Warm-UpSkillsListeningDictationSpeaking Unit 10 Complaint and Claim In this unit, you will: A. Review complaints and claims. B. Learn and understand conversations

SpeakingDictationListeningSkillsWarm-Up

Unit 10Unit 10 Complaint and ClaimComplaint and Claim

In this unit, you will:

A. Review complaints and claims.

B. Learn and understand conversations about complaints and claims.

C. Learn how to express complaints and make claims.


WARM-UP LISTENINGWARM-UP LISTENING

Section A

Directions: You will hear 5 sentences. Listen to each sentence, and then decide

what the best response should be.

1. a. The delivery van is on its way. c. Be patient please, it’s not too late.

b. We promised an early delivery. d. Don’t worry! We’ll be here on time.

2. a. We will begin repairs at once. c. Take it easy.

b. Did you take them to the hospital? d. I’m afraid I can’t help you.

3. a. That’s not a problem. c. It’s not really my fault.

b. It doesn’t matter. d. I’m sorry! What is your order?

4. a. We don’t offer such a service. c. Please fill out the claim form.

b. Oh, forget it. d. Please pay the insurance.

5. a. I don’t think so. c. Why don’t you try it?

b. Why not? d. That’s the beauty salon’s order!

Key



1. You promised delivery by six o’clock, and it’s already seven-thirty. a. The delivery van is on its way. c. Be patient please, it’s not too late. b. We promised an early delivery. d. Don’t worry! We’ll be here on time.2. You delivered the sofa, but your delivery men broke the legs on the way up the stairs. a. We will begin repairs at once. c. Take it easy. b. Did you take them to the hospital? d. I’m afraid I can’t help you.3. You sent the wrong invoice with the wrong product. a. That’s not a problem. c. It’s not really my fault. b. It doesn’t matter. d. I’m sorry! What is your order?4. I want to file a claim on the insurance for that missing package. a. We don’t offer such a service. c. Please fill out the claim form. b. Oh, forget it. d. Please pay the insurance.5. Believe me, there’s no way a hospital would order a thousand bottles of nail polish. a. I don’t think so. c. Why don’t you try it? b. Why not? d. That’s the beauty

salon’s order!



Section B

Directions: You will hear 5 short dialogues. After each dialogue, you will hear a

question. Both the dialogues and the questions will be spoken two

times. After listening to the dialogue and the question, choose the

correct answer from the four choices.



1. a. Colleagues. c. Customer and waiter.

b. Delivery person and office worker. d. Employer and employee.

2. a. At the police station. c. In a department store.

b. At a post office. d. In a restaurant.

3. a. He is satisfied with the delivery. c. He is trying to find an excuse.

b. He is trying to make the woman satisfied. d. He feels very sorry for his fault.

4. a. 50 packets of corn. c. 30 units of pepper.

b. 50 units of copper wire. d. 30 packets of corn.

5. a. It was delayed by heavy traffic. c. It broke down on the way.

b. It ran out of oil. d. It was parked in the wrong place.

Key



1. W: Are you sure this order is for our company?

M: Yes, your boss thought sending everyone a little gift was a good idea.

Q: What’s the possible relationship between these two speakers?

a. Colleagues. c. Customer and waiter.

b. Delivery person and office worker. d. Employer and employee.

2. M: How much are you willing to take off the bill for spilling hot coffee on me?

W: Your meal is on the house.

Q: Where does this dialogue most probably take place?

a. At the police station. c. In a department store.

b. At a post office. d. In a restaurant.

3. W: Every single item you delivered is broken or covered with oil.

M: Well, at least we delivered it on time.

Q: What can we learn from the man’s response?

a. He is satisfied with the delivery. c. He is trying to find an excuse.

b. He is trying to make the woman satisfied. d. He feels very sorry for his fault.



4. W: We asked for a delivery of 50 units of copper wire, not 30 packets of corn.

M: I am sorry, wait a minute and I will correct your order.

Q: What does the woman want?

a. 50 packets of corn. c. 30 units of pepper.

b. 50 units of copper wire. d. 30 packets of corn.

5. W: You promised delivery before 7 o’clock tonight!

M: I’m so sorry. Our delivery van was stuck in traffic.

Q: What’s wrong with the man’s van?

a. It was delayed by heavy traffic. c. It broke down on the way.

b. It ran out of oil. d. It was parked in the wrong place.


BASIC SKILLS BASIC SKILLS Read and memorize the following expressions.

Making a Claim

Our contract states that …

According to our agreement …

Our agreement states that you need

to …

You promised a delivery today, but …

Our agreement clearly states that …

Accepting a Claim

You’re so right.

