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A response to a complaint

Learn how to write a response to a complaint.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and tips and do the exercises.

Reading text

To: pierre_houches@me.com
From: Customer Service Team – TC Insurance
Subject: Your recent policy renewal

Dear Mr Houches,

Thank you for your recent renewal of your insurance policy with Top Car Insurance.

It has been brought to our attention that at the end of your renewal call you registered a complaint and stated that you were dissatisfied with the service you had received.

We value your custom and I assure you that we take all customer feedback seriously. On behalf of the company I would like to apologise for the length of time it took for you to receive your final quote for this renewal. I am also sorry for the inconvenience caused when the discounts you received were not automatically applied.

We have taken your suggestions on board and will review our renewals process for existing customers. We understand your point that the process should not take as long for existing customers as for new customers buying a new policy.

In appreciation of the many years you have been a customer of Top Car Insurance we are happy to refund you the difference in price between your new and your previous premium, i.e. £73.20. I have also made a note on your account to ensure that your next renewals process will run more smoothly for you.

We value your feedback and will use it to improve our service.

We trust that you will find this a satisfactory response to your complaint and that this correspondence will bring this matter to a close. However, should you wish to discuss this matter further, please let us know how best to contact you.

With kind regards,

Rowena Harrod

Customer Service Team

Tips

  1. Use a formal register.
  2. Choose vocabulary that is more objective and reduces negative emotions where possible, e.g. dissatisfied rather than unhappy/upset, inconvenience rather than trouble/problem.
  3. Acknowledge the complaint and show you understand the problem. Focus on the facts and avoid making excuses or placing blame on individual people.
  4. Apologise and explain what steps will be taken to ensure it doesn't happen again.
  5. Emphasise the positive relationship with the customer:
    We value your custom … / feedback …
    In appreciation of the many years you have been a customer …
    We are happy to ...
    We trust that you will ...
  6. Offer some kind of solution or compensation if appropriate.

Task 1

ReorderingVertical_MjMxNTc=.xml

Task 2

MultipleChoice_MjMxNTg=.xml

Task 3

GapFillDragAndDrop_MjMxNTk=.xml

Discussion

Do you have any tips for dealing with customer complaints?

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Language level

Advanced: C1

Comments

Ebuka john's picture Ebuka john replied on Nigeria

I do not know any other tip apart from the one already highlighted in the class.