Complaint letter writing activities –Khanfar Mouna

Complaint letters - gap fill: exercise 1Fill in all the gaps using the words
given:   alternative      assured      circumstances      connection      consequently     
convenience      faithfully      hearing      inform      misleading      raised      refund     
situated      therefore   

Dear Sir / Madam,

connection
I am writing in with the hotel accommodation at the Star Heights Hotel, Cebu
City, Philippines, which I booked through your Queen's Road office on 3 January.

inform
I regret to you that the information given by your sales assistant, Mr Terence
misleading
Chan, was completely .

I was particularly concerned that the hotel should be in a quiet location and close to a
raised
beach, as we have small children who cannot walk long distances. When I this
situated
point with Mr Chan, he told me that the hotel was in private gardens and was
therefore
very close to the beach. I was extremely disappointed, , to find that the hotel
was in fact next to a busy motorway and the beach was nearly three miles away.

assured
I also asked Mr Chan whether there was a swimming pool and he me that there
was. In fact, he was particularly certain about this point as he claimed to have stayed at
the hotel himself the previous year. You might imagine my feelings to find that the
swimming pool was in a state of disrepair and, according to the hotel staff, had been in
this condition for the past three years.
Consequently
, we were unable to swim at all during our stay at the hotel, while the constant
noise from
the motorway made sleep at nights difficult. In fact, we were eventually forced to find

alternative
accommodation elsewhere at considerable expense.
circumstances refund
In the , I think that it would be appropriate for you to the
cost of the hotel accommodation in full.
hearing conveinenc
I look forward to from you at your earliest .

faithfully
Yours ,
 Complaint letter writing activities –Khanfar Mouna
Complaint letter - exercise 2
Fill in all the gaps,
Dear Ms Smith

Faulty Ipsum C101x Colour printer

purchased
On 21 January 2010 I an Ipsum C101x colour printer for $99.95 from your

prepared receipt review

King's Road branch. I have [?] a copy of my [?] for your .

discov
When I returned home and unpacked the Ipsum C101x, I that the printer was

unable to load paper and therefore I could not print anything. I returned to the King's

sold
Road branch and the sales assistant (Oliver O'Grady ) told me that you no longer

[?] the Ipsum C101x, but for an additional $19.90 I could upgrade to the Ipsum C200.

expressed
I [?] to the sales assistant that I didn’t want the extra expense of upgrading to

like refund
the Ipsum C200 and would [?] to get a [?] for the faulty unit I had

policy refunds
purchased. He told me that it was not company to give [?].

undoub receive faulty

I believe that it is my rights to a refund for a [?] product and I would

full
like to return the appliance to your King's road branch for a [?] refund of the

w ithin
purchase price. Please contact me the next two weeks to arrange a convenient

time for me to return the appliance and collect my refund.

reached during
I can be [?] at home on the phone number above or at 2461 8032 [?]

forw ard hearing pursue

business hours. I look to from you if you wish to [?] this further.

truely
Yours [?]
 Complaint letter writing activities –Khanfar Mouna

Exercice 3 :Complaint letters - gap fill

Fill in all the gaps using the following words

   agreed      circumstances      connection      consideration      course     
Further      Furthermore      presented      provided      sincerely     
unprofessional      worse   
Dear Mr Simpkins,

Further connectio
to our telephone conversation earlier today, I am writing in with the

provided
catering services which you on 12 December for our annual dinner.

You are aware that over twenty of our guests suffered food poisoning, caused directly by

Furtherm unprofessional
the food you provided. your staff were and clearly had not been

properly trained for this type of work. The waiters were rude and slovenly while the

kitchen staff were dirty in appearance and did not wear the correct clothing stipulated in

government regulations relating to hygiene and public catering.

w orse presented agreed

To make matters , I was with a bill which was $1,500 over the price

circumstances
and told to pay immediately. In the , I think my refusal was quite reasonable.

consideration
Having taken all of the above into , I have now spoken with our solicitors and

course
you will be hearing from them in due .

sincerely
Yours
 Complaint letter writing activities –Khanfar Mouna

Exercise 4: Complaint letter: Arrange the paragraphs on the right next to the correct

paragraph descriptions on the left.

