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Activity 1

Activity 2

Activity 3

Activity 4

Making ComplaintsMaking Complaints

Activity 5

Activity 6

Activity 7

Activity 8

Activity 9

Activity 10

Activity 11

Activity 12

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sLesson 1: Verbal complaints

Discuss these examples of making complaints and what makes them effective/ineffective? How could they be more effective?

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“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!”

“Waiter, this soup is disgusting. I demand you do something about it now! I will not be paying for this, you know.”

“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.”

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

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sListen to these responses from the waiter. Discuss with your partner which are effective/ineffective and why.

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“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.”

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sWhat 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:

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First

Last

Advantages

Statistics

Recommendations

Facts

Feelings/emotions

Desired outcomes

Opinions

Disadvantages

Which combination and order of points made the complaint most effectively? Why do you think that is?

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‘Prawns are off’ – Fawlty Towers (BBC)

(click here)

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Watch the clip below. Think about the service the customer receives.

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.

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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.

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Reasons to complainReasons to complain How to make a complaintHow to make a complaint

When it is/is not appropriate to complainWhen it is/is not appropriate to complain How to deal with a complaintHow to deal with a complaint

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).

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Identify who you would complain to about each of these problems:

Who to complain to?

Receptionist

Headteacher

Teacher

Store manager

Customer services

Local councillor

Stewardess

Pilot

Manufacturer

Manager

Shop assistant

Postal service

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A new shirt changed colour when you washed it.

Your English class is boring one day.

Your new camera takes fuzzy pictures.

Your hotel room is very noisy.

A factory near your house makes a lot of pollution.

There is a dead mouse inside a packet of crisps you have bought from a local shop.

There is a scratch on a new appliance you have bought.

Your food on an aeroplane journey tastes bad.

An on-line order is one day late arriving.

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A new shirt changed colour when you washed it.

Your English class is boring one day.

Your new camera takes fuzzy pictures.

Your hotel room is very noisy.

There is a dead mouse inside a packet of crisps you have bought from a local shop.

There is a scratch on a new appliance you have bought.

Your food on an aeroplane journey tastes bad.

An on-line order is one day late arriving.

A factory near your house makes a lot of pollution.

Discuss with your partner reasons why someone would complain about each of these problems, and reasons why they might not want to complain.

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sAppropriate 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...

Using some of these appropriate starters, role play with your partner one of the scenarios from Activity 5. Was your complaint dealt with properly?

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sYou 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

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Organising paragraphs – sequence the following paragraphs into a letter of complaint:

Making complaints

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 25 th 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.

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.

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s 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.

This is how the letter should be organised. Identify the topics of each of the paragraphs:

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Disadvantages

Desired outcome

Purpose

Opinions

Facts

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sAppropriate 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

at your 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 ColeAct

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sUsing 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.

(Click here)

………………………………………………

………………………………………………………

Dear Sir/Madam,

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Yours sincerely,

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sDealing with complaints

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

Read the response here from the train company to the letter of complaint you have previously read. Highlight in redred any facts used; highlight in blueblue attempts to appease the complainant; highlight in greengreen where the train company explains its actions.

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sNow read the email below complaining about a problem with a customer’s mobile phone. Highlight: facts (redred); feelings (blueblue); disadvantages (greengreen); desired outcomes (yellowyellow).

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

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.

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