying for this, you know.”

3. Having listened to those complaints and discussed why they are ineffective, list five points of advice for someone on how to make a complaint effectively: Activity 1

4. Listen to these responses from the waiter. Discuss with your partner which are effective/ineffective and why. Activity 2 “Oh, well it ain’t my fault, it was like that when I picked it up from the kitchen. What do you want me to do about it?” “Yeah, well, I think it’s meant to be like that. Some soups are supposed to be cold; I think it might be one like that. I’m sure it’s alright really.” “I’ll get the chef from the kitchen; he’s the one you should be shouting at not me. He’s always doing things like this, he’s useless.”

5. What should the waiter have said to the customer in this situation? Could you use the same advice as for making complaints?Select from the list below the points that should be made when complaining about service/products and organise them into the order you would state them: Recommendations First Advantages Which combination and order of points made the complaint most effectively? Why do you think that is? Opinions Facts Activity 2 Disadvantages Feelings/emotions Statistics Last Desired outcomes

6. Watch the clip below. Think about the service the customer receives. ‘Prawns are off’ – Fawlty Towers (BBC) (click here) Activity 2 In pairs, role play making a complaint about poor service in a restaurant using different combinations of the points you ordered in the last side.

7. Using the five pieces of advice for you have written, role play with your complaining partner making a complaint over the phone to your internet provider about problems with the service they provide. Activity 3

8. In groups, plan an advice sheet about making complaints, giving reasons why someone should complain, instances when it is/is not appropriate to complain, how complaints should be made (or should not be made), and how they should be dealt with (i.e. what the provider should do in response to a complaint). Reasons to complain How to make a complaint Activity 4 When it is/is not appropriate to complain How to deal with a complaint

9. Who to complain to? Identify who you would complain to about each of these problems: Teacher Manufacturer Shop assistant Manager Receptionist Pilot Local councillor Activity 5 Store manager Stewardess Customer services Headteacher Postal service

10. Discuss with your partner reasons why someone would complain about each of these problems, and reasons why they might not want to complain. Activity 5 A new shirt changed colour when you washed it. Your food on an aeroplane journey tastes bad. Your new camera takes fuzzy pictures. There is a dead mouse inside a packet of crisps you have bought from a local shop. Your English class is boring one day. A factory near your house makes a lot of pollution. An on-line order is one day late arriving. There is a scratch on a new appliance you have bought. Your hotel room is very noisy.

11. Appropriate language Complaining doesn’t mean getting nasty. Complete the following sentence starters to make a complaint. Are some of these more suited to verbal or written complaints? I'm sorry to have to say this but... I'm sorry to bother you, but... Maybe you forgot to... I think you might have forgotten to... Excuse me if I'm out of line, but... There may have been a misunderstanding about... Don't get me wrong, but I think we should... t Activity 6 Using some of these appropriate starters, role play with your partner one of the scenarios from Activity 5. Was your complaint dealt with properly?

12. You are concerned about bullying of younger students in your school. • Write to your Headteacher outlining your complaint. Remember to include: • Facts • Feelings • Disadvantages • Desired outcomes Plan your ideas Activity 7

13. Making complaints Organising paragraphs – sequence the following paragraphs into a letter of complaint: It is my belief that I should be refunded the additional ticket cost and be compensated in some way for the inconvenience and stress caused by these delays. I anticipate your swift response and a satisfactory outcome. I caught the 07.22 from Bath to Swindon on the morning of 25th February which usually gets me to Swindon by 07.56 to catch the 08.07 to London. However, on this day there were severe delays which meant that the Bath train did not reach Swindon until 08.22, meaning I missed my booked train to London. I am writing to complain about the severely delayed train service from Bath to London on 25th February. Activity 8 Consequently, my delayed arrival in London meant I was late for an important meeting and I looked very unprofessional. Unfortunately, my company lost business to a rival as a result of this. The guard on the London train made me buy another ticket as mine wasn’t valid on the later train, which I feel was unnecessary given that it was the train company’s fault that I was made late. I think this policy is unfair to customers who are reliant on connecting trains to get them to work on time.