A B

a) On arrival, the accommodation had not been cleaned, the

air conditioning was not working and there was no hot
1. Introduction stating water. These problems were pointed out to your resort
the subject of the representative David Kitchen, who was unable to resolve
complaint. (b) them to our satisfaction.

b) I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the self

2. Precise details of the catering accommodation provided for my family at the
complaint (a) Palm Tree Resort, Rayleigh Beach, Thailand, from 10-24
October 2006.

3. Further details and c) I would appreciate it if you would look into this matter at
how the problem has your earliest convenience with a view to refunding my
affected you. (d) supplement and providing appropriate compensation for
the distress suffered.

4. Demand for some d) We had no alternative but to accept another bungalow a

form of compensation long way from the beach despite having paid a
(c) supplement for a prime position next to the shore. This
detracted significantly from our enjoyment of the holiday

1 2 3 4

Exercice 5 : Complaint letter - basic structure: Arrange the letter section contents

A B

Section 1 a) Give precise details of the complaint

Section 2
Section 3 b) Give further details if necessary; explain how you have
Section 4 been affected (inconvenienced etc.)
Section 5 c) Demand or request some form of action: action to
resolve the problem, compensation, apology, enquiry
etc

d) If necessary, threaten whatever action you think

appropriate (writing to a higher authority; publicizing
the case in the press; taking legal action etc.)

e) Refer to any previous communication: phone call,

 Complaint letter writing activities –Khanfar Mouna
conversation, emails etc. if appropriate; state the main
subject of the complaint.

1 2 3 4 5

e a b C d

Exercise 6: Match test – complaint: Match the pairs

A B

Paragraph 1 a) I would be grateful if you could take whatever action necessary to

encourage Mr Phillips to show more consideration towards his
neighbours in future.
Paragraph 2
b) I am writing to draw your attention to the anti-social behaviour of
your tenant, Mr Jason Philips, who is currently renting your
Paragraph 3 property at 3/F Cage Street, Central.

Paragraph 4 c) In addition to this, Mr Philips insists on storing his bicycle in the

lobby area, which obstructs other tenants on their way to the lifts.

d) On three occasions in the past week, I have had cause to ask Mr

Philips to turn down his hi-fi player after midnight.

1 2 3 4

b d c a

Exercise 7: Complaints – organization: Match the pairs

A B

1) Introduction stating a) Firstly, the room had not been cleaned

the subject of the when we arrived, and the TV set was
complaint. not working.

b) I am writing to complain about the

accommodation I booked at the Bala
2) Details of the problem Lake Resort on 12 August.
- first part.
c) I would appreciate it if you would look
3) Details of the problem
into the matter,
- second part.
and refund the supplement we paid for
4) Effects of the problem the lakeside view.
- how you were
inconvenienced. d) Furthermore, although we had paid
 Complaint letter writing activities –Khanfar Mouna
5) Solution extra for a lake view, the bungalow we
were given was nearly 400 meters
from the lake.
e) As a result my elderly mother could
not enjoy the lake at all.

