Transcript Letter of Complaint

Letter of Complaint
Gladys Hung
Spring 2013
Letter of complaint – example
(p. 64)
I am writing in reference to the delivery of
MP3 player, order #J396, which was received
today.
Unfortunately, you sent us the wrong
quantity. You sent us 20 K60 MP3 players, but
we ordered 30. I have attached a copy of the
order form for your reference.
I would be grateful if you would send ten
more players as soon as possible.
Why making a complaint?
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Wrong goods received
Poor service
Unsatisfactory quality of goods
Late delivery
Non-delivery
Damaged goods
Prices not as agreed
What should you say in a letter of
complaint?
 Refer to order / product / issue.
 State reason for complaint.
 Suggest possible causes of the
problem.
 State action(s) you require the other
company to take.
Making a complaint -1
 Do not delay your complaint.
 as this will weaken your position and the
supplier may have difficulty in
investigating the cause.
Making a complaint -2
 Do not assume that the supplier is
automatically to blame.
 They may have a perfectly good defense.
Making a complaint -3
 Confine your complaint to a
statement of the facts.
 Followed by either an enquiry as to what
the supplier proposes to do about it, or a
suggestion of how the matter can be
rectified.
Making a complaint -4
 Avoid rudeness.
 This would create ill-feeling and cause
the supplier to be unwilling to resolve
matters.
Refer to order / product / issue.
(p. 65)
a. I’m writing to complain about your
latest shipment.
b. I’m writing about a problem with the
installation of computer network
software.
c. I’m writing in reference to order
#XJ4311.
d. I’m writing to complain about the
redecoration of our corporate
headquarters.
Refer to order / product / issue
with more details (p. 66)
a. I’m writing to complain about your latest
shipment, which was delivered this
morning.
b. I’m writing about a problem with the
installation of computer network software,
which was completed last week.
c. I’m writing in reference to order #XJ4311,
which arrived on Friday.
d. I’m writing to complain about the
redecoration of our corporate headquarters,
which was finished yesterday.
The language of complaint
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No apologizing tone
No emotional terms
No rude or personal comments
Don’t use the words like fault or
blame.
No emotional terms
 We are very amazed that you made
the same mistake for three times.
 This is the third time this mistake has
occurred and we are far from satisfied
with the service you offer.
No emotional terms
 Your service makes us feel disgusted.
 Unless you can fulfill our orders
efficiently in the future, we will have to
consider changing to another supplier.
No emotional terms
 We are very infuriated about the
problem you caused us.
 Please ensure that this sort of problem
does not arise again.
No rude or personal comments
 You must correct your mistake as
soon as possible.
 The mistake must be corrected as soon
as possible.
No rude or personal comments
 You made an error on the statement.
 There appears to be an error on the
statement.
No rude or personal comments
 You don’t understand the terms of
discount. We told you to deduct
discount from net prices, not CIF prices.
 There seems to be some misunderstanding
regarding terms of discount. Discount is
deducted from net prices, not CIF prices.
Don’t use the words like fault or blame.
 It is not our fault. It is probably the
fault of your dispatch department.
 The mistake could not have originated
here, and must be connected with the
dispatch of the goods.
Exercise - correcting the following
sentence.
1. It’s not our fault.
a. Maybe it’s not our fault.
b. There appears to be some error …..
2. Your product is rubbish.
a. It seems your product is no good.
b. Your product is not as good as I have
thought of.
c. Your product is not satisfactory.
Exercise - correcting the following
sentence.
1. You made an error on your price list.
 There appears an error on your price
list.
Exercise - correcting the following
sentence.
1. It’s incredible that you forgot to
cover instructions with the
consignment.
a. You forgot to cover instructions with the
consignment.
b. There are no instructions with the
consignment.
Explaining the situation (p. 66)
a. We regret to inform you that the
shipment arrived late. The promised
delivery date was January 22, but it
arrived February 6. We enclose a
copy of the order.
b. Unfortunately, you sent us the wrong
model. We ordered TS400, but we
received TS300. I am attaching a
photocopy of the shipping order.
Explaining the situation (p. 66)
 I’m sorry to say that the work was
unsatisfactory. The plastic casings
was scratched in several places.
Please find enclosed photographs of
work.
A threatening
 Unless we receive the order within
the next week, we will cancel the
order.
 If we do not receive the order within
the next week, we will cancel the
order.
Complete each unfinished sentence.
1. If we don’t hear from you, we’ll
assume there are no problems.
 Unless we hear from you, we’ll …..
2. We cannot accept your order without
a letter of credit.
 Unless you send us a L/C, we cannot
accept your order.
Complete each unfinished sentence.
3. We can’t give you a fifteen percent
discount because your order isn’t
large enough.
 If your order is large enough, we will
give you a fifteen percent discount.
4. On receipt of your order, we’ll
dispatch the goods immediately.
 As soon as we receive your order, we’ll….
Complete the following sentences
1. Unless the consignment (arrive) by
the end of next week…
2. Unless the items (be/wrap) with
extreme care ….
3. If the colours we specified (be) not in
stock…
4. If this transaction (be) successful..
5. We (be) able to give you a discount
if…
Sentences with grammatical errors
-1
 Unless the consignment arrives by
the end of next week, we can’t deliver
the goods.
 Unless the items are wrapped with
extreme care, we’ll place it elsewhere.
 Unless the items are wrapped with
extreme care, we will return the
products.
Sentences with grammatical errors
-2
 If the colours we specified are not in
stock, please send the alternatives.
 If the colours we specified are not in
stock, we want another colours with
same goods.
 If this transaction is successful, we
can dispatch the goods immediately.
 We will be able to give you a discount
if your goods are perfect.
Sentences with grammatical errors
-3
 We will be able to give you a discount
if we order goods large enough.
 If this transaction is successful, we
will have 5% discount.
Syntax mistakes
 Unless the items are wrapped with
extreme care, we will place the large
order.
How to adjust the error?
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Ask for a refund
Ask for a replacement
Claim for a compensation
Ask for apology
Ask them to give guarantee
Ask for a reasonable explanation
Ask them to correct their mistake
Answers on p. 67
a.
b.
c.
d.
Items
Ensure
Replacement
Inspect
Dealing with a complaint -1
 Is customer always right?
 Acknowledge a complaint promptly.
 If the complaint is unreasonable,
point this out politely and in a way
that will not offend.
 If you are to blame, admit it readily,
express regret and promise to put
matters right.
Dealing a complaint -2
 Never blame any of your staff; in the
end you are responsible for their
actions.
 Thank the customer for informing you
about the matters.
Answers on p. 68
 Thank your customer for writing to
you
 Refer to the problem and apologize
 Give an explanation for the problem,
if possible
 Explain how you are going to help the
customer
 Write a polite conclusion
Response letter on p. 68
Dear Mr. Watanabe
Thank you for your letter dated October
26 concerning your recent order. We are
sorry to hear that you received the
wrong order. Apparently, this was caused
by a processing error. We will send you
the correct items free of delivery charge.
Once again, please accept our apologies for the
inconvenience, and we look forward to
serving you again in the future.