Yes, that is in the contract.

Evidently we didn’t live up to our side of the bargain.

Let me see what we can do.


BASIC SKILLS BASIC SKILLS

Making Amends

We will take care of that for you immediately.

I’ll take care of this myself.

We will straighten this out in a moment.

Is there any way we can make this up to you?

We will try to make amends.

We will waive the fee.

Offering Explanations

Our shipping clerk made an error.

Our delivery van is stuck in traffic.

Some of our machinery broke down.

We’ve been hard hit by illness.

Much of our staff is out due to the bad weather.

We lost power for several hours.


BASIC SKILLSBASIC SKILLS

Complaining

Excuse me, but there’s a problem here.

We asked for this, not for that.

I wonder if you could help me …

I am sorry to trouble you, but …

I have a bit of a problem here, you see …

I want you to “comp” my bill.

Accepting Complaints

On behalf of the company, let me apologize.

We are terribly sorry.

I can’t tell you how sorry we are.

I don’t know what to say.

I’ll take care of this right away.

We will make a reduction on your bill—in fact, we will make it free of charge, or “comp” it.


LISTENING COMPREHENSIONLISTENING COMPREHENSIONSection ADirections: Listen to the conversation. Then mark the answer you think is best. The conversation will be spoken two times.

Words & Expressions

nail polish 指甲油mix-up n. 混乱，杂乱grand opening 盛大的开业典礼


LISTENING COMPREHENSIONLISTENING COMPREHENSION1. What are the man and the woman talking about? a. How to use make-up. c. A missed delivery. b. How to polish fingernails. d. An overdue bill.2. When will the nail polish be delivered to the woman with luck? a. In less than an hour. c. An hour later. b. Right away. d. Tomorrow.3. What would the woman like the salesman to do? a. To give her a discount. c. To return her money. b. To deliver her order at once. d. To apologize.4. Where did the delivery go? a. It was delayed at the airport. c. It was sent to a hospital by

mistake. b. No one knows where the delivery went. d. The man took it.5. Why has the woman ordered so much nail polish? a. Her hobby is collecting nail polish. b. She only sells nail polish. c. She has given a wrong order. d. She needs it as a gift for her customers.

Tape Script Key


LISTENING COMPREHENSIONLISTENING COMPREHENSIONWOMAN: Where is our order?MAN: I’m sorry, please be more specific. Who am I speaking with?WOMAN: I’m sorry, I’m just so upset! This is Beauty Time Beauty Salon.MAN: Could you tell me what your order was, ma’am? WOMAN: We ordered 1,000 bottles of pink nail polish, called Pink Lady Polish. MAN: So you’re the ones! What a mix-up!WOMAN: What? I’m sorry. I don’t quite follow what you’re saying.MAN: I can’t tell you how sorry we are! I should have called you. Obviously we

delivered your order to the wrong location.WOMAN: Oh, no! We need that polish right now! MAN: Will tomorrow do? We are quite backed up right now. WOMAN: We promised a bottle to everyone who comes to our grand opening

today! Can you rush the order to us?MAN: Yes, we will take care of that for you at once. You see, we delivered it to

the hospital by mistake and they are very anxious for us to take it back! WOMAN: I’m sure they are. When can I expect the polish to arrive?MAN: I will call the driver on his mobile. With luck, it will be there in less than an

hour.

Key


LISTENING COMPREHENSIONLISTENING COMPREHENSION

1. What are the man and the woman talking about? a. How to use make-up. c. A missed delivery. b. How to polish fingernails. d. An overdue bill.2. When will the nail polish be delivered to the woman with luck? a. In less than an hour. c. An hour later. b. Right away. d. Tomorrow.3. What would the woman like the salesman to do? a. To give her a discount. c. To return her money. b. To deliver her order at once. d. To apologize.4. Where did the delivery go? a. It was delayed at the airport. b. No one knows where the delivery went. c. It was sent to a hospital by mistake. d. The man took it.5. Why has the woman ordered so much nail polish? a. Her hobby is collecting nail polish. c. She has given a wrong order. b. She only sells nail polish. d. She needs it as a gift for her customers.

Tape Script


LISTENING COMPREHENSIONLISTENING COMPREHENSIONNotes for Language and Culture

① mix-up 混乱，混乱的状况或事例 (a state or an instance of confusion)

② I don’t quite follow what you’re saying. 我不明白你在说什么。这里的 follow 相当于 understand 。

③ We are quite backed up right now. 我们现在忙得不可开交。 back up 的意思是“使聚集；引起堆积或经过积累”。例如：

· The accident backed the traffic up for blocks.

