Page 27 - American English File Student Book 3B

How to complain 4 PRONUNCIATION the letters a/

successfully: a Say the words aloud, and then write them in the correct column.
Clive’s top tips airline bargain captain complain email fair

obtain hairdresser paid painting repair villain

Never shout and swear - it achieves
nothing. Don’t spoil your meal or your
vacation by getting into an argument
with a waiter or customer service call
center operator. Make a mental note
of the circumstances and write a
letter later.

Don’t send emails, or standard, printed- b 4 36))) Listen and check, and then answ er the questions.
out complaints forms. Companies
1 W hat is the pronunciation o f ai when it is a) stressed b) unstressed?
may not read these, but they probably
will read a letter. And unless you are 2 How is air usually pronounced?
particularly fond of Vivaldi, don’t waste 3 Is said pronounced /seid/ or /sed/?
your time calling a customer complaint
line! Your letter should be short and c 4 37))) Listen and w rite four sentences. Practice saying them.
to the point, and should fit on one side
of an 8 1/2" by ı ı " sheet of paper.
And type it. Reading other people’s 5 VOCABULARY making nouns from verbs
handwriting is hard work.
a Look at some nouns from the article. W hat verbs do they come from?

Write to the company’s marketing complaint argument compensation
director or finance director because
they’re probably the least busy. Find b >- p.163 Vocabulary Bank Word building. D o Part 1.
his or her name on the Internet or by
calling. Writing Dear Sir/M adam is
lazy. 6 LISTENING & SPEAKING
Taking the time to find a person’s name
and title shows initiative. a 4 40))) Listen to part o f a radio consum er program where people
are talking about bad service. W hat did the people com plain
abou t...?
If your complaint is serious enough,
1 in the taxi 2 in the hotel 3 in the restaurant
make it clear you will not hesitate to
change to another bank / cell phone
b Listen again and answ er the questions.
company. Sm art companies know that
changing an angry customer into a 1 W ho did each person complain to?
satisfied one will make the customer 2 W hat did the people they complained to do as a result?
more loyal.
c Talk to a partner.
5 __________________________________
1 Who’s best at complaining in your family? Give examples.
Don’t say exactly what you expect to
receive as compensation. Leave it to 2 Can you remember a time when you (or someone in your family)
the company. complained...?
• to a taxi driver • to a hotel receptionist
6 _______________________________________ • to a waiter • to someone else
Use phrases like “I can only imagine
Why did you complain? What did you say? What happened?
this is an unusual departure from your
usual high standards,” and “I would
d Communication I want to speak to the m anager A p.107
love to shop with you again if you can
B p.109. Role-play a custom er com plaining to a salesperson and
demonstrate to me that you are still as
good as I know you used to be.” a restaurant manager.

Glossary
lose your temper become angry 7 WRITING
threaten verb warn that you may punish
somebody if he or she does not do what you want
flattery noun saying good things about somebody >- p.119 Writing A letter of complaint. W rite a letter to com plain
that you may not mean about som ething you bought online.
Online Practice 8A 77