1 2 3 4 5

b a d e c

Exercise 8: Reorder the parts of a Complaint letter from a business customer to a

telephone company

a) Dear Sir,
b) I am writing this letter to complain in the strongest terms about the poor service that I have
received from your company.

c) We signed up to your telephone and internet service package two months ago because your
advertising suggests that you are better than Telco. In addition, you promise to deal with
problems quickly and efficiently, something that Telco were unable or unwilling to do.

d) However, in the first month of service you managed to cause me to lose two days worth of
business because of poor administration. The main problem was that you failed to provide
me with the correct telephone number, 9818 8747, that you had promised when I completed
the contract.

e) This phone number was an established business line which I had been using for the last three
years. Obviously this meant that my clients were unable to contact me and it cost me many
hours of phone calls to resolve the matter with your support centre.

f) I would appreciate it if this situation could be resolved and a substantial rebate offered on my
first three month's account.

g) I look forward to hearing from you soon.

h) Yours Faithfully
i) Charlie Williams

Exercise 9: Reorder the parts of the complaint letter

a) Dear Sir or Madam,
b) I am writing to complain about the advertisement which I recently saw aired during the
commercials of the children’s weekend TV programme.
c) I am referring to the advertisement which shows 6 beautiful, young children playing in the
school yard when a new-at-school child walks up to them and asks if she can play with them.
She immediately gets rejected owing to not wearing the specific brand of clothes advertised
which the rest of the children are all wearing. To begin with, this brand’s fashion line costs a
lot more than the average, employed householders can afford. It is common knowledge that
most families’ financial situations are tight and this is no time for lavishness.
d) To make matters worse, the impact that this advertisement is making on the children’s
morale and self-confidence, especially on those unpopular and introverted ones, is literally
 Complaint letter writing activities –Khanfar Mouna
crushing. Not only do they have to face challenges in the grounds of homework load at
school, but they now must go under even more peer pressure in and out of school.
e) The children, at the most impressionable age they will ever be, should learn the value of
money and demanding to get a lovely pair of trendy trousers as a prize for getting good
grades or eating right or simply as a Christmas present will not teach them this lesson.
f) I would like to request that this advertisement is removed from your commercial breaks
during the children’s zone. Its place can be filled in by messages about developing healthier
eating habits at a young age or simply by extending the air time of the educational shows on
the children’s TV. I have already made a written complaint to the advertising company,
indenting on their riddance of the fashion company concerned as their clients. I enclose a
copy of this letter for your reference.

g) I look forward to hearing from you.

h) Yours faithfully,

Exercise 10: Reorder the parts of the complaint letter

a) (Mrs J Smith)

b) Alltours,

342 Rich Road

Bemworth

Devon VF7 6JK

a) 66 Trees Lounge,

Bemworth,

Devon CG4 5HZ

14 September 2002

b) Dear Sir/Madam,

c) My husband and I have just returned from one of your “special city tours” in Amsterdam
(August 31 – September 10) and I am writing to complain about the holiday we were
given.

d) To begin with, the hotel was not at all what we had been led to expect from your
brochure. You advertise air-conditioned rooms with mini bar and private bathroom, but
what we got was a tiny room with none of the promised appliances. The room only had a
washbasin and we had to share the sanitary installations with five other parties on our
floor. The temperature was 90° every day, so you can imagine the comforts of a room
with nothing but the cold water tub for cooling. As for the hotel staff, whenever we called
down to the reception there was simply no one around. There did not even seem to be
any cleaning staff since our beds were made once during the whole of our stay.

e) Added to all this, the tourist guide included in your offer had fallen ill shortly before we
arrived and there was obviously nobody in charge to organise a suitable substitute. After
five days a courier tuned up who spoke only fragmentary English and we had difficulties
understanding only half of what he said.
 Complaint letter writing activities –Khanfar Mouna
f) As you will realise, we are highly dissatisfied with the holiday your company provided and
we do not see why we should put up with it. We expect a letter of explanation as well as a
substantial refund of our money. Unless this is forthcoming, we shall have to take matters
a step further.

g) Yours faithfully,

Exercise 11: Fill in the gaps using the words given: return- failed- money -refund- defect
-Thomas- contact- hair dryer- replaced -Sincerely - hot - April 16, 2010

123 North East Rosewood Street

Chicago, IL 65432

April 25, 2010

Michael Jones, Sales Manager

ABC Enterprise
186 South East Rosewood Street
Chicago, IL 65432

Dear Mr. Jones,

If you will recall, I recently purchased a (1)hair dryer from your shop on April12, 2010. In fact,
you assisted me during my visit at your store. I shopped for the Ultra-Drying Series with a
model number UDS-8744. The product was shipped to my home (2) on April 16, 2010 with a
transaction number is 8755124.

