Prime Time 8. Coursebook plus Semester Self-checks, Schulbuch

b) E-mail/Letter of complaint J Prime Time 5 , page 144; Prime Time 5 Transition , page 146 An e-mail/letter of complaint will obviously contain some form of criticism. However, even if you are complain- ing, be polite as this makes it easier for the addressee to accept your criticism and to take steps to compensate you. Sample e-mail/letter of complaint Gabriele Murtinger Alpengasse 29 3271 Neuhaus Flying Air 7 Phoenix Road Strawford HR9 5XV Great Britain 15 May 20.. Complaint about poor service Dear Ms Wyatt, As a passenger on flight FA 007 on 8 May from London to Delhi I regret to inform you that the service off and on board was totally unacceptable. Firstly, our flight was delayed and while this can happen at any time and might not be the fault of the airline, I did find it intolerable that we were not informed about why we were delayed. I would expect an explanation in such a case. Moreover, my partner and I obviously wanted to sit next to each other, but in spite of being at the check-in on time it was not possible to find two adjoining seats for us. When we were on board, the man next to me agreed to give up his seat to my partner, so they started to swap seats, but were prevented from doing so by a flight attendant who behaved in an extraordinarily rude way. We suggested waiting until the plane was safely at cruising altitude, but she simply told us it was not permitted, giving no further explanation. Furthermore, we were extremely disappointed with the on-board service. The audio equipment did not work and by the time we were served lunch no more vegetarian dishes were available al- though we had explicitly asked for vegetarian food at the time of booking. I have travelled with Flying Air before and would like to do so again. But I am sure you will under- stand that the sort of service we experienced is unacceptable. Therefore I would like to ask for an official apology and compensation. We would expect a voucher or a discount on a future booking. I look forward to your reply. Yours sincerely, Gabriele Murtinger Encl.: Copy of flight ticket Useful phrases E-mail/Letter of complaint I deeply regret to have to say … . • I must express my disapproval of/dissatisfaction with … . • to be delayed/badly treated • to cause inconvenience • I am sure you will understand … . • This is not acceptable/is intolerable. • I still cannot believe that … . • in consequence • with the result that • You can imagine that … . • to be disappointed at/by/with sth./sb. • to be dissatisfied with sth. • to suggest sth. as a resolution to the problem • to be entitled to a compensation • to ask for compensation/a refund • to be reimbursed for sth. • After reading about this inconvenience … . • You will no doubt … . • to thank sb. for their cooperation • to await sb.’s response P 163 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv