A complaint is a gift

In which of these situations should a customer complain? If not, why not?

1- The food in a restaurant is overcooked.
2- You dont like the music in a caf.
3- You wait ten minutes to be served in a shop.
4- There is a cigarette ash on the floor of an expensive hotel.
5- Your train is five minutes late.
6- After ordering a book online, the wrong book is sent. You send it back but after
three weeks, the right book still hasnt arrived.
7- A car hire firm didnt provide maps of the local roads.

Dealing with complaints
Match the steps 1-5 with the explanations a-e.
1 LISTEN a Show that you understand how the customer is feeling.
2 EMPATHISE b Tell management about the problem.
3 APOLOGISE c Dont interrupt when the customer explains the problem.
4 REACT d Promise to do something.
5 NOTIFY e Say Sorry.

Customer satisfaction is an important part of a companys sales strategy,
so companies try to provide good customer service. That means offering
high quality products and services, answering queries, making it easy for
customers to order and pay for goods, and delivering on time.
Companies also need to have a system for handling complaints, so that if
they make a mistake or offer poor service, they can deal with the
problem. Most companies train their customer service staff to deal
politely with customers.



Collocations
Cross out the noun in each group which does not go with the verb.
make a complaint / a customer / an apology
deal with a service / a customer / a problem
handle a query / a need / a complaint
offer a refund / an apology / a complaint
satisfy a need / a customer / a complaint

Choose the correct verbs in italics to complete the text.
If a company doesnt satisfy / offer a customers needs and he or she makes / offers
a complaint, the company should respond immediately and deal with / satisfy the
customers problem. Businesses that dont try to satisfy / handle their customers
usually receive more complaints. If the company offers / deals with a refund, the
complaining customer will often come back. But if the company fails to even make /
handle an apology, the customer will not only change to another company, but may
also tell other people about their bad experience.