Since then, it has(3)failed to power up three times. After operating for an hour, it would just
shut down. The air it blows isn’t (4)hot, as stated in the product description. This item is integral
to my business and I haven’t been able to properly use because of this obvious (5) defect. This
is not good, and has cost me a substantial amount of (6) money.

I would like to have this product immediately (7) replaced with a working unit of the same brand
or model within 3 days. If you cannot provide me with a replacement, I would like to return (8)
the unit I have and for you to(9) refund my payment.

If you need to discuss more with me regarding this issue, please (10) contact me anytime at
872-7777.

Thank you very much!

(10) Sincerely Yours,

Thomas Matilde (11)

Exercise 12: Fill in the gaps using the words given: sitting the slowly- rudely -purchase
elsewhere- name - customer - on - company -behaviour

Josh Hamilton
Store Manager
G Mart Pvt. Ltd.
863, Main Street,
1423, New York City, New York
 Complaint letter writing activities –Khanfar Mouna

Dear Mr. Hamilton

I have been a loyal (1) customer of your stores for the past 5 years, I have time and again
received great service at your mart which is one of the main reasons I shop at your store. But to
my surprise, on the date of 23rd August, 2010, I was at the receiving end of some very poor
service at your mart.

On the said date, I made the (2) purchase of my weekly groceries, and headed towards the
cash counter to pay for them. The person (3) sitting at the counter, who was wearing the name
tag of Jen, was talking on her cell phone. When I asked her to make (4) the bill, she said she
would do it in 5 minutes, and resumed her conversation (5) on the phone. After a good 10
minutes, she started with her work and did it very (6) slowly. The bill, apparently totalled up
to more than I expected, so I asked her to recheck it. Instead, she talked to me very (7)
rudely, and told me that if I did not like the prices, I could take my business (8) elsewhere.

I was shocked at such (9) behaviour, and have a good mind to take my business elsewhere as
suggested. I hope you would look into the matter, and make sure such an incident is not
repeated. Your (10) company has been known to provide good services, and such events
tarnish the company (11) name, so please address this issue soon.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Sincere Regards,
Timothy Stark

Exercise 13: Fill in the gaps using the words given: Jane -Sincerely- hear -Please -always -was
-apology -wedding -satisfactory - because honeymoon -alternative - Honolulu -unable -get
-explanations -missed - Because -September -compensation- Airport –flight- Sadly- terrible –
confirmed- trip –essential- lifetime- her-

111 Walnut Street

Avondale, PA 43211
717-555-7777

October 1, 2004

Mr. Shawn Gray

President
Gray Travel Agency
111 Main Street
Warren, PA 42111

Dear Mr. Gray,

 Complaint letter writing activities –Khanfar Mouna
After successfully using your agency for many years, I recently experienced a (1) terrible
problem. I am writing to obtain (2) compensation for a huge mistake for which I believe your
firm is responsible.

On (3) September 1, 2000, I used Gray Travel to book my wedding (4) trip to Hawaii. Your
agent, Carla Drysdale, made all of the arrangements for us. She booked my husband and I on
the American Airlines (5) flight to Honolulu (Flight 444) on September 14, which was scheduled
to arrive at 6 am on the morning of September 15. Our timely arrival was (6) essential, as we
were scheduled to participate in a tour group which began its journey on the afternoon of
September 15.

