English Dialogues
Making a Complaint - a faulty TV
A:
Good afternoon, can I help you?
B:
I hope so. I bought this television here about three months ago, but the sound and picture quality are awful. The picture is always flickering and there's a dark line down the left-hand side of the screen. And there's an annoying hissing sound in the background.
A:
Do you have an outdoor antenna?
B:
Yes, I do.
A:
Have you tried adjusting the antenna?
B:
Several times.
A:
Hmmmmm. I'll get our engineers to have a look at it.
B:
A friend of mine bought the same model here and had exactly the same problems. I want a refund.
A:
I'm afraid it isn't our policy to give refunds, sir.
B:
I want to see the manager.
A bad holiday
A:
Good morning, can I help you?
B:
I'd like to make a complaint about my holiday in Hawaii last week.
A:
I'm sorry to hear that. What exactly was the problem?
B:
First of all the bus taking us to the hotel broke down and we had to wait for over two hours in the sweltering heat before a replacement arrived. Then when we got to the hotel we found our room hadn't been cleaned.
A:
Oh dear, did you complain to the hotel staff?
B:
Of course, but we were told all the chambermaids were off duty. Anyway, that's not all. The people in the room above sounded like they were having all-night parties, every night. I demanded another room but the receptionist told me the hotel was full.
A:
Oh, I see.
B:
And to cap it all the food in the hotel restaurant was awful. It was so bad we had to eat out all the time despite having paid for meals in the price of our holiday.
A:
I do apologize. I'd like to offer you a 20% discount on the price of one of our Autumn breaks as a gesture of goodwill.
B:
A 20% discount, you must be joking. I want to see the manager.
Practice
i) You had beef curry at the Grand Hotel a couple of evenings ago. That night you had stomach ache, sickness and diarrhea. The doctor said you had food poisoning. You're feeling better now and have gone back to the hotel to complain.
ii)You bought a used car from Micky's Motors three months ago. Since then your car has needed a new exhaust and gearbox. Both of these were fitted by Micky's under the car's warranty. Yesterday the brakes failed and you almost had an accident. You want a refund.
iii)You recently moved to a new home. Ron's removals moved your furniture. The removal men smashed an antique vase. You can't find your family photo album though you're sure you packed it.
Make conversations.
