问题与投诉 Complaints

Sometimes you have problems and need to complain politely to get things fixed. Being polite while complaining gets better results.

Complaining about a broken item (商品损坏):

A: Excuse me, I'd like to speak with someone about this phone I bought yesterday.
B: Hello, I'm the manager. What seems to be the problem?
A: The battery dies in just 2 hours even when I'm not using it. That's not normal for a new phone.
B: I'm very sorry to hear that. Did you charge it fully when you first got it?
A: Yes, I charged it overnight like the instructions said. But it still dies super fast.
B: That does sound like a defective battery. Would you like a refund or an exchange?
A: An exchange for a working one would be best, please.
B: Certainly. Let me get a new one from stock and test it in front of you to make sure it works properly.
A: Thank you, I appreciate your help.
B: No problem at all. We're sorry for the inconvenience. Here's your new phone. Let me know if anything else comes up.

Complaining about a service (服务问题):

A: Waiter, could I speak to you for a moment?
B: Yes, ma'am. Is everything okay?
A: Actually, I'm afraid not. We ordered our food 45 minutes ago, and it still hasn't arrived.
B: I am so sorry about that. It's very busy tonight and we're short-staffed. Let me check on your order right away.
A: Thank you. We need to leave in 20 minutes for a movie.
B: I understand. I'll go rush your order and bring it immediately. On behalf of the restaurant, please accept this free dessert for your table as apology.
A: That's very kind of you, thank you.
B: Your food will be there in 5 minutes maximum. Again, my sincere apologies for the wait.

Polite complaint phrases:

• "I'm afraid there's a problem with..."
• "Excuse me, but I'm not happy about..."
• "This isn't working properly."
• "Could you help me with this?"
• "I bought this yesterday and it broke."
• "I expected better quality than this."
• "What can you do to fix this?"

Remember: Start with a polite greeting, explain the problem clearly, say what you want (refund/exchange/apology), and thank them when they help. Being rude makes people less willing to help you!

Practice: Write a polite complaint dialogue about a hotel room that's dirty and has no hot water.