事故造成了几个街区的交通阻塞。 ④ Can you rush the order to us? 您能不能尽快把货送来？ rush 在这里的意

思是“迅速运输”（ to transport or send sth. somewhere with great speed ）。例如：

· The doctors rushed the injured to the hospital.

医生迅速把伤员送往医院。


LISTENING COMPREHENSIONLISTENING COMPREHENSIONSection B

Directions: Listen to the conversation. Then decide if the sentences below are

true or false. Mark the correct answer with a “√”. The conversation

will be spoken two times.

Words & Expressions

warehouse n. 仓库shelf n. 货架，书架bare a. 空荡荡的



1. The woman is complaining about a delivery. true false

2. The man doesn’t need to ask for the order number. true false

3. The woman is confirming a delivery. true false

4. The price of the order is not discussed. true false

5. The woman is angry with the man. true false

Tape Script Key



WOMAN: I need to confirm the time, date, and place of delivery for the Phoenix Company.

MAN: Yes, please tell me your order number so I can look it up in our system.WOMAN: Order number 67258, for delivery to Phoenix Company on the afternoon

of Friday, May 12, at our corporate office.MAN: Would that be the office at 47 Hunan Road?WOMAN: No, that’s our branch office. Our corporate office is located at 165 Central

Avenue. The same city, the same zip code. MAN: I’m sorry, but I don’t have that as a delivery address in our system.WOMAN: This is the first delivery you are making to that address. MAN: In that case, the delivery will be made from our east side warehouse. I’ll

phone the order over there right now.WOMAN: Will they be able to deliver it on time? MAN: Yes, they should be able to deliver that Friday afternoon as planned.WOMAN: Is there any chance they can deliver it the day before? I’m afraid our

shelves are rather bare.MAN: Actually, they can! Would Thursday morning, May 11, be convenient for

you?WOMAN: Perfect! Thank you so much!

Key



1. The woman is complaining about a delivery. true false

2. The man doesn’t need to ask for the order number. true false

3. The woman is confirming a delivery. true false

4. The price of the order is not discussed. true false

5. The woman is angry with the man. true false

Tape Script


LISTENING COMPREHENSIONLISTENING COMPREHENSIONNotes for Language and Culture

① look it up 查找（ seek information from ）。例如： · When you do not understand a word, you can look it up in this dictionary.

当你不懂一个单词时，可以查这本词典。 ② corporate office 集团办公室 ③ in that case 如果是那样的话。例如：

· In that case, we’d better hold a discussion about the problem.

那样的话 , 我们最好就这一问题展开讨论。


LISTENING COMPREHENSIONLISTENING COMPREHENSIONSection C

Directions: Listen to the short passage and answer the following questions. The passage will be spoken two times.

Words & Expressions

head up 领导，主管transfer v. 调动contrast n. 明显的差异，对比striking a. 显著的wrinkled a. 有皱纹的vital a. 生气勃勃的



1. How did the two women meet?

They met when they were in the Complaints Department.

2. How long were they apart?

They were apart for .

3. What was the difference between the two after many years?

One was , the other still young-looking.

4. Why was the one woman so grey and old?

She was grey and old from all day.

5. Why was the other woman still young and vital?

Because she didn’t .

KeyTape Script



Two recent college graduates were hired to work in the Complaints

Department of a very large corporation. After completing their training, they were sent to head up the Complaints Departments in different cities. They wished each other well, and promised to keep in touch. However, many years passed before they had the opportunity to see one another again.

After twenty-five years of working far apart, both were promoted into top-level executive positions, and were transferred to the same building, with offices side-by-side. The contrast between the two was striking: one had become grey, wrinkled, and old before her time. The other remained fairly young-looking and vital, with a smile on her face. “What is the secret of your youth?” the first exclaimed. “I am old and worn out from handling other people’s troubles all day long, day in and day out, sorting out their problems, listening to them complain!” “Listen?” replied the second one, “Who listens?”

Key



1. How did the two women meet?

They met when they were hired to work in the Complaints Department.

2. How long were they apart?

They were apart for 25 years.

3. What was the difference between the two after many years?

One was wrinkled and grey, the other still young-looking.

4. Why was the one woman so grey and old?

She was grey and old from handling other people’s troubles all day.

5. Why was the other woman still young and vital?

Because she didn’t listen to the complaints.

Tape Script


COMPOUND DICTATIONCOMPOUND DICTATION

Section A

Directions: Write down the sentences that you hear. The sentences will be

spoken three times.

