in atentia grupei FCE: LETTER OF COMPLAINT

Useful phrases (
Writing formal letters and emails)
a) Writing formal letters generally:
Greetings:Dear Sir Dear MadamDear Sir/Madam*1Dear Mr Brown *2Dear Ms Jones etc.Reason
for writing:I am writing in response to your article/advertisement/letterI am writing with regard
to your article/advertisement/letterI am writing regarding your article/advertisement/letterI am
writing on behalf of Ending the letter:I look forward to receiving your replyI look forward to
your replyI look to hearing from you Yours faithfully*1Yours sincerely*2
b) Writing formal letters to complain
:Reason for writing:I am writing in order to complain aboutI am writing to complain
aboutIntroducing the complaint:FirstlyIn the first placeFirst of allMy first complaint isThe first
problem isThe first thing I would like to draw your attention to isMy first concern isIntroducing
further complaints:SecondlyIn the second placeNot only .but alsoIn additionIn addition to
this.was also unacceptableDemanding action:I suggest that you replace the itemI therefore
suggest that I be given a full refundI would be grateful if my money was refundedI would be
grateful if you could give me a full refundEnding the letter:I look forward to hearing from youI
look forward to receiving a full refund

I am writing to complain about

I am writing to express my concern about the fact that

I must complain in writing about

I feel I must complain to you about

I wish to complain in the strongest terms about

I must insist that you

I must urge you to

I am writing to inform you of an apparent error in your records

COMPLAINT other useful phrases

Poor standard of service/slow service

No accommodation/Travel delays/Rather rude staff

Badly scratched/dented wrapping/packaging

To claim/demand for a refund

Defective/faulty goods/defective item/machine

The may need replacing

To restore an item to full working order

I am enclosing the broken radio in this package; please send me a replacement..

I am returning to you for correction of the fault/for inspection/repair/servicing

I am asking for/I wish to get a replacement

You said that I feel sure there must be some mistake as I am sure that

COMPLAINTS - ending

I do not usually complain, but, as an old customer, I am sure you will be interested in

my comments.

We look forward to dealing with this matter without delay.

I feel that your company should consider an appropriate refund.

I would be grateful if you would send me a complete refund as soon as possible

We feel there must be some explanation for (this delay) and expect your prompt reply.

Will you please look into this matter and let us know the reason for
 Thank you for your assistance.

I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

I am returning the damaged goods/items and shall be glad if you will replace them.

Please look into this matter at once and let me know the delay.

Please check your records again.

Thank you for your cooperation in correcting this detail

I wish to draw your attention to

I would suggest that

I suggest that immediate steps be taken.

I wish to complain about

I look forward to a prompt reply and hope that you will take into

consideration

I am really dissatisfied with

Formal Letters.

useful phrases ( Skills for 1st Certificate Writing, Macmillan)

Greeting

Name unknown: Dear Sir/Madam,

Name known: Dear Mr/ Dear Mrs / Dear Ms..+ surname

Reason for writing

I am writing to I am writing with regard to

I am writing on behalf of

Asking questions

I would be grateful if I wonder if you could .

Could you ?

Referring to their letter /points

As you stated in your letter, . Regarding /

Concerning

With regard to .

Closing expressions

If you require any further information, please do not

hesitate to contact me.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Signing off

If Dear + name: Yours sincerely,

If Dear Sir/ Madam: Yours faithfully

(Dear + first name : Yours,)

name
Your first name + surname printed clearly under your signature

Sample letter.

You recently visited a local sports centre and were dissatisfied with the service provided. You
have
decided to write to the manager.

Carefully read this advertisement for the sports centre and the notes you have made. Write a
letter to
the manager, complaining about the service you received and suggesting improvements.

Newtown Sports Centre

Now in its third year, your sports centre offers

.
A fully- equipped gym
.
Professional staff
.
A swimming pool
.
Full-size tennis courts
.
Lessons in many sports

So, get your trainers on and come on down.

Practise your backstroke! Lose a few pounds!

Newtown Sports Centre is the place to be!

Model.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing following a recent visit to the Newtown Sports Centre. I would like to express my
disappointment with the service I received.

Although the staff were generally polite and helpful, they seemed to lack basic sports knowledge.
None
of them could offer any advice to me on choosing a tennis racket. I suggest that you send your
employees on suitable training courses..

