Complaints B

A) Language - Study the language below and then practice the conversations and do the listening practice.

Listen and repeat.

I'm afraid I have a problem. (Ik zit helaas met een probleem.)
I was rather surprised to/ disappointed to find … (Tot mijn verbazing/ teleurstelling merkte ik dat ... )
The reason I'm calling you is that we haven't received your payment yet. (De reden dat ik u bel is dat we nog geen betaling van u hebben ontvangen.)
I was wondering if you'd forgotten our appointment. (Ik vroeg me af of u onze afspraak vergeten was.)
I’ll come straight to the point. (Ik zal direct ter zake komen.)

According to my information, (Volgens mijn informatie heeft u)
So I thought I'd better call you right away to check if …(Dus ik dacht dat ik u beter meteen kon bellen om…)
I'd like to know what's going on. (Ik zou graag willen weten wat er aan de hand is.)
I thought that maybe something had gone wrong after all. (Ik dacht dat er toch nog iets was misgegaan.
The bank informs me that we still haven’t received payment. (nog geen betaling ontvangen)

I'm sure there must be some misunderstanding. (misverstand)
I'd like you to send me the reports today. (Ik wil dat u me vandaag de rapporten stuurt.)
Please make sure that ...( Zorg ervoor dat…)
Do you think you could let me have them, say, by the end of the week?
Could you return them to us a.s.a.p. please?

I'm afraid I have to insist ... (Ik moet er helaas op aandringen)
Could you do me a favour? (Wilt u mij een plezier doen?)
Would you be so kind as to ... (Wilt u zo vriendelijk zijn)
I must ask you to be more punctual/ accurate. (stipter/ zorgvuldiger)
You'll have to do better next time. (U zult toch beter uw best moeten doen.)

That's not good enough./ That won't do. (Dat is niet voldoende./ Dat kan zo niet.)
I still haven't heard from you. (Ik heb nog steeds niets van u gehoord.)
Are you sure you've got the correct address/ number? (Weet u zeker dat …?)
I'm sure you understand my position. (U begrijpt natuurlijk mijn positie.)
Can I count on that? (Kan ik daar op rekenen?)

no later than 1 August next (uiterlijk 1 augustus aanstaande)
at two o'clock at the very latest (om uiterlijk twee uur)
without any further delay (zonder verdere vertraging)
as soon as is convenient to you (zo spoedig als het u schikt)
I’m not too happy about / I’m not at all satisfied with … (Ik ben helemaal niet tevreden met …)

This is not acceptable to us/ We cannot accept this (Dit is onacceptabel)
Please make sure this will not happen again. (Zorg dat dit niet meer gebeurt.)
I insist on speaking to Mr. Stevens right now. (Ik sta erop …)
of poor quality/ of inferior quality (van slechte kwaliteit)

dented (ingedeukt)
torn (gescheurd)
missing manual (ontbrekende handleiding/ instructieboekje)
incorrect invoice (onjuiste factuur)
wrong (onjuist/ fout)

mistake/ error (fout; onnauwkeurig)
inaccurate/ incomplete (onvolledig)
broken/defective/ faulty (stuk)
unsaleable/ unfit for consumption (onverkoopbaar)
inadequate packing (ontoereikende verpakking)

severely damaged/ in a damaged condition ( in beschadigd toestand)
illegible handwriting (onleesbaar handschrift)
incomprehensible instructions ( onbegrijpelijke instructies)
careless ( nonchalant/onnauwkeurig/ onvoorzichtig)
poor service (incorrecte behandeling)

impolite/ rude/ unfriendly (onbeleefd/ lomp)
late delivery (late levering)
curt (kortaf)
five towels short/ too many (vijf handdoeken te weinig / tekort)
a shortage (een tekort)

B) Pairwork. Listen to the following conversations and practice them with a partner.

