Make a complaint

When you make a complaint, the words you choose change the way the other person reacts. Polite, clear phrases are more likely to get a quick solution than direct or aggressive language. In British English, complaints are usually made calmly and formally, even about small problems. The phrases below are organised from the moment you open the conversation to the moment you close it, with a few extra phrases for when the situation is not resolved.

Opening a complaint. The first sentence is important because it sets the tone. Common openings include 'I'd like to make a complaint, please' (neutral and direct), 'I'm afraid I have a problem with…' (softens the complaint), 'Sorry to bother you, but…' (very polite, common on the phone), and 'I wonder if you could help me with an issue' (formal, often used in writing). Choose the one that matches the situation: a phone call to a manager sounds different from a face-to-face comment to a shop assistant.

Explaining the problem. Be specific. General complaints are harder to solve. Useful patterns: 'The product stopped working after two days,' 'I wasn't told about the extra charge,' 'This isn't what I ordered,' 'Unfortunately, the service didn't meet my expectations.' Adding a fact — a date, a price, a reference number — makes the complaint stronger and more credible.

Saying how you feel. British speakers often use soft, formal language even when they are very frustrated. Useful phrases: 'I'm not happy with…,' 'I'm a bit disappointed, to be honest,' 'I'm afraid I'm not satisfied with…,' 'I feel this is unacceptable.' The word 'afraid' here does not mean fear — it is a polite softener, similar to 'unfortunately' or 'I'm sorry to say'.

Asking for a solution. Be clear about what you want. Common requests: 'I'd like a refund, please,' 'Could I have a replacement?' 'I'd like to exchange this for another one,' 'Could you please look into this and get back to me?' and 'What can you do to sort this out?' The verb sort out is very common in British English and means 'solve' or 'fix'.

Closing. If the other person helps, thank them: 'Thank you for sorting that out so quickly,' 'I appreciate your help with this,' 'That's very kind of you, thank you.' If the situation is not resolved, escalate politely: 'I see. In that case, I'd like to speak to the manager,' 'I'm sorry, but I'd still like a refund,' 'Could I have this in writing, please?' Asking for something in writing is a polite way to make the complaint more serious.

A useful rule in formal English complaints: state the problem, say how you feel, and name the action you want — in that order. The other person then has a clear path to a solution.

Listen to a guest at a hotel reception making a complaint about a noisy room.

Read this polite opening aloud. Notice the stress on 'complaint'.

Read this soft, formal way of saying you are unhappy. Listen to the /ð/ in 'the' and 'this'.

In this listening task you will hear a real-world complaint. The setting is a small electronics shop in central London. Sarah is a customer who bought a laptop from the shop two weeks ago. David is the shop manager. Sarah has come back because the laptop keeps switching off, and she wants a solution. Before you listen, look at the situation and think about what a reasonable customer would ask for in a case like this. Would you ask for a repair, a replacement, or a refund?

Listening strategy: listen for the customer's three key moves. When a speaker makes a complaint in English, they usually follow a clear structure: (1) they state the problem clearly, (2) they say how they feel about it, and (3) they request a specific solution. If you can hear all three parts, you will understand the complaint, even if you miss some words. The customer's first sentence often tells you the problem; the second tells you the feeling; the third tells you the answer they want.

Vocabulary to listen for. faulty (broken, not working properly), defective (the same, more formal), refund (money returned to you), replacement (a new item instead of the old one), warranty (a written promise from the shop to repair or replace something if it goes wrong), receipt (the paper proof of purchase). You will hear several of these words in the dialogue.

Predict. Before you press play, predict: what solution will Sarah ask for? A repair, a replacement, or a refund? Why might she choose that option? Write your answer in your head — you will check it after listening. As you listen, focus on the customer's exact words, not just the general meaning. The detail questions in this section depend on specific words she uses.

Listen to Sarah and David in the electronics shop. Sarah is complaining about a laptop she bought two weeks ago.

Gist. Why is Sarah speaking to David?

In formal English, two sounds are written with the same letters 'th' but they are pronounced very differently. They are /θ/ (as in think) and /ð/ (as in this). When you make a complaint — on the phone, in a shop, or in an email — you will use words like the, this, that, there, thank, thing and think many times. If you can pronounce these two sounds clearly, your listener will understand you more easily, and you will sound more confident and more polite.

