Chapter 7 Letters of Complaint and Conditional Sentences

7.1 Letters of Complaint When writing a complaint letter, you want to keep it short and to the point to help ensure that your letter will be read in its entirety. If you write a seven page complaint letter, it's highly unlikely that someone will sit down and read all seven pages. The complaint letter should be addressed to the customer service/consumer affairs department or the head office if there is no customer service department. The address and contact information of the customer service department should be available on the company's products or website. 7.1.1 Complaint Letter Writing In the first paragraph you should identify what the issue is and any relevant information that you believe is important. Be sure to include the following information if it's applicable to the situation: the date/time of the issue, location, name of person on duty, name of product, what the problem was, your account number, model number, price, warranty information and reference number. Be sure to stick with the facts and avoid putting emotions into your letter. The next paragraph should state what you would like done to resolve the situation. If you received poor service, you could request an apology or a coupon. If a product malfunctioned, you could request that you could exchange the product for a new one or request a refund.

The last paragraph should thank the reader for the time. You can also throw in some compliments about something you liked about their company's product or service. You should include your telephone number/e-mail address after your printed name so that they can contact you ASAP if necessary. Be sure to keep a copy of the letter for yourself and include photocopies of any relevant documents and enclose them with your letter.

7.1.2 Example Letters of Complaint Fortune Goods 317 Orchard Road Singapore 30 September 2011 Attn: Mr David Choi Sales Manager Everlong Batteries 171 Choi Hung Road Hung Hom Hong Kong Dear Mr Choi Re. Order No. 768197 I am writing to inform you that the goods we ordered from your company have not been supplied correctly. On 23 September 2011 we placed an order with your firm for 12,000 ultra super longlife batteries. The consignment arrived yesterday but contained only 1,200 batteries. This error put our firm in a difficult position, as we had to make some emergency purchases to fulfil our commitments to all our customers. This caused us considerable inconvenience. I am writing to ask you to please make up the shortfall immediately and to ensure that such errors do not happen again. Otherwise, we may have to look elsewhere for our supplies. I look forward to hearing from you by return. Yours sincerely

J. Wong
J. Wong Purchasing Officer

7.2 A Reply to A Letter of Complaints

Useful Expressions Acknowledging receipt of a complaint letter Thank you for your letter of regarding / concerning / in connection with I refer to your letter of about / relating to

Apology for the error or fault We must apologise for We sincerely apologise for Please accept our apologies for I would like to apologise for the error made by our company in (verb+ing) Accepting the Complaint We agree that the usual high standards of our products / services were not met in this instance.

A short explanation of the fault Introductory phrase As a result of our investigation, we found that... (Not: After our investigation...) Causes The error was caused by / was due to Apparently, the problem was the result of / resulted The cause of / reason for the mistake was

from

Effects As a result This led to Consequently

Solutions We have modified / changed our ... We have implemented a system to... To prevent re-occurrences we have set up a verification

procedure. Assurances We assure you that this will not happen again.

Investigation to be made We are currently investigating the cause of ... We will investigate the cause of...

Proposal to settle the difficulty As a gesture of our regret, we are prepared to / we are willing to / we would like to To show goodwill, we will

An offer to take goods back, make a replacement, give a discount etc. We have dispatched the new items by express courier. They should arrive by Monday, 28 November 2011. To show our goodwill, we would like to offer you a 5% discount on your next order with us. Regret at dissatisfaction While we can understand your frustration, ... We understand how disappointing it can be when your expectations are not met. Rejecting responsibility for the problem leading to the complaint I regret to inform you that I am afraid that Unfortunately, I must point out that

Reasons for the rejection This is because the guarantee period has expired. This is due to the fact that the guarantee period has expired.

If a third party (another person or organisation) is to blame, direct the complainer to that party We therefore suggest that you contact...

A concluding paragraph aiming at retaining the goodwill of the customer We look forward to receiving your further orders, and assure you that they will be filled correctly / promptly.

7.2.1 Example A Reply to Letters of Complaint Everlong Batteries 171 Choi Hung Road Hung Hon, Hong Kong Tel/Fax 2235 2449 4 Oct 2011 Mr J Wong Purchasing Officer Fortune Goods 317 Orchard Road Singapore Dear Mr Wong Order No. 2639/L Please accept our apologies for the error made by our company in filling your order no. 2639/L dated Friday, 30 September 2011. You ordered 12,000 size Ultra super-long-life premium batteries, but our dispatch office sent 1,200. This was due to a typing error. The balance of 10,800 batteries was dispatched by express courier to your store this morning and will arrive by Wednesday, 12 October 2011. Since we value your business, we would like to offer you a 10% discount off your next order with us. We look forward to receiving your further orders and assure you that they will be filled correctly. Yours sincerely