1. (A) telephonist at Yellow Pages Sales; (B) Francien Haerinckx

(A) groet - het is middag - Yellow Pages Sales - vraag wat je kunt doen
(B) groet - Francien Haerinckx in Utrecht - zeg dat je jouw bestelling Gouden Gidsen nog niet hebt ontvangen
(A) reageer - vraag naam te spellen
(B) spel achternaam met telefoonalfabet
(A) herhaal H-A-E-R-l-N-C-K-X - vraag naar aard fout
(B) wilde van alle Gidsen voor Londen een exemplaar
(A) reageer - vraag wanneer bestelling is gedaan
(B) ruim twee maanden geleden - op 14 januari
(A) betuig spijt – zeg dat er iets is misgegaan - zeg dat je het vandaag nog zult afhandelen
(B) graag - zeg dat je de gidsen dringend nodig hebt
(A) herhaal bestelling - zeven gidsen nrs. 470 tot en met 476 - vraag naar postadres?
(B) Geef adres EDD - postbus 1099 - 3 8 00 BD Amersfoort - t.a.v. mw. F. Haerinckx
(A) herhaal adres
(B) zeg dat dit correct is - bedank en groet
(B) zeg dat je de gidsen z.s.m. opstuurt - sluit af

2. Listen to the following telephone conversation. Then practice it with a partner.
Lucy van Dyke makes a phone-call to discuss a problem with Brad Pankhurst in the UK.



Brad: Brad Pankhurst here, Frans Maas UK.
Lucy: Hello, this is Lucy van Dyke calling from Frans Maas Waddinxveen, Holland.
Brad: Hi Lucy, how are you?
Lucy: I'm fine, thanks. How are you?
Brad: Not too bad. It's been a few weeks since I sent you an email. Is everything okay?
Lucy: Well, yes, most of it is. But we do have a small problem over here. Do you have a minute to discuss it?
Brad: Is it about the consignment of pianos that ware delivered to you today?
Lucy: Yes, it is. It's about the specifications on the consignment note.
Brad: Just a minute, Iet me have a look at the copy I have here... Ah yes, here it is, with USN reference 504 234 238 78?
Lucy: 'That's the one. It arrived at our Depot at 13:00 hours today.
Brad: So, what's the problem?
Lucy: Well, there is this one detail about the 'pay weight' specification.
Brad: Let me see. It says here the 'pay weight' is 5000 kilograms.
Lucy: Yes, now the problem is that 5000 kilograms of 'pay weight' should take no more than about three square metres of loading floor.
Brad: That sounds reasonable for six regular pianos.
Lucy: It does. But these are not regular pianos. What we have are six full-size concert pianos rather than six upright wall pianos.
         They take two metres of loading floor each and cannot be loaded on top of each other.
Brad: So, that's a total of twelve metres of loading space?
Lucy: Actually, the exact volume is over fifteen cubic metres.
Brad: That's a serious difference!
Lucy: It is. Do you think you could put things straight with your customer in Norwich at short notice?
Brad: I’m sure I can. The customer is a reliable account. I'm sure the mistake was made in good faith. I’ll contact him at once.
         Both the exact dimensions of the load and the total invoice price will have to be changed.
Lucy: Do you think you could fax or email a confirmation of the specification changes today?
Brad: I’ll try. AII I can promise you is that I’ll send you a copy of the document with the new specifications as soon as possible.
Lucy: Meanwhile, I suppose it 'II be all right if I make a note of the new specifications on the documents we have here?
Brad: Yes, you can go ahead with the delivery of the goods.
Lucy: Then I guess we've solved the problem. Thanks for your co-operation.
Brad: Not at all. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.
Lucy: That's okay. Bye.
Brad: Bye.

3. Fred de la Bretoniere is a shoe shop chain in the Netherlands.
Elsbeth de Vries: employee at Fred de la Bretoniere;
Luciano Ross: Italian agent at Fred de la Bretoniere

3A. There’s a problem with a delivery. Elsbeth calls Luciano.
Pairwork. Prepare the following conversation on paper first. Use words from the listening extract. Then practise it with a partner.

Before Elsbeth and Luciano get down to business, they first have a little small talk.
Elsbeth: Zeg dat je over de fax belt die je een paar weken geleden hebt gestuurd. Vraag of hij is ontvangen?
Luciano: Zeg dat je hem aan de leverancier hebt gegeven. Maar je hebt nog niets van hem gehoord.
Elsbeth: Vraag of Luciano misschien nog een keer contact met hem kan opnemen
Luciano: Bevestig, dat kun je wel doen. Misschien is de fax kwijtgeraakt Vraag of ze de klacht misschien in een brief kunnen zetten?
Elsbeth: Vraag of dat nodig is want alle gegevens staan al in de fax
Luciano: Zeg dat je dat weet maar dat het zeker geen kwaad kan.
Elsbeth: Ga accoord en zeg dat je een brief zult schrijven - dan afwachten wat er gebeurt.
Luciano: Vraag of ze de brief per aangetekende post opsturen (send by registered mail), dan kan jij ervoor zorgen dat ze die zo snel mogelijk krijgen.
Elsbeth: Zeg dat dit prima is - sluit af
Luciano: Reageer

3B. Luciano belt Elsbeth over de verdere afhandeling van de klacht.
Pairwork. Prepare the following conversation on paper first.
Use words from the listening extract. Then practise the dialogue with a partner.

