BUKU KERJA PRAKTIK MAHASISWA

(THE STUDENTS’ WORKSHEET)

INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH

(SEMESTER II)

BY:

TEAM

AGRIBUSINESS MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT

POLITEKNIK NEGERI JEMBER
2023

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 UNIT 2
Topic : Customer Care
Materials : Making and Responding Complaints
Meeting :3
Time Allotment : 1 x 120 minutes

Equipments and Materials:

• The students’ workbook (BKPM)
• LCD
• Laptop/PC
• Folio Paper
• HVS Paper
• Masker
• Handsanitizer

At the end of the meeting, students are expected to be able to:

1. Students are expected to make and respond kinds
of complaints related to business affair.
2. Students are expected to write a clear and concise
complaint letter and the way to respond it as well.

Get Ready!

Picture 2.1 Customers’ complaint

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Have you ever made a serious complaint about a certain product? Check (√) the following lists
bellow for the one or more that suit you.

Poor Product Quality Defective items

Unsatisfactory Service Less responsive manufacturer
Problem with Delivery Products not as ordered

1. Theoretical Base
Complaints are common when running a business. Dissatisfied customers, or indeed the desired
goods are not suitable, can make them submit complaints to your store.
This is where you as a business person will be tested. The response you give will have an impact
in the future for your business. If you respond incorrectly, the effect is that customers can move
to choose another store.
There are various aspects that can be examples of customer complaints, including these big three:
1. Poor Product Quality
The first example of a customer complaint is related to product quality. In this case, it could be
a product that is lacking or even damaged when it reaches the customer.
When a product purchased by a customer does not match the description or is incomplete, of
course it will trigger disappointment. Additionally, when a product is desired by a customer but
is not available or the stock runs out, it can also trigger a complaint.
2. Unsatisfactory Service
The next example of a customer complaint is related to the service provided by the brand. If your
brand representative staff treats customers not as expected, they will certainly feel disappointed.
For example, the services provided are less friendly, cannot help customers in shopping, and
shows other unprofessionalism.
3. Delivery Problems
Every customer certainly wants to receive the purchased product on time. But unfortunately,
there are some potential problems that may arise.
For example, delayed deliveries, packages sent to the wrong address, or even customer orders
lost in shipping. When this happens, the customer will definitely feel disappointed and will file
a complaint with the store.

Phrases For Making Complaints In English

I’m going to give you a list of the phrases expressions we’ll use, and then we’ll give you some
examples of those.

• I’m sorry to say this, but…

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 • I’d like to make a complaint about…
• I’m afraid I’d like to complain to you.
• Excuse me, but I’m really not happy with…
• Excuse me, but there seems to be a problem…
• There appears to be something wrong with…
• I was really upset when…
• I was expecting (something) but…
And then some quite firm statements.
• That’s just not acceptable.
• It’s a disgrace.

Expressions:
I’m sorry to say this, but the fruits are flaw, it doesn’t the same ones as informed. Could you
please exchange them for the better stocks?
I’d like to make a complaint about this wrapping machine that I bought in your store last
week.
I’d like to make a complaint about the shipment that I took here last week, here’s my
receipt.
Excuse me, but I’d like to make a complaint. I’m really not happy with this delay.
Excuse me, but I’m really not happy with your response. I bought this yesterday.

Phrases For Positive Responses To Complaints

The last section here is about responding to complaints. The following expression are set to be
responding in a positive way.

• I’m very sorry to hear that.

• I’m sorry to hear there’s a problem.
• Please accept my (sincere) apologies.
• I’ll see what I can do immediately.
• I’ll do everything that I can to sort it out.
• I’ll sort it out immediately.

Other Expressions:
Please accept my sincere apologies. There’s been a little problem in the workshop with the
electricity.
I’ll see what I can do to get somebody out to you today. I cannot promise it.
I’ll do everything that I can to make sure that your problem is resolved, before closing of
business.

(Adapted from: https://www.englishlessonviaskype.com/how-to-complain-politely-in-english/

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 2. Grammar Booster

Picture 2.2 Past simple vs past perfect

Past simple expresses actions that occurred in the past, while past perfect talks about
something that occurred before another past event or action.
What is Their Main Difference?
While both tenses tend to talk about things that happened in the past, the two clearly have
differences. Past simple expresses actions that occurred in the past, while past perfect talks
about something that occurred before another past event or action.