David Choi
David Choi Distributions Manager

7.3 Letters of Apology and Settlement An apology letter shows that you are sorry and says that you value your relationship with the other party. The sooner an apology letter is written and sent out the better it is for the relationship. Depending on the nature of the letter, it can either be written in the friendly or the business letter format. Friendly/Personal Apology Letter If this is a personal letter you should start the letter by saying that you are sorry to the recipient. Next you should admit your fault and take responsibility for your actions. Next you should volunteer or ask if there is any way that you can help out to resolve the situation. Then you should let the recipient that you will try to make sure that the situation will not happen again. To close off the letter, you should apologize again. When writing a personal apology letter it should come from the heart and be sincere. Formal/Business Apology Letter If this is a business letter you should start the letter by saying that you are sorry to the recipient. Next you should give an explanation as to what went wrong. Then you should try to rectify the problem. To close off the letter you should apologize again.

7.3.1 Example Apology Letter Example Apology Letter (Personal) 68 Pine Zaggat Lane Hampervile, NE 25385 January 5, 2005 Dear Jolene, I am sorry about forgetting about our lunch date. It was completely my fault; I was so busy at work that it must have slipped my mind. How about I treat you to lunch next Wednesday at the new Italian restaurant Julie's at 12:30PM? I have marked this date in my planner so I will not forget about it. I'd just like to apologize again for missing the lunch date. Your Friend, Signature Example Apology Letter (Business) 5868 Maple Wood Street Fairfield, PA 37626 November 29, 2004 Mr. Joseph Bicman 358 Noncook Road John's Town, PA 57323 Dear Mr. Bicman: I apologize for the mix-up of order #: 26429782. We have just implemented a new packaging system that still has a few bugs that still needs to be worked out, but we did fix your order and sent it out this morning. For your trouble, we have enclosed a $25 gift certificate which can be used at any of our stores. Once again I would like to apologize for the mix-up in your order and any inconveniences this may have caused you. Sincerely, Signature Scott Mahoney Customer Service Manager

7.4 Conditional Sentences Overview of Basic Verb Forms Used In Conditional Sentences
SITUATION
True in the present/future
,

IF-CLAUSE
simple present

RESULT CLAUSE
simple present will + simple form

EXAMPLES
If I have enough time, I watc h TV

every evening. If I have enough time, I will watch TV later on tonigh t.

Untrue in the present/future Untrue in the past

simple past past perfect

would + simple form would have + past participle

If I had enough time, I would watch TV now or later on.

If I had had enough time, I would

have watched TV yesterday.

True In The Present or Future

TRUE IN THE PRESENT O

(a) If I don't eat breakfast, I always get hungry during class. (b) Water freezes OR will freeze if the temperature reaches 32F/0C. (c) If I don't eat breakfast tomorrow morning, I will get hungry during class. (d) If If If If it it it it rains, we should stay home. rains, I might decide to stay home. rains, we can't go. rains, we're going to stay home.

R FUTURE
In conditional sentences that express true, factual ideas in the present/future, the simple present (not the simple future) is used in the if-claus e. The result clause has various possible verb forms . A result clause verb can be: 1. the simple present, to express a habitual activity or situation, as in (a). 2. either the simple present or the simple future, to express an established, predictable fact or general truth, as in (b). 3. the simple future, to express a particular activity or situation in the future, as in (c). 4. modals and phrasal modals such as should, might, can, be going to, as in (d).* 5. an imperative verb, as in (e) . Sometimes should is used in an if-clause. It indicates a little more uncertainty than the use of the simple present, but basically the meaning of examples (e) and (f) is the sam e.

(e) If anyone calls, please take a message.

(f) If anyone should call, please take a message.

Untrue (Contrary to fact) In The Present or Future

(a) If I taught this class, I wouldn't give tests. (b) If he were here right now, he would help us. (c) If I were you, I would accept their invitation. In (a): In truth, I don't teach this class. In (b): In truth, he is not here right now. In (c): In truth, I am not you. Note: Were is used for both singular and plural subject s. Was (with /, he, she, it) is sometimes used in informal speech: If I was you, I'd accept their invitation.

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COMPARE

(d) If! had enough money, I would buy a car. (e) If I had enough money, I could buy a car.

In (d) :The speaker wants a car, but doesn't have enough money. Would expresses desired or predictable results. In (e):The speaker is expressing one possible result. Could= would be able to. Could expresses possible options.

Untrue (Contrary to fact) In The Past

(a) If you had told me about the problem, I would have helped you. (b) If they had studied, they would have passed the exam. (c) If I hadn't slipped on the stairs, I wouldn't have broken my arm. In (a): In truth, you did not tell me about it. In (b): In truth, they did not study. Therefore, they failed the exam. In (c): In truth, I slipped on the stairs. I broke my arm. Note: The auxiliary verbs are almost always contracted in speech. "If you'd told me, I would've helped you (OR l'd've helped you)."* In (d): would expresses a desired or predictable result. In (e): could expresses a possible option; could have
bought

COMPARE

(d) If l had had enough money, I would have bought a car. (e) If I had had enough money, I could have bought a car.