1. ____________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________________

5. ____________________________________________________

Key



1. My apologies, we will take care of that for you right away.

2. Is there any way we can make this up to you?

3. You promised a delivery today, but it’s ten at night and you’re still not here!

4. Much of our staff couldn’t come today due to the bad weather.

5. Our agreement clearly states that you are to provide all food and drink.


COMPOUND DICTATIONCOMPOUND DICTATIONSection B

Directions: Listen to the song “The

Customer is Always Right”.

Fill in the blanks with the

words you hear and sing

along.

There’s a you need to know,

If you want your to grow.

Just keep your clients happy,

So they’ll come back and bring their .

The customer is always right,From two in the morningUntil two at .If you want them to come back,Treat them right,Because the customer is always right.

Never make your customer ,Agree with them and make them glad.They may be wrong but don’t tell them so,Happy clients make your grow!

Key



There’s a secret you need to know,If you want your business to grow.Just keep your clients happy,So they’ll come back and bring their money.

The customer is always right,From two in the morningUntil two at night.If you want them to come back,Treat them right,Because the customer is always right.

Never make your customer mad,Agree with them and make them glad.They may be wrong but don’t tell them so,Happy clients make your profit grow!


FOLLOW-UP SPEAKINGFOLLOW-UP SPEAKING

Section AI. Listen In and Speak Out

Directions: Listen to the conversation and repeat it sentence by sentence.

Words & Expressions

file v. 提出，申请claim n. 索赔reimbursement n. 赔偿，补偿



WOMAN: Excuse me. Who would I talk to about filing an insurance claim?MAN: That would be me. What type of claim would you like to make? ①WOMAN: I insured this package against damage due to shipping, and as ② you can see, everything inside it is broken.MAN: I’m really sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to help you with the claim forms?③WOMAN: Yes, please tell me what to do next. I’ve never had to do this before. MAN: Not a problem. Do you have the original insurance form?WOMAN: Yes, I do, and the receipt as well.MANAGER: Excellent! You will need a copy of the original insurance form, and a copy of the receipt showing you paid for the insurance. You will also need to fill this out.WOMAN: Application for Reimbursement? Is that the one I need?④MANAGER: That’s it. Send them all to the head office. And do accept my apologies for what happened to your package.WOMAN: Thank you. You have been very helpful. MANAGER: Not at all. That’s my job, after all!


FOLLOW-UP SPEAKINGFOLLOW-UP SPEAKINGII. Practice Directions: Act out the conversation by using the following expressions.

① What type of claim would you like to make? What is this claim about? Why are you making a claim? Why do you wish to file a claim?

② I insured this package against damage due to shipping. I put insurance on this in case it got damaged. This package was insured against damage. I bought the insurance that covered the damage of this package.

③ Is there anything I can do to help you with the claim forms? Please let me know if I can help you with the process. Do you need any help with the forms? Let me know if I can help you with the forms or anything.

④ Is that the one I need? Which form do I need? What form is the right one? How can I tell which is the correct form?

Sample


FOLLOW-UP SPEAKINGFOLLOW-UP SPEAKINGIII. Sample ConversationWOMAN: Excuse me. Who would I talk to about filing an insurance claim?MAN: That would be me. What is this claim about?WOMAN: This package was insured against damage, and as you can see, everything inside it is broken.MAN: I’m really sorry to hear that. Let me know if I can help you with the forms or anything.WOMAN: Yes, please tell me what to do next. I’ve never had to do this before. MAN: Not a problem. Do you have the original insurance form?WOMAN: Yes, I do, and the receipt as well.MANAGER: Excellent! You will need a copy of the original insurance form, a copy of the receipt showing you paid for the insurance. You will also need to fill this out.WOMAN: Application for Reimbursement? Which form do I need?MANAGER: That’s it. Send them all to the head office. And do accept my apologies for what happened to your package.WOMAN: Thank you. You have been very helpful. MANAGER: Not at all. That’s my job, after all!


FOLLOW-UP SPEAKINGFOLLOW-UP SPEAKINGSection B

I. Listen In and Fill Out

Directions: Listen to the conversation and fill in the blanks with the missing words,

consulting the useful expressions in the box if you have difficulty.

Words & Expressions

cater v. 提供饮食，承办酒席head count 人数统计



MAN: I need to make a complaint to your manager. Is he in?

WOMAN: I’m the manager. ①MAN: I ordered a catered meal to be served promptly at noon, and the food

didn’t arrive until 2:30. It was also cold and only half of what I had paid for!