How to make the sounds. The mouth position is almost the same for both. Place the tip of your tongue gently against the back of your upper front teeth — some speakers push the tongue tip very slightly between the teeth. Your top and bottom teeth should be close together, almost touching. Now the difference: /θ/ is voiceless. This means your vocal cords do not vibrate. You push a thin stream of air out through the small gap, and you hear a sharp, hissing sound, a bit like a soft /s/. /ð/ is voiced. Your vocal cords vibrate — you can feel the buzz if you put a hand on your throat. The air comes out in the same way, but with a buzzing, softer sound, a bit like the start of /z/ or /v/.

Why learners confuse them. Many speakers replace both sounds with /t/ or /s/ for /θ/ ('tink' for think) and with /d/ or /z/ for /ð/ ('dis' for this). This is understandable, but it changes the meaning of common words and can make formal language sound strange. The key is to keep the tongue forward, against the teeth, and not to pull it back into the mouth. Holding the tongue tip in place is harder than it looks — practice in front of a mirror.

Voicing in practice. Here is a simple trick. Say sssss — you will feel no buzz in your throat. Now say zzzzz — you will feel a strong buzz. The first is voiceless, the second is voiced. The /θ/ sound is like the first; the /ð/ sound is like the second. Try saying sssss-think and then zzzzz-this. You should feel the difference in your throat and on your teeth.

Minimal pairs. Some words change meaning only with this contrast. Thin /θɪn/ (not fat) and this /ðɪs/ (a demonstrative) use the two different sounds. Thought /θɔːt/ (past of think) and though /ðəʊ/ (a connector) are also a pair. Bath /bɑːθ/ (noun) and bathe /beɪð/ (verb) differ in the same way. Listening carefully to these pairs will train your ear, and saying them out loud will train your mouth.

In a real complaint. Listen for these words in a typical complaint: 'I bought this item last week, and the problem is that it doesn't work. Thank you for your time.' Notice how often the, this, that and there appear — all voiced /ð/. By contrast, think, thank and thing are voiceless /θ/. A polite phrase like 'Thank you for your patience' begins with the voiceless sound. Mastering the contrast will help you sound both clear and polite, which is exactly what you need when you are asking someone to fix a problem.

/θ/ (voiceless): tongue tip on the back of the top front teeth, teeth almost together, no throat buzz, thin air stream. Think: think, thank, three, throw, month, bath. /ð/ (voiced): same mouth position, but the throat buzzes. Think: this, that, the, there, then, they, mother, brother.

Read the word. Put your tongue tip on your teeth, no buzz — this is /θ/.

Read the word. Same tongue position, but let your throat buzz — this is /ð/.

Read the full sentence. Start with the voiceless /θ/ in 'Thank' and use the voiced /ð/ in 'your'.

In this reading block you will read a short formal complaint email. Before you read, look at the strategy box below — it explains the reading skill you will practise.

Strategy box — Skimming for gist. When you skim a text, you read it quickly to get the general idea. You do not stop for every word. Look at the title, the first sentence of each paragraph, and the last sentence. Skimming is useful when you want to know what a text is about, not every detail it contains. In a complaint email, skimming helps you understand the writer's main point within seconds.

Key vocabulary to scan for. Before reading, learn these four words that often appear in formal complaint emails. Knowing them in advance will make the text much easier.

• reservation (n.) — an arrangement to have a room, table or seat at a future time
• accommodation (n.) — a place to stay, such as a hotel room or flat
• dissatisfied (adj.) — not happy with something; feeling that it is not good enough
• reimbursement (n.) — money paid back to someone to cover a cost they have already paid

Background to the text. The email below was written by a customer called Mrs. Carter. She stayed at a city centre hotel for three nights during a business trip. She is writing to the hotel manager to complain about the standard of her room. As you read, try to spot the three key moves of a formal complaint: (1) the problem, (2) the feeling, and (3) the solution she wants. Do not worry about unknown words — try to understand the general meaning first.

Reading strategy: reading for detail. After you have skimmed the email for gist, read it again more slowly. This time, answer specific questions about dates, numbers, rooms, and the action the customer wants. The questions in this section test exactly this kind of detail.

Skim the email below in 30 seconds. Do not read every word — just look at the opening and closing lines.

