Lesson two

Tuesday 15th November 2011

Hello!

Good morning!

More complaints

Complaints

Listen

Acknowledge

Solve

Thank

Complaints

Listen

Can I speak to the owner?

Acknowledge

Apologise

Solve

Refunds

Exchanges

Thank

Apologies

I’m very sorry about that.

I’m terribly sorry about that.

I fully understand the inconvenience this has caused.

I’m sorry but I’m afraid I can’t help you.

I’m sorry but you’ll have to talk to our manager about

that.

Complaints about things

Bent

Broken

Chipped

Cracked

Crushed

Deformed

Out of date

Rusty

Scratched

Stained

Twisted

Wet

Dented

Discoloured

Faded

Illegible

Leaky

Noisy

Complaints about people

Aggressive

Clumsy

Dirty

Dishonest

Impatient

Impolite

Incapable

Rude

Unfriendly

Unhelpful

Unprofessional

Untrained

Untruthful

Incompetent

Insolent

Late

Messy

Untidy

Negligent

Offensive

Options

Substitute

Refund

Reduce price

Give more goods

Send an expert

Contact insurance

Send back to manufacturer

Call the manager

Offer a complaint form

On the phone

Requests for information

Prices

Sizes / Features

Delivery

Payment

Complaints

Information

Leaflets

Samples

Sales literature

Agent’s visit

Discounts

Introductory offer

Initial order

Quantity

Cash

Early payment

Prices

Our product costs… euros / pounds / dollars.

The price per kilo / item / unit / litre / yard / foot is

… euros / pounds / dollars.

On the phone

Hello, you have called Vino Español, my name

is Mary, may I help you?

Yes, hello, my name is Ana and I’m calling

from London. I’m looking for some wine.

Yes, sure. Were you thinking of one in

particular? Red, white?

It was white wine, with a blue bottle.

On the phone

A blue bottle? That must be Viña Galtea

semiseco, right?

Yes, yes it is. Can you send it to the UK?

Sure, no problem. How many bottles would

you like?

I’d like to have 12 bottles.

OK, each bottle costs 5EUR, so that will be

60EUR, which is about 51GBP (pounds).

On the phone

How would you like to pay for that? We

accept credit card, Paypal or bank transfer.

Credit card is OK.

On the phone

OK, can you tell me your card number?

Sure, it’s 1234 4321 1234 4321.

And the name on the card?

My name is Ana Michelle Ono.

The expiry date, please?

It’s January 2020.

On the phone

OK, so we’ll charge 60EUR on your card

number 1234 4321 1234 4321with expiry date

January 2020.What is your address?

I live in 5 Abbey Road, Westminster, London,

NW8 9AA.

On the phone

Do you have any special delivery instructions?

This is my work address, I’m only there from

9 till 6.

You should receive your wine on Monday at

9am.

OK, thank you.

Thank you, have a nice day!

You too, bye bye!

Calling back

Good Morning, Abbey Road Studios, can I help you?

Yes, could I speak to Ana Michelle Ono, please?

A) Yes madam, I’ll put you through.

B) Sorry, she’s not available at the moment, can I take a

message?

Sure, will you tell her Mary Martin from Vino Español

called her?

Yes madam, I’ll pass the message on to her.

Calling back

Hello Ms Ono, good

morning. How are

things?

Fine

Great

Marvellous!

Good.

How about you?

Not so bad.

Can’t complain.

Could be better.

Oh, really!

Order will be late

Now, what can I do for you, Ms Martin?

I’m calling about your order. There’s a bit of a

problem with your order, it will arrive on Tuesday

instead of Monday.

Oh, it’s OK, I don’t need it until Friday.

More information

Could I have your mobile phone number, please?

Could I have your fax number, please?

Could I have your email address, please?

Problems!

Oh, I’m sorry. I must have dialled the wrong number!

I’m sorry. Could you say that again?

I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Could you repeat it?

Could you spell that word for me, please?

What was the name again? I didn’t catch it.

Problems!

I’m sorry but it’s a very bad line. Could you phone

back in two minutes?

I’m sorry but it’s a very bad line. Could you speak a

little louder, please?

I’m sorry but I can’t make out what you’re saying.

Would you like to call later?

I’m sorry but we seem to have been cut off last time.

If it happens again I’ll call you back.

Apologies again

I’m very sorry about that.

I’m sorry but you’ll have to talk to our manager about

that.

I’ll put you through.

I’ll give you her number.

I’m very sorry about the delay / the mistake / the mix-

up / the damage

Please accept our apologies for this.

Saying goodbye

Anything else I can do for you?

Is there anything else I can do for you Ms Ono / sir /

madam?

That’s all, thank you.

No, thank you very much.

You’re welcome, and thanks for the order.

Saying goodbye

Thank you for calling.

We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

Have a nice day.

You too, goodbye.

Goodbye.

Thank you!

Reference

Communication for Business, by Birgit Abegg and Michael Benford.