Unit 8: Dealing with A Complaint

Useful tips

When dealing with a complaint, keep the following points in mind:
Let the caller express their complaint. Don’t interrupt, but try to get all the details. Take notes.
Once they have finished complaining, summarize the complaint, clarify any unclear details and show empathy.
Apologize. Do not try to make excuses but provide an explanation if the customer requests one.
State what you are going to do to resolve the situation.
Tell the customer when they can expect results/feedback.
Stay calm with the customer at all times. Separate the problem from the person.


Conversation

Tony Hopps is phoning Kelly Masterman at Argonaut Mediterranean Cruises to make a complaint.

Kelly M:ArgonautMediterranean Cruises Ltd.
Tony H:Ah, this is Tony Hopps here. Is that KellyMasterman, the general manager?
Kelly M:Speaking.
Tony H:Ah, right. Well, you listen here, MsMasterman. I’ve just arrived home from one of your eastern Mediterranean cruise ships – Queen of the Waves – and I’m not at all happy. I’ve got a whole list of complaints
Tony H:Well, first of all, we booked an expensive cabin on the outside of the ship. But there was a problem with that cabin and there were no others available on the outside. So we had to have one in the middle of the ship and my wife spent three days feeling really seasick. Then, for the buffet lunch, it was supposed to be an all-you-can-eat buffet, but when we got there at 2 p.m. we found that there were only a few bits of cheese and salad left for us. And then, in the programme for Saturday evening, it said there was a fancy-dress party. So we dressed up, but we found that everybody else was just in jeans and T-shirts. It was so embarrassing!
Kelly M:Oh, you must have felt terrible!
Tony H:Yes, we did. And finally, I sent my costume to the ship’s laundry to be cleaned and it got lost. That really was the last straw!
Kelly M:So, let me just recap. In a nutshell, you didn’t get the cabin you ordered, the buffet lunch was finished by the time you got there, the fancy-dress party listed in the programmedidn’t take place, and your costume was lost.
Tony H:That’s right.
Kelly M:Well, first of all, we’re not going to try to pass the buck here, so we would like to apologize to you for these problems. This is what I propose: I’m going to call the ship and see if I can find out what was going on. Can I call you back in 20 minutes?
Tony H:Um… yes, that’s fine. Do you have my number? It’s…

Tony H:Tony Hopps speaking.
Kelly M:Hello, Mr Hopps. It’s Kelly Masterman here. I spoke to the ship’s first officer. It seems that the porthole in your cabin was broken by the previous passenger and water was coming in. but he apologized for not explaining what the problem was to you. I’m afraid we can’t refund the whole cost of the trip, but we can refund you the extra cost for the cabin that you didn’t have.
Hmm, that doesn’t seem much. And my fancy-dress costume?
Kelly M:On our website you can find a document for insurance claims. Send in the form and we’ll deal with that within a week. But, as I said, we are really very sorry for these difficulties.So, we would like to offer you a 10 per cent discount the next time you book an Argonaut holidays as compensation for the problems you had. Is that acceptable to you Mr Hopps?
Tony H:Well, er, yes. I think that sounds reasonable.


Understanding

Kelly Masterman took some notes during her phone call with Tony Hopps. Complete her notes.

Saying it accurately

Match the two havles of the sentences following the example.

1.Could you bear with me for 10 minutes…
2.I’m terribly sorry for the …
3.I can imagine …
4.I propose that …
5.I’ll make sure that it …
6.That must …
7.Could you tell me …
8.I do apologize …

A.… gets done by the end of the week.
B.… for our part in this.
C.… problems that you’re experiencing.
D.… have been dreadful.
E.… we offer you some sort of compensation.
F.… exactly what happened?
G.…while I get to the bottom of what went wrong here?
H.… that was terrible.

Put the highlighted sentences and the sentences above in the correct category.

1.To show regret/empathy
2.To find out what the problem is
3.To apologize
4.To propose a solution/to promise action