Another cause for complaint was that the swimming pool was closed. I understand that repairs
and
maintenance need to be carried out. However, when I called for information the day before my
visit, the
receptionist did not mention that the pool was closed. If I had known, I would have visited the
sports
centre at another time.

Finally, offering lessons in different sports is a good idea, but in my opinion they seem to be
very
expensive. Considering the membership fee, the prices of lessons should be lower, and more
sports
should be offered. I was disappointed that neither diving nor windsurfing was available.

I hope you will take these points into consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,
Joe Bloggs.

Checklist.

When you have written your letter, check:

.
It is a formal letter
.
It includes all the information necessary
.
You have asked all the questions you need to
.
The questions are correctly formulated indirect questions
.
The letter is divided into paragraphs

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/words/letters-of-complaint
.
You have checked the letter carefully for mistakes

CAE
Useful Expressions for Articles and Competition Entries
Here are some useful expressions for Articles and Competition Entries. Have a look, then try the
quiz to test your knowledge.
(contributed by Jane, Nervion)

What is clear, is that ...

What I do think is ...
It's absolutely amazing how ... is able to ...
So, for all the reasons I've outlined, I strongly believe ...
Last but not least, ...
... is no easy task, but with ..., who could possibly fail to ...
You won't regret selecting me for ...
The opportunity afforded by this prize would not only ..., but would also ...
And, who knows, ... might well (turn out to be) ...
The question is: can you?
Did you know ...?
Are you aware that ...?
Nevertheless, the prospect of ... is just too exciting for me to be put off by dull statistics.
Whether we like it or not...
It cannot be denied that ...
... is the key to ...

Speaking : Useful phrases:

PART 1
I'm speaking English for my own satisfaction / my job / in order to improve my employment prospects.
If you want to go ahead these days, you need to have a good command of English
I always loved (the sea).
I'd love to visit places untouched by man.
However, there's no place like home.
That's a big question!
I want to be a useful member of society.
I'm keen on ...
I'm an avid (traveler, zapalony) ...
I haven't given it much thought until now.

PART 2
What strikes me about the first picture is the fact that...
This picture reminds me of...
Judging from the photograph, the children...
The man appears to be...
From what we can see here, he must...
There are many similarities...
Both picture depict...
Both picture are quite similar in that they show...
When you give it a closer look it reveals...

The first picture ... whereas the other picture ...

Another important difference is...
Picture ... doesn't show ... as clearly as ...
Picture ... attempts to ... but I think picture ... does this more effectively...
All pictures are interesting, but ... gives a stronger idea of...

It's difficult to tell from a photograph but this picture could have been taken in ...
I might be wrong, but I'd say that this picture ...
I would imagine/guess that this picture comes from ...

Picture ... is by far the best to show because ...

To me, picture ... is essential for this kind of publication.

I'm surprised there is no picture showing...

A picture of ... would get the message across more effectively.
The cover would be so much better if we had a picture of ...
So let's look at the alternatives ...

The name for this escapes me at present, but it's for/it's like ...
The name for it is on the tip of my tongue ...

PART 3
Up to the problem in question ...
The main problem centres around ...
It's my belief ...
For my part ...
As I see it ...
As I was saying ...
I forgot to mention ...
I'm of the opinion that ...
To my mind ...
To my way of thinking ...
I am convinced that ...
I am inclined to believe that ...

Don't get me wrong but shouldn't we ... ?

Judging by ... they must be ...
... is a separate issue.
Moving on to ...
Taking everything into account ...

I couldn't agree more.

I agree up to a point.
I think I see what you mean, but ...
I'm in two minds about it. / I'm ambivalent about ...
I don't see eye to eye with you here ...
That's true in a way, I suppose, but ...
I don't feel convinced ...
That's one way of looking at it. On the other hand ...

Can you take a clear stand on that matter?

It brings to the question / idea / problem of ...

Perhaps we should put ... first? What do you think?

A strong point in favour of ... is that ...
What do you think should go next?
Are you happy with this order then?
Do you go along with that?

PART 4
Just following from what X was saying, I also feel ...
While generally agreeing with X, I must say that ...
Adding to what X has just said, I think ...
I can sympathise with what X said but ...
One thing X didn't mention is ...
Surprising, as it may seem, I don't support X's view on ...
Perhaps it should be also emphasized that ... / it should be pointed out that ...