Receptionist: Neem op en geef je naam. Vraag waarmee je van dienst kunt zijn.
Luciano: Vraag of je met Elsbeth de Vries mag spreken.
Receptionist: Vraag met wie je spreekt
Luciano: Geef je naam.
Receptionist: Zeg dat je de beller zult doorverbinden.
Luciano: Bedank de receptionist
Elsbeth: Groet Luciano en vraag hoe het met hem gaat.
Luciano: Beantwoord de vraag. Vraag hoe het met Elsbeth gaat.
Elsbeth: Beantwoord de vraag.
Luciano: Zeg dat je belt omdat je met de leverancier hebt gesproken.
Elsbeth: Vraag wat hij heeft gezegd.
Luciano: Zeg dat de leverancier rechtstreeks contact zal opnemen met Fred de la Bretoniere. Voeg eraan toe dat hij waarschijnlijk een verontschuldiging zal sturen.
             Zeg dat hun klacht blijkbaar niet de enige is.
Elsbeth: Vraag wanneer Luciano een reactie denkt te verwachten.
Luciano: Zeg dat dat waarschijnlijk over een of twee weken zal zijn.
Elsbeth: Vraag of het een probleem wordt om je geld terug te krijgen.
Luciano: Zeg dat dit geen probleem zal zijn. Voeg eraan toe dat hij misschien een korting geeft op de volgende bestelling.
Elsbeth: Bedank Luciano.
Luciano: Vraag of Elsbeth alles wil doorgeven aan de retail manager..
Elsbeth: Bevestig dat je dat zult doen.
Luciano: Groet ten afscheid.
Elsbeth: Groet ten afscheid.

4. Listen to the following converation and then answer the questions.

Dan: Dan Williams.
Barbara: Good morning Sir, this is Barbara de Kroon from DHL Customer Services.
              I am calling you to tell you your shipment has been cleared by the Canadian Customs Service and will be delivered within half an hour.
Dan: Now, that's what I call good news.
Barbara: Yes it is, and I have to apologize for the delay that has occurred. We are very sorry it happened.
Dan: So it was all about one digit?
Barbara: Yes, it was. Since it was a dutiable shipment, Customs needed the correct number for clearance.
              With the help of our colleagues in Montreal everything could be solved quite easily.
Dan: But my package is at least one and a half days late, I want a refund for the shipping charges. I've heard DHL has a money-back guarantee.
Barbara: Well, I can assure you that you will be provided with a refund, because it was our employee who made the mistake with the commodity code.
Dan: That sounds better. How will I receive my refund?
Barbara: AII refunds will be credited to the original purchase methods. For example, if the original purchase was made by Visa, the refund credit will be to Visa.
Dan: And what do I have to do to get it?
Barbara: I will make a note of this telephone conversation and send it to the Financial Department. They will take care of it. You won't have to do anything.
Dan: Well, that's it then, I thank you for your explanation. I will think about accepting your apologies.
        I still find it unacceptable that I wasn't informed earlier about the delay.
Barbara: Yes, and I'm very sorry about that, sir. I will make a note of it.
             AII complaints are being evaluated with the responsible employees. Would you like us to inform you once we find out how this happened?
Dan: No, thanks, but I would like to receive a confirmation of the arrival of my shipment.
Barbara: Can we send that to you by email?
Dan: That would be fine. Goodbye then.
Barbara: Good day to you, sir.

4A Listen to the conversation between Barbara and Dan again. Then answer the following questions.

1. What does Barbara say about the delivery time?
2. Why does Barbara agree to give a refund?
3. Why does Dan still hesitate about 'accepting Barbara's apologies'?

4B Find words in the conversation between Barbara and Dan which mean the same as the Dutch words in brackets.
1. I have to apologize for the [vertraging].
2. Customs need the correct number for [inklaring] of your shipment.
3. It was all about one single [cijfer].
4. I want a [terugbetaling] for the shipping charges.
5. The money will be [bijgeschreven] to your Visa account.
6. Our employee made a mistake with the [goederencode].
7. AII complaints are evaluated with the responsible [werknemers].
8. Can I receive a [bevestiging]?