Expressing Complaint

Complaints are expressions of

"displeasure or annoyance" in
response to an action that is
seen by the speaker as
unfavorable. There are so
many ways to express the
complaint. People usually
express it based on the
situation at that time.
 Here are expressions we
can use when complaining:

I have a complaint to make. ...

Sorry to bother you but...
I'm sorry to say this but...
I'm afraid I've got a complaint about...
I'm afraid there is a slight problem with...
Excuse me but there is a problem about...
I want to complain about...
 Excuse me if Im out of line, but
I dont understand why
There appears to be something wrong with
Im not satisfied with
There may have been a misunderstanding about
I hate to tell you but
I understand its not your fault
Dont get me wrong, but I think we should
Maybe you forgot to
There seems to be a problem with
I'm so sorry, but this will never occur
/ happen again.
I'm sorry, we promise never to do
the same mistake again.
I'm really sorry; we'll do our utmost/
best not to do the same mistake again.
Negative response to complaints:
Sorry there is nothing
we can do about it.
I'm afraid, there isn't
much we can do about
it.
We are sorry but the
food is just alright
Im terribly sorry
 Things to remember about complaints:

When expressing a complaint in English,

it helps to be polite (Culture Awareness).

Example:
"I'm angry about your pizza. It's too salty
is one possible way of expressing a complaint
, it is considered too rude and we'd better
use more polite expressions
if we want to get what we want, like
There appears to be something wrong with
your pizza. Its too salty.
Zahra : Oh, I must study hard tonight.
Mother : Will you have any test tomorrow?
Zahra : Yeah! Two tests! Math and chemistry!
Mother : Really?
Zahra : The teachers should have understood us,
especially Mr. John, the chemistry teacher.
He just insisted on giving the test tomorrow.
You know Mom, the materials for both the tests
are difficult.
Mother : Well, it is good for you to just stop complaining
and start to study. Maybe Mr. John didnt want
to delay the test time because he had planned it
long before. Another time, you should study
everyday, not just the day before the test.
Zahra : Youre right, Mom.
Role play
Seller : Good morning Sir. Can I help you?
Buyer : Good morning. There appears to be something wrong
with my laptop that I bought here a few days ago.
Seller : Whats wrong with your laptop, Sir?
Buyer : My laptop cant be connected to the internet.
Seller : How do you connect your laptop to the internet?
Buyer : I just open browser and then input site address.
Seller : You need an internet service provider, Sir. You can use
modem to connect your laptop to the internet.
Buyer : So there is nothing wrong with my laptop?
Seller : No, Sir.
Buyer : OK, Thank you!
Seller : Youre welcome!
 Choose the correct answer by
crossing a, b, c or e
1. Dhika: Im afraid I have to complain, tantri. You havent
returned the book you borrowed last month.
Tantri: ....... I will return it soon.
a. I dont know
b. Im afraid its not me
c. Im terribly sorry
d. I didnt borrow it

2. A : I failed my English test its really hard to get good

mark since it very difficult
B :...............
a. Your wrong
b. Its not unlikely
c. I have nothing to do
d. Be patient and just stop complaining and start to study