Upon our arrival at the San Francisco (7) Airport, we discovered that our reservations had not
been (8) confirmed and the airline had overbooked the flight. (9)Sadly, we were unable to (10)
get seats on the plane, which was the last American Airlines flight to Hawaii that day. We were
reluctant to book seats on another airline, as we had already paid for this trip in full, using a
Visa card (account #3374 7796 0039 0021). Our card was charged, yet we had no flight.
Unfortunately, our credit limit was inadequate to book a different flight on another airline.

The bottom-line: we (11) missed our flight to Hawaii, along with our tour group's departure in
Honolulu. Instead of lying on a tranquil beach, we spent our first married days in the Airport
Hilton in San Franciso, trying to sort out this mess. We were (12) unable to speak with Ms.
Drysdale until Monday, September 16, which was two days after our scheduled departure. She
was extremely apologetic, but could not explain what had caused the problem. She was unable
to book us on an (13) alternative flight to Hawaii on such short notice, but did offer to clear our
credit card of all charges. She offered us no further (14) explanations or compensation.

My husband and I are both livid. We planned this trip for over a year and were excited about
visiting Hawaii on our (15). Ms. Drysdales's mistake cost us our once-in-a-(16) lifetime chance
to fulfill a significant personal dream. In fact, we not only missed the trip; we are still fighting to
recover our deposits at the hotel in (17) Honolulu!

(18) Because your agency caused the problems, we expect you to work with us to obtain a (19)
satisfactory resolution.

Your agency can't give us back our (20) honeymoon trip, but we expect you to provide a future
trip comparable to the one we were denied (21) of your booking mistake. We also expect a full
(22) apology from Ms. Drysdale and assurance that she takes responsibility for her (23) error.

From our experience, this situation (24) was a dramatic letdown from the superlative service
that we usually receive from Gray Travel. In fact, we have (25) always been loyal to your firm
because of the exemplary treatment we have received from you and your attentive staff. We
suggest that you coach Ms. Drysdale in proper booking procedures and in customer relations.
Her behaviour does not reflect positively on Gray Travel.

(26) Please call me before October 15 with confirmation that our requests will be honoured. If I
don't (27) hear from you, I will report you to the appropriate regulatory agencies in California
and Hawaii.

(28)Sincerely,

(29) Jane Myers

Exercise 14: complete the dialogue

 Complaint letter writing activities –Khanfar Mouna
Unfortunately, mistakes sometimes happen. When this is the case, customer service
representatives need to handle consumers' complaints. It's also important for customer service
reps to gather information to help resolve the problem. The following short dialog provides some
helpful phrases to deal with complaints:

Customer: Good morning. I purchased a computer from your company last month.
Unfortunately, I'm not satisfied with my new computer. I'm having a lot of problems.
Customer Care Representative: Hello Sir. What problems are you having today?

Customer: I'm having problems with my Internet connection, as well as repeated crashes when
I try to run my word-processing software.
Customer Care Representative: Sir, did you read the setup guide?

Customer: Well, yes I read the instructions that came with the computer. But the
troubleshooting section was no help.
Customer Care Representative: Did you try the online troubleshooter?

Customer: Well, the Internet connection doesn't work. I think the modem is broken. I'd like a
replacement.
Customer Care Representative: Sir, did you connect to the internet?

Customer: I was trying to connect to the Internet! What kind of question is that?!
Customer Care Representative: I understand you're upset, sir. I'm just trying to understand
the problem.

Customer: I bought this computer with the software pre-loaded. I haven't touched anything.
Customer Care Representative: Okay. We’ll be right over.

Customer: OK, that will work for me.

Customer Care Representative: Is there any other problem?

Customer: No, I'd just like to be able to use my computer to connect to the Internet.
Customer Care Representative: Okay. Nice.

Exercise 15: Fill in the blanks with the following words to make the letter of complaint
meaningful.” will-supposed-on-top-according-faithfully-how-refused-been-however-
both-complain-as if-could-matters-receiving-between-even though-complaints-from

43 Railway Cuttings

Birmingham

The Managing Director

Club20-30 Holidays

26 Spratt Street

London W3

1st July 1989

Dear Sir,
 Complaint letter writing activities –Khanfar Mouna
I’m writing to (1) complain about a Club 20-30 holiday I went (2) on at the Karameli between
14th and 28th June.