= would have been able to buy.

Using Progressive Verbs Form In Conditional Sentences

Notice the use of progressive verb forms in these examples . Even in conditional sentences, progressive verb forms are used in progressive situations.
(a) TRUE: (b) CONDITIONA L: It is raining right now, so I will not go for a walk. If it were not raining right now, I would go for a walk.

(c) TRU E: I am not living in Chil e. I am not working at a ban k. (d) CONDITIONA L: If I were living in Chile, I would be working at a ban k. (e) TRUE:
(f) CONDITIONAL:

It was raining yesterday afternoon, so I did not go for a walk. If it had not been raining, I would have gone for a walk. I was not living in Chile last year. I was not working at a ban k. If I had been living in Chile last year, I would have been working at a bank.

(g) TRUE: (h) CONDITIONAL:

Using Mixed Time In Conditional Sentences

Frequently the time in the if-clause and the time in the result clause are different: one clause may be in the present and the other in the past. Notice that past and present times are mixed in these sentences
(a) TRUE
:

I did not eat breakfast several hours ago, so I am hungry now. (past) (present)

(b) CONDITIONAL: If I had eaten breakfast several hours ago, I would not be hungry now.

(c) TRUE

He is not a good student. He did not study for the test yesterday. (present) (past)

(d) CONDITIONA L:If he were a good student, he would have studied for the test yesterday.

Omitting If
(a) Were I you, I wouldn't do that. (b) Had I known I, would have told you. With were, had (past perfect), and should , sometimes ijis

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(c) Should anyone call, please take a message.

omitted and the subject and verb are inverted. In (a): Were I you= if I were you. In (b) : Had I know n= if I had known. In (c): Should anyone call = if anyone should call.

Implied Condition
(a) I would have gone with you , but I had to study. (b) I never would have succeeded without your help. Often the if-clause is implied, not stated. Conditional verbs are still used in the result clause. In (a): the implied condition= if I hadn't had to study. In (b): the impl ied condition= if you hadn't helped me. Conditional verbs are frequently used following otherwis e. In (c), the implied if-cl ause= if she had not run.

(c) She ran; otherwise, she would have missed her bus.

Using As If / As Though
(a) (b) (c) (d) It looks like rain. It looks as if it is going w rain. It looks as though it is going to rain. It looks like it is going to rain. (informal ) Notice in (a): like is followed by a noun objec t. Notice in (b) and (c): as if and as though are followed by a clause. Notice in (d): like is followed by a clause. This use of like is commo n in informal English, but is not generally considered appropriate in formal English; as if or as though is preferre d. (a), (b), (c), and (d) all have the same meaning. Usually the idea following as if/as though is "untru e." In this case, verb usage is similar to that in conditional sentences.

"TR E" U

STATEMENT

(FACT)

VERB FORM AFTER AS IFIAS THOUGH

(e) He is not a child. (f) She did not take a shower with her clothes on. (g) He has met her. (h) She will be here.

She talked to him as if he were a child. When she came in from the rainstorm, she looked as if she had taken a shower with her clothes on. He acted as though he had never met her. She spoke as if she wouldn't be here.

Verb Forms Following Wish

Wish is used when the speaker wants reality to be different, to be exactly the opposite.
"TRUE" STATEMENT

VERB FORM FOLLOWING WISH

A wish about the future A wish about the present A wish about the past

(a) She will not tell me. (b) He isn't going to be here. (c) She can't come tomorro w. (d) I don't know French. (e) It is raining right now. (f) I can't speak Japanese. (g) John didn't conze. (h) Mary couldn't come.

I wish (that) she would tell me. I wish he were going to be here. I wish she could cmne tomorro w. I wish I knew French. I wish it weren't raining right now. I wish I could speak Japanese. I wish John had come.* I wish Mary could have come.

Wish is followed by a noun clause. (See Chart 12-5, p. 248.) Past verb forms, similar to those in conditional sentences, are used in the noun clause. For example, in (a) : would, the past form of will, is used to make a wish about the future. In (d): the simple past (knew) is used to make a wish about the present. In (g): the past perfect (had conze) is used to make a wish about the past.

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Using Would to Make Wishes About The Future

(a) It is raining. I wish it would stop.
raining. ) (/ want the phone to ring. ) (/want it to stop Would is usually used to indicate that the speaker wants something to happen or someone other than the speaker to do something in the future. The wish may or may not come true (be realized ). In (c) and (d): I w ish you would . . is often used .

(b) I'm expecting a call. I wish the phone would ring. (c) It's going to be a good party. I wish you would (d) We're going to be late. I wish you would hurry.
come.

to make a request.

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