Uses and Comparison

1. Sequence of Actions in the Past
Both tenses tend to describe past events and actions that are fulfilled and completed. However,
there is one little detail in past simple: Past simple is often used in sequential order in order to
express what has happened in the past.

Example:
She took the bus.
Here, the speaker refers to a completed action that happened in the past.
She had packed her stuff before she took the bus.
Here, the speaker mentions an action that happened before another action.

2. Describing Connections
As mentioned earlier, past perfect talks about an action that happened before another action. Past
perfect tends to show a stronger connection between the two actions while when we use past
simple, we are just naming events and actions that occur in order.

He had left his bags outside once he arrived.

Here, the speaker is referring to an action that happened exactly before another action and it
shows the strong connection that the bags were left outside exactly upon the subject's arrival.
He left his bags outside. He arrived.
Here, the speaker is just naming actions in order.

Signal Words
Past simple tense and past perfect tense can both be used with signal words. Signal words are
words that help us use the correct tense that goes with our sentence. Check out the table below:

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 Simple Past Past Perfect

First Before

Then After
Structure
Here, we will take a brief look at the patterns you need to learn to create past simple and past
perfect tense.

1. Past Simple
Firstly, we will look at the past simple when it comes to regular and irregular verbs.

1.1. Regular Verbs

Regular verbs are a very easy case of verbs when it comes to changing their form. Simply add '-
ed' to the base form. Have a look:

Walk → Walked
Call → Called
Work → Worked
Love → Loved

1.2. Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs do not take a certain pattern and tend to change their forms a lot, that is why they
are called 'irregular.' The only way to learn these verbs and their many forms is to learn them by
heart. Have a look:

Base Forms Past Form

Be Was/Were

Have Had

Bring Brought

Go Went
2. Past Perfect
The past perfect tense tends to follow a certain pattern when it comes to structure: Subject + Had
+ Past participle. As you see in the pattern, we start with any subject then we have the past tense
of the verb 'to have' which is 'had,' followed by the past participle of the verb.

I had worked so hard.

I had expected much more.

(adapted from: https://langeek.co/en/grammar/course/519/past-simple-vs-past-perfect#)

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 3. Students’ Worksheet

Listening
Open the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmUCq2RWelo
Listen and watch the video carefully, from minutes 0 to 3.30, then answer the questions.

Picture 2.3 Complaining on defective products

1. Where is the conversation mostly take place?

2. What kind of problem happened on the conversation?
3. How many products that got defective issues?
4. Who is the Derrick Jones? Why he got scolded by Mr. Bradley?
5. What did Derrick Jones say to Mr. Bradley to overcome the problem?

Reading
Read the following text, then share your thought to the class.

10 TIPS ON HOW TO HANDLE CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS

Your firm depends on its customers to survive. Customer service is incredibly essential since
without their support, your company won't expand.

Thanks to the internet and social media, consumers are more vocal than ever about their
interactions with companies, whether they are positive or negative.

Unfortunately, customer-centric firms must accept the fact that complaints will inevitably come
in—no matter how wonderfully you treat your clients or how successfully you manage your
company.

Nobody likes to handle customer complaints, but these sometimes-painful occurrences can be a
chance for you and your business to shine. This is your opportunity to create a happy and loyal
customer for life.

Excellent customer service should always be a priority, but in the unfortunate event that you
receive a customer complaint, here are ten tips on how to handle it.

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1. Stay calm – Approach the problem with a peaceful state of mind sets the foundation for
effective complaint handling.
2. Listen – Often, paying attention to what customers are saying will help you understand the
issue at hand.
3. Be kind – Be kind and understanding. It will help you diffuse anger and frustration.
4. Acknowledge the issue – Reiterate the complaint to demonstrate that you understood the
customer’s pain point and respect them for connecting with you.
5. Apologize and thank them – Swallowing your ego and apologizing for the poor experience
can help you gain a competitive edge.
6. Ask questions – Start a conversation by calmly asking customers questions for gathering
facts and taking the initiative.
7. Make it speedy – Come up with a quick resolution and only promise something that you can
follow up on to make customers happy.
8. Document their responses – Document every complaint so that you and your team can review
them later to identify issues, opportunities, and trends.
9. Follow up – After coming up with a resolution, reach out to customers to let them know that
their satisfaction is your top priority and apologize again for the negative experience.
10. Come out from behind the screen – Use web conferencing tools to have a video call with the
customers so that they know you care.