(3) According to your brochure, accommodation was (4) supposed to be in a small villa. (5)
However, when I got to Karamelli, I was taken to a modern hotel a mile (6) from the sea.(7)
Even though it had just been built, there were cracks everywhere and it looked (8) as if it was
going to fall down. The walls were paper thin and you (9) could hear everything from the
neighbouring rooms.

To make (10) matters worse, there were only two other young people in the hotel and they
were (11) both men. The hotel had been taken over by a package tour of old age pensioners
who insisted (12) on playing bingo in the discotheque every evening. Where was the “nightlife” I
had (13) been promised?

On (14) top of everything, when I mentioned my (15) complaints to your company

representative, she was extremely rude to me. She only reappeared at the end of my stay and
became abusive when I (16) refused to give her a tip.

You can imagine (17) how upset I am at having spent a considerable amount of money (18) on
this holiday. In fact, I expect a full refund plus compensation for the inconvenience and
discomfort I suffered. I trust you (19) will give this matter your immediate attention.

I look forward to (20) your immediate a satisfactory reply by return of post. If I do not receive
satisfaction, I am going to write to the TV programme” Value for money” and expose you
operation.

Yours faithfully

Peter Carr

Exercise 16: Complete the following conversation. It takes place in a restaurant

Customer: Hi! I bought this cheese here yesterday, and it’s gone off. It’s two weeks past the
sell-by date.

Cashier: Are you sure you bought it here?

Customer: Of course I’m sure!

Cashier: Where is the receipt?

Customer: The cashier didn’t give me a receipt.

Cashier: If you don’t have a receipt, I can’t do anything for you.

Customer: I demand to speak to your manager!

Cashier: The manager is out. He will be back in five minutes.Have a seat.

15 minutes later...................

Manager: What‘s the problem?

Customer I bought this cheese here yesterday, and it’s gone off. It’s two weeks past the sell-by
date.
 Complaint letter writing activities –Khanfar Mouna
Manager: Well, that’s not really our fault. The supplier is responsible.

Customer: Can I at least get a refund?

Manager: Sorry, we don’t have refunds. Anyway, you don’t have a receipt.

Customer: This is outrageous! What am I supposed to do with this unusable block of cheese?

Manager: Calm down! Bet another block of cheese from the fridge, if you want.

Customer: I am definitely not happy with your customer service!

Manager: Well, I’m sorry you are not happy, but there is nothing more I can do for you. You will
have to excuse me, I’m busy.

Exercise 17: Complete the following conversation. It takes place in a clothes shop.

Customer: Hello. I bought this shirt here three days ago and the buttons are already falling off.

Cashier: Alright. Do you have your receipt, sir?

Customer: The cashier didn’t give me a receipt.

Cashier: Okay. If you don’t have one, I’m afraid I can’t give you a refund.

Customer: But I bought this shirt from you three days ago!

Cashier: I’m sorry, but I really do need to see some proof of purchase.

Customer: I already told you, the cashier didn’t give me a receipt!

Cashier: That’s the problem. I will call my supervisor for you now.

1 minute later..........................

Manager: good morning. Sorry you had to wait. How can i help you?

Customer: I bought this shirt here three days ago and the buttons are already falling off.

Manager: Can I have a look at the shirt?

Customer: Sure, here you go.

Manager: Thank you. Have you worn it at all?

Customer: No I haven’t.

Manager: Okay, that’s fine. It seems to be a fault in the stitching. I’m very sorry about that.

Customer: Would I be getting a refund?

Manager: Of course. We will give you a full refund. Elaine will look after you .

Customer: Thank you very much.

Manger: No problem. Please call again.