Letter of complaint. Revision.

Aim: by the end of the session the students will be able to revise  the material about writing letters of complaints and write a letter of appropriate style.

Materials                                       Successful writing Upper-Intermediate
and equpment

Read the table below,
then listen to the cassette
and fill in the missing
information. What complaints did the client make?
Why? What action did she ask to be taken?

2. Pre-writing. read and complete the missing information:

Letters of complaint are normally written in a _________style. •_____    or____    language can be used depending on the feelings of the writer or the seriousness of the complaint, but abusive language must never be used. e.g.  

Mild Complaint: I am writing to complain about a damaged videotape I bought at your shop.
I hope you will deal with this matter/resolve this matter quickly.

Strong Complaint: I am writing to express my disgust at the appalling treatment I received while staying at your hotel. I insist upon full compensation or I will be forced to take              
this matter further

-  Start a new ___for each different aspect of the topic.
- You should state the ______for the complaint in the first paragraph.
- Any complaints you make should be supported with a ______.       
- ______and justification can be linked together as follows:
I still haven't received the goods I ordered in spite of/despite the fact that I sent
you a cheque three weeks ago.
Although/Even though I have only used the automatic tin-opener once, it no
longer works. I have written to you twice but you have not taken any action.
I have already written to you twice. Nevertheless,/However, you have not taken
any action.

4.Useful Language for Letters of Complaint

Opening Remarks: (Mild) I am writing to complain about/ egarding/on account of/because of/on the subject of .../I am writing о draw your attention to .../I am writing to you in connection with etc   strong) I was appalled at/I want to express my strong dissatisfaction with/I feel I must protest/complain about etc
Closing remarks: (Mild) I hope/assume you will replace/I trust the situation will  improve/l hope the matter will be resolved/1 hope we can sort this matter out amicably, etc.
(Strong) I insist you replace the item at once/I demand a full refund/I hope that I will not be forced to take further action, etc.

Dear sir/Madam,
I want to express my strong dissatisfaction with the service I received during a visit to your restaurant on December 12th
Firstly I had booked a table for my wife and myself for 8:30,
but it was 9 o'clock before we were seated. Such a delay seems
to me inexcusable.                                                                  ,
Then in spite of the fact that I had repeated our order to check that the waiter had heard me correctly, he proceeded to bring us the wrong starters. Such careless service should not be tolerated in a restaurant which charges such high prices. " то make matters worse, the chocolate gateau we were served for dessert was quite stale. The me claimed, though, that all desserts were freshly prepared that day.
My wife and I will not be dining in your restaurant again however, as manager, you would be wise to guard against such appalling treatment of your customers in future.

Yours faithfully, Larry Dunman

5. Read the following letter and correct the mistakes. Write S for spelling, G for grammar, P for punctuation, WO for word order or WW for wrong word.

Dear Sir/Madam

I Wrote to complain   for   a
washing machine who I recently took from your company.
When I used the machine for the first time properly it worked and the clothes come out clean and fresh. Also, when I used the machine the second time, it seemed to have been a malfunc­tion while the rinse cycle. The clothes still had quite a lot of soap in them when I have taken them out.
Furthermore, when I tryed washing another load of laundry the same thing happened. In addition to this, the machine did not hit the water to the right temperature. Even though I had turned the dial to 50°C, the water in the machine remained cold throughout the entire cycle.
i assume you will replace the washing machine as it is obvious­ly wrong. I hope the matter will resolve promptly.

 Yours faithfuly,nancy Gillis

6.  When you want to introduce another complaint in a letter, you can begin the sentence with one of the following linking words or phrases: what is more, in addition, furthermore, moreover, etc.

7. Punctuate the following letter of complaint and divide it into paragraphs. Then comment on the tone of this letter.

Dear Mr Haynes
i am writing to complain about the two alsatian dogs that you own although, i have elated у asked you to prevent the dogs from leaving your garden you have failed to do so as a result  my front lawn has been dug up twice over the past three days; further-more their continual barking is extremely disruptive both to local residents and myself finally I feel that these dogs have a tendency to be aggressive as I have told you n the 2n erth e t У are allowed to roam the streets of our neighbourhood wh,ch Icon Sr unacceptable l hopb that having made my feelings clear to you this matter can be
resolved           

    
Yours sincerely, William Penton

8. Read the letter and underline the correct linking words in brackets.
Is the language mild or strong?

Dear Mrs Brosnan,

I am writing to complain about a waterproof jacket I purchased from your shop last week.
1) (However/Although) the jacket was supposed to be completely waterproof, I got soaked the first time I wore it in wet weather.
2) (Furthermore/But), when I tried to take the jacket off, the zip wouldn't open and when I tried to get it unstuck, the jacket tore.
I sent the jacket back to your shop after having been assured by one of the assistants that I would be sent a refund.
3) (However /In addition), I still have not received one.
As a regular customer of yours, I feel disappointed with the way I have been treated and hope that steps will be taken to rectify the situation.
I trust this matter will receive your immediate attention.

Yours sincerely,
John Wells

9.Write the following letters in the appropriate style using 120 -180 words.

I variant
1.You stayed at a holiday resort recommended by your travel agent. However, you did not enjoy your stay due to a num­ber of difficulties. Write a letter describing them and asking for action to be taken.

II variant
2. You have recently bought a cassette player but it does not work properly. Write a letter of complaint to the manager of the shop where you bought it.

10. H/A Revise all material about letters of complaint.