WOMAN: That sounds terrible! Let me pull up your ②original order …

MAN: The name is Wang, of Wang and Fordyce.

① Can I help you?

How may I be of assistance?

What may I do for you?

What can I do for you?

② You must really get angry.

You must really be upset with us.

You must really feel sorry for that.

You must really feel heartsick.

Key



WOMAN: This order is for 12 people to be served in the ③afternoon. It doesn’t specify the time. But the waiter wrote down that you had 26 people, not 12.

MAN: We had some extra people show up. You ④should have served the meal according to the changed order.

WOMAN: Since you ordered sandwiches, the food needed to be cold. Your contract states that you have to give us an accurate head count 24 hours in advance. I’m afraid the best I can do is not to charge you for the extra drinks you ordered.

③ I have your order right in front of me. Your order form is here. Let’s take a look at what you ordered. I have your order right here.

④ But you can’t blame me for that. But that’s not my fault. But you can’t hold me responsible for that. But that’s not my problem.

Key



MAN: I need to make a complaint to your manager. Is he in?WOMAN: I’m the manager. What may I do for you?①MAN: I ordered a catered meal to be served promptly at noon, and the food didn’t arrive until 2:30. It was also cold and only half of what I had paid for!WOMAN: That sounds terrible! You must really be upset with us. Let me pull ② up your original order … MAN: The name is Wang, of Wang and Fordyce.WOMAN: I have your order right here. This order is for 12 people to be served ③ in the afternoon. It doesn’t specify the time. But the waiter wrote down that you had 26 people, not 12.MAN: We had some extra people show up. But you can’t blame me for that. ④ You should have served the meal according to the changed order.WOMAN: Since you ordered sandwiches, the food needed to be cold. Your contract states that you have to give us an accurate head count 24 hours in advance. I’m afraid the best I can do is not to charge you for the extra drinks you ordered.



II. Practice

Directions: Act out the conversation by using the following information.

① I ordered a color TV set to be delivered yesterday afternoon, and it didn’t arrive

until ten this morning. It was also of a different type and more expensive than w

hat I had paid for!

Zhang, of Nanjing Institute of Engineering

V6-HDTV to be delivered on the afternoon of June 15

clerk

V6-HDTV was out of stock and that he informed you about the suggested substit

ute by telephone

Yes, he told me.

You should have let me see the substitute before delivering.

Since you didn’t say “no” to the substitute, we took it for granted that you agreed.

the price difference

Sample



② I ordered a pair of blue jeans to be delivered promptly at ten this morning, and it

didn’t arrive until three this afternoon. It was also of a different color from what I

ordered!

Smith, of Smith and Johnson

Size XL to be delivered today

the shop assistant

you changed to size XXL, not XL

I thought size XL was a bit too small.

You should have delivered the goods according to the changed order.

But we didn’t have size XXL of the same color. The substitute we chose was of

a similar color.

tailoring and ironing

Sample



③ I sent an icebox here to get it repaired 10 days ago. You said you could get the

job done in a couple of days. But the box still hasn’t arrived.

White, of 1102 the Main Street

This bill says the compressor has gone wrong and needs to be replaced. It does

say that the job can be done in a couple of days.

the repairman

you wanted an imported substitute

I think imported goods are of better quality.

You should have got the job done in the promised time.

But we don’t have a spare imported compressor.

urge our part provider to deliver some imported parts as soon as possible

Sample


FOLLOW-UP SPEAKINGFOLLOW-UP SPEAKINGIII. Sample Conversation

MAN: I need to make a complaint to your manager. Is he in?

WOMAN: I’m the manager. What may I do for you?

MAN: I ordered a color TV set to be delivered yesterday afternoon, and it didn’t arrive until ten this morning. It was also of a different type and more expensive than what I had paid for!

WOMAN: That sounds terrible! You must really be upset with us. Let me pull up your original order …

MAN: The name is Zhang, of Nanjing Institute of Engineering.

WOMAN: I have your order right here. This order is for a V6-HDTV to be delivered on the afternoon of June 15. But the clerk wrote down that the V6-HDTV was out of stock and that he informed you about the suggested substitute by telephone.

MAN: Yes, he told me. But you can’t blame me for that. You should have let me see the substitute before delivering.

WOMAN: Since you didn’t say “no” to the substitute, we took it for granted that you agreed. I’m afraid the best I can do is not to charge you for the price difference.


制作：译林出版社高等英语事业部

Documents

Warm-UpSkillsListeningDictationSpeaking Unit 10 Complaint and Claim In this unit, you will: A. Review complaints and claims. B. Learn and understand conversations