(Adapted from: https://id.oberlo.com/blog/customer-complaints)

Writing: Complaint Letters

Complaint Letters can be used in different transactions where a person experienced negative impacts
that arise from the occurrences involved in a process or incident. There are various kinds of complaint
letters that you may use to address issues that concern another entity specifically those that sell goods
and provide services to their clients or customers. Study the following complain letters. Afterwards,
you have to make one of your own.
Sample of Complaint Letter
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State, Zip Code]

[DATE]

[The Contact Person’s Name Customer Service Department]

[The Name of the Company]
[The title of the Contact Person]
[The Company’s Address]
[City, State, Zip Code]

[Dear Name of Contact Person]:

This letter is to complain about a photocopier machine that I bought on DATE, at

LOCATION. I am requesting that you replace the unit with a new one as I run it for my

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family business and would be disappointed if it didn’t work properly. Otherwise, I would
like my money back.
I paid with a VISA credit card and have enclosed copies of the receipt, credit card bill
and warranty card with this letter. The unit worked well for two months and has
stopped working.
I tried to gather some information and took it back to the seller, but he said there was
nothing he could do. The warranty for the machine is for one year.
I look forward to your positive reply and will wait until DATE before seeking further
assistance. I can be reached at Email Address or at Phone Number at any time during
working hours. Thank you in advance for your quick attention to this matter.
Sincerely,

[Signature]

[Your Name]

Enclosed: receipt from the store, credit card receipt, stamped and valid warranty card

Sample Letter Responding to a Complaint

Hi, [Customer Name],

Thank you for letting us know you haven't yet received your order. I sincerely
apologize for the inconvenience and understand your frustration.
According to our records, your package was sent out from our warehouse on [Date].
I've looked into your order's status via UPS and it is currently listed as [status] and is
expected to arrive by [Date]. To stay updated with your order's status, you can visit
this link: [link].
In the meantime, I've shared your feedback with our team and we're committed to
doing everything we can on our end to prevent shipping delays.
If you don't receive your delivery by the expected arrival date, please let me know by
responding to this email. We appreciate your business and hope to continue serving
you.
Thanks,

[Signature]

[Your Name]

(Adapted from: https://www.letters.org/proposal-letter/business-partnership-proposal-letter.html)

Speaking
Work in group of three to four and make a role-play conversation about complaining something.
Use the proper expression to deliver the complaint. Perform various ways of respond to overcome
the problem. Make sure there is Past Simple and Past Perfect tense on your conversation
transcript.

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Reflection
After learning the materials in this chapter, what have you learned? Fill the boxes with your most
objective thoughts.
I have learned... Challenges I faced during Aspects I need to improve:
learning:

1. ... 1. .... 1. ...

2. ... 2. .... 2. ...
3. Etc 3. Etc 3. etc

Rubric for Speaking

Excellent Good Satisfactory Need improvement
5 4 3 2
Content Includes all required Includes all Includes most Required content is
content and required required content and lacking. Students do
additional content but some additional not seem to
details/information. additional details/information. understand content.
The dialogue is details/ The dialogue is Do not use correctly
clear, creative and information is clear, but lacking in vocabulary/
realistic. Use lacking. The creativity. Use some expressions from
appropriate dialogue is vocabulary from the the unit
vocabulary and clear, and an unit, but expressions
expressions. effort was are missing.
made to be
creative and
realistic. Use
appropriate
vocabulary and
expressions.
Fluency Students always Students Students speak Students is unable
speak fluently with mostly speak haltingly with long to speak through the
few hesitations fluently with pauses dialogue
few hesitations
Organization Dialogue follows a Dialogue Parts of the dialogue Dialogue is not
logical sequence and follows a are disjointed logical and /or is
transitions are logical unclear
smooth sequence but
transitions are
abrupt
Voice Students speak Students speak Students’ voices are Students’ voices
loudly enough to be loudly enough not loud enough to cannot be heard
heard easily to be heard be heard

Adapted from: https://www.scribd.com/document/362543137/Conversation-Rubric-Secondary

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