Subject: Complaint about Room 305 — stay of 12–15 March

Dear Mr. Hughes,

I am writing to complain about my recent stay at your hotel from 12 to 15 March. I had booked a deluxe double room for three nights, but I was extremely disappointed with the standard of the room. The air conditioning did not work, the bathroom was not cleaned once during my stay, and there was construction noise outside the window from 8 a.m. every morning.

I travel to your city several times a year for business, and I have always been happy with your service in the past. I am, however, very dissatisfied with this experience, and I feel that the price I paid did not match the quality of the room.

I would be grateful if you could look into this matter. As a gesture of goodwill, I would appreciate either a full reimbursement of the cost of my stay or a voucher for a future visit.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs. A. Carter

Gist. What is the email about?

Detail. What does Mrs. Carter ask the hotel to do?

Complaining on the phone is harder than complaining in writing, because the listener cannot see your face. You have to make your tone polite and your words clear using only your voice. In British English, a calm, formal tone is more effective than an emotional one. Even if you are very annoyed, raising your voice rarely helps — it usually makes the other person defensive. Instead, slow down, use the phrases from Section 2, and state the problem, say how you feel, and name the solution.

Useful phrases for phone complaints. Read these out loud several times before you start the practice below. The mobile app will record your voice and play it back so you can hear yourself.

Pronunciation tips for the phone. Speak a little more slowly than you do in person. Pause between sentences. Do not run words together. Put a small stress on the key content words — complaint, refund, disappointed. End statements with a falling tone (↓) and questions with a rising tone (↑). Saying 'I'd like a refund, please ↓' sounds much more confident than 'I'd like a refund? ↑' (which sounds unsure).

The model conversation. Below, you will hear a short model of a phone complaint. Listen carefully to the order of the moves: (1) Sarah introduces herself and the problem, (2) she says how she feels, (3) she asks for a solution, and (4) she closes politely. After the model, you will practise the same sentences yourself, and then have the same conversation live with the AI.

Listen to a model phone complaint. Sarah is calling an online shop about a damaged parcel.

Record yourself saying this opening line clearly. Speak slowly and end with a falling tone.

Record yourself. This sentence has all three moves: feeling, problem and solution. Listen back and check your tone.

A formal complaint email has a clear structure. Unlike a chat message or a quick note, a formal email opens with a polite greeting, states the problem in detail, says how the writer feels, requests a specific solution, and closes politely. Following this structure makes the email easy to read — and easier to get a fast answer to.

Model email. Read this short example. It was written by a student who paid for a six-week language course that was cancelled after one week.

Subject: Complaint about cancelled evening course (ref. EN-208)

Dear Ms. Thompson,

I am writing to complain about the evening English course I enrolled on 4 September (reference EN-208). Although the course was advertised as a six-week programme, it was cancelled after only one week, with no explanation.

I am extremely disappointed, as I had rearranged my working hours in order to attend. I would be grateful if you could look into this matter and offer me either a refund or a place on the next available course.

I would appreciate a reply by Friday 18 October at the latest.

Yours sincerely, Daniel O'Brien

Using a clear structure. A strong formal complaint email usually has four parts, in this order:

1. Opening — say you are writing to complain, and give a reference (order number, booking ref, date).
2. Problem — describe what went wrong, with facts and dates.
3. Feeling and request — say how you feel and what you would like to happen.
4. Closing — thank the reader, give a deadline if needed, sign off with Yours sincerely (if you used their name) or Yours faithfully (if you did not).

Useful language from the model. Notice the fixed phrases that make the email sound formal: 'I am writing to complain about…,' 'I am extremely disappointed,' 'I would be grateful if you could…,' 'I would appreciate a reply by…,' 'Yours sincerely.' These phrases can be reused in almost any formal complaint email. In the steps below, you will check that you can recognise them in the model, then write — and read aloud — your own short complaint.

Strategy tip: Using a clear four-part structure. A formal complaint email is easiest to write if you use the same four parts every time: (1) Opening, (2) Problem, (3) Feeling and request, (4) Closing. Reuse the fixed phrases 'I am writing to complain about…,' 'I am extremely disappointed,' 'I would be grateful if you could…' and 'Yours sincerely.' These phrases are polite, formal, and almost never sound wrong.

Which sentence from the model email asks the reader for a specific action?

Now write your own short formal complaint email using the four-part structure above. When you have finished, read it aloud clearly. The app will record your voice. Aim for five to seven sentences, and use the fixed phrases from the model.