14. This is how the letter should be organised. Identify the topics of each of the paragraphs: Disadvantages I am writing to complain about the severely delayed train service from Bath to London on 25th February. I caught the 07.22 from Bath to Swindon on the morning of 25th February which usually gets me to Swindon by 07.56 to catch the 08.07 to London. However, on this day there were severe delays which meant that the Bath train did not reach Swindon until 08.22, meaning I missed my booked train to London. The guard on the London train made me buy another ticket as mine wasn’t valid on the later train, which I feel was unnecessary given that it was the train company’s fault that I was made late. I think this policy is unfair to customers who are reliant on connecting trains to get them to work on time. Consequently, my delayed arrival in London meant I was late for an important meeting and I looked very unprofessional. Unfortunately, my company lost business to a rival as a result of this. It is my belief that I should be refunded the additional ticket cost and be compensated in some way for the inconvenience and stress caused by these delays. I anticipate your swift response and a satisfactory outcome. Desired outcome Purpose Opinions Facts Activity 8

15. Appropriate language choices Select the most appropriate word to fill each blank in the letter below. Discuss why your choices are more suitable than the others. Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to about the service I received whilst atyour restaurant last Tuesday evening. I was at having to wait three quarters of an hour to be seated. When we eventually tried to order the waitress was very and ignored us. Finally, we the food did arrive it was and none of our party could eat it. Therefore, I am that you refund our money for what was a disappointing evening. Yours faithfully, Laila Cole Activity 9

16. Using the information you have on writing and organising paragraphs, and using appropriate language, write a letter of complaint to shop where you have received unsatisfactory service. ……………… ……………… ……………… ………………… ………………… ………………… Dear Sir/Madam, ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Yours sincerely, Activity 10 (Click here)

17. Dealing with complaints Read the response here from the train company to the letter of complaint you have previously read. Highlight in red any facts used; highlight in blueattempts to appease the complainant; highlight in green where the train company explains its actions. Dear … Thank you for your recent correspondence concerning your journey of 25 February from Bath to London. I can confirm that our Service Level Agreement requires that we provide a full response to all correspondence within 10 working days has been fulfilled. I was very sorry to learn that you were delayed on this service and I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience we have caused you on this occasion. I confirm that the delay was as a result of a train breaking down at Swindon station which affected inbound services on all routes into Swindon; however I assure you that everyone concerned in operating this service did their best to ensure that the delay was kept to a minimum. Our Passenger Charter entitles you to compensation for this delay in the form of travel vouchers and I have calculated this to be £11.00. I trust that you will be able to use these vouchers as a contribution towards a future, and more pleasant, journey by rail. Once again, please accept my apologies for not providing you with the service you expected on this occasion. If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. Yours sincerely, Michael Prentice Activity 11

18. Now read the email below complaining about a problem with a customer’s mobile phone. Highlight: facts (red); feelings (blue); disadvantages (green); desired outcomes (yellow). Write your response to this customer’s complaint as if you were working for Carphone Warehouse. Remember to respond to each of the customer’s points. Dear Sir/Madam, On 17 March I bought a Nokia 3450 from my local Carphone Warehouse store in Bolton as a present for my 10 year-old son. I followed the manufacturer’s instructions for setting up and registering the phone and initially it worked well. However, on 21 March, four days after buying it, the phone would not charge up and the phone would not take incoming calls. As a result of not receiving one of my calls, my son did not know that I was unable to pick him up from school and he was waiting on his own in the rain for forty-five minutes. I bought this phone to have peace of mind knowing where my son is and the additional safety it would offer. It is unacceptable for a phone to break so soon after purchase, and to leave a worried parent anxious about their child as a result. I would like Carphone Warehouse to replace this phone and to give reassurances that this will not happen again. Kind regards, George Morgan Activity 12