1、 Learning Objectives Making complaints and claims Handling complaints and claims Writing letters for complaints and adjustments Speaking Task Warm-up Practice Listening Task Follow-up Practice Writing Task Reading TaskWe need to discuss some questions about what we are going to learn in this unit.Su
2、re,thatll help us understand better about what we are asked to do.Introductory Remark In business,if the buyer can prove that it is the sellers responsibility for the loss of the goods,he can make a claim.The seller is obligated to compensate the buyer.Generally speaking,claims arise because the wro
3、ng goods may have been delivered;the quality may have been found unsatisfactory;the shipment may have been found damaged,short,missing,late;the prices charged may be excessive or not as agreed.There is also another kind of claim.It is made by buyers who find fault with the goods as an excuse to esca
4、pe from the contract,either because they no longer want the goods or because that they can get them cheaper elsewhere.If a claim has to be made by the buyer,the matter should be investigated in detail and these details should be laid before the party charged.We must handle claims with the principle
5、of on the first grounds,to our advantage and with restraint and settle them amicably to the satisfaction of all parties concerned.1.Read the following tips for making complaints.Tips for Effective Complaints1)Complain as soon as possible.2)Find out about your legal rights.Are there any laws or regul
6、ations that can help you?3)Pay attention to all printed information you have about the case,such as ads,brochure,warranty,or other document that describes the product or service4)Talk to the right people,in the right order.5)Be clear.Know your facts preferably by keeping a file with all the necessar
7、y documents and use them to ask for what you want.6)Be polite.Youll get better,and maybe quicker,results if you explain the problem and ask for a resolution without resorting to anger or threats.7)Be prepared to negotiate realistically.8)Keep good records.Note the names of people you talk to,as well
8、 as the dates,times and outcomes of the conversations.9)Its often best to explain the problem in writing.10)Always keep a copy of each letter you write for your own files.2.Discuss the following questions.1)Which do you think are the five most effective complaint tips?Why?2)Which of the tips do you
9、disagree with?Why?3)Can you add more tips as advice for making complaints and claims?4)Discuss in pairs or groups the common causes for complaints and claims in international trade and explain who should be held responsible for each case.5)What documents are generally required for making a claim aga
10、inst an insurance company or shipping company?Inadequate packingCauses for Complaints&Claims Non-delivery or part-delivery Goods missingNon-fulfillment of the contractDelayed deliveryWrong deliveryDamage to the goodsWrong or inferior qualityShortage of the goodsDiscrepancies in specificationDelay in
11、 opening an L/CCommon causes for complaints and claims in international trade Parties involved in the claim and settlement process:Ship owner;charters;freight forwarders;airlines,inland trucking companies;rail companies;shippers;insurance companies Parties involved in insurance:Seller,buyer,carrier
12、and insurer.Documents generally required for making a claim against an insurance company or shipping company1.Survey Report (检验报告)2.Certificate of Inspection (检验证书)3.Mates Receipt (大副收据)4.Invoice (发票)5.Insurance Policy (保险单)6.Weight Certificate (重量证明)7.Marine Protect (海难证明书)8.Packing List (装箱单)9.Sho
13、rtlanded Certificate(短卸证明书)10.Damage Report(破损证明)11.Weight Note (磅码单)12.Tally-List (理货单)In this part you are going to listen to a passage and a dialogue.Now listen and try to finish the exercises while listening.Are you ready?1)What must the buyer do if he is going to make a claim?The buyer must pro
14、ve that it is the sellers responsibility for the damage or loss of the goods.2)What are used as evidence when making a claim?The inspection certificate and B/L.3)What is the seller obligated to do if the buyer indeed can prove what he has 4)claimed?The seller is obligated to compensate the buyer.4)W
15、hen does the conflict appear between the buyer and the seller?The conflict appears when the goods are found to be damaged or of short weight when reaching the destination.5)What would the seller do when he was negligent in supplying the proper quantity at a time 6when he was still responsible for th
16、e consignment during shipping on a CIF basis?In that case the seller would most likely seek to find a way to satisfy his customer.12.1.1 Listen to the passage and answer the following questions.12.1.2 Listen to the dialogue.Note down what the problem is,what caused the problem and how it is settled.
17、Problem Cause of the problem Settlement Wrong delivery Slip-up in the sellers shipping department.The seller will ship a load of Class A1 tomorrow morning and charge the buyer 20%less for the wrong delivery.In this part you are going to read two dialogues in pairs and then you will be asked to answe
18、r some questions about what you have read.12.2.1 Read the dialogue and then answer the following questions.1)Why did Mr Nelson want to talk to the general manager in person?Because he had already talked to some departments of the company but they didnt solve his problem.So this time he has to talk t
19、o the general manager.2)Why didnt the secretary put him through to the general manager first?Perhaps the secretary didnt want to trouble the manager with trifles.So she said that the manager was not available and offered help herself.3)Why did the secretary put him through to the general manger then
20、?Because he found the customer was really angry and insisted on talking to the general manager.4)What did Mr Nelson complain about?He bought a bedroom suit from their store six weeks ago and they promised to deliver it within three days.Over a week later a van arrived at his house with the wrong goo
21、ds.It took another two weeks for them to sort that out.The next time they delivered goods,it was damaged.Now he has been waiting for a replacement for another three weeks.5)What is the general manager going to do about it?He is going to make some inquiries himself right away,and then call back when
22、hes sorted things out.6)How would you handle such a complaint if you were the manager?(Open)1)What was Mr Woods purpose of coming to China?He came to China to solve the problem about the rollers.2)What was wrong with the rollers?Some rusty spots on five rollers were found.3)What was the cause of the
23、 problem according to Mr Chen?The cause of rust was due to poor workmanship.Their experts held that the rust was not scoured off completely before electro-plating.As a result,the chrome coating would certainly not hold.4)Did Mr Wood accept Mr Chens explanation about the rusty rollers?What would he d
24、o about the problem then?He thought his explanation sounded plausible.He would ask for their manufacturers to probe into the matter.If they proved the Chinese companys findings were the same as theirs,the faulty rollers would be replaced by new ones.5)What happened a week later?Mr Wood came to the C
25、hinese company again and told Mr.Chen that their manufacturers apologized for the trouble and promised to replace these rusty rollers by new ones.6)What did they do about the rusty rollers in the end?Mr Wood would take back two of the worst ones for examination and leave the others to Mr Chen with s
26、ome charge for the cost of the material only.12.2.2 Read the dialogue and then answer the following questions.PRE-READING QUESTIONS FOR PAIR WORK1.Do you have any experience of making a complaint about the goods you bought?How was it settled?Were you satisfied with the settlement?2.Discuss some effe
27、ctive ways of making and handling complaints.Questions1)What may cause customers to make complaints?Errors and misunderstandings may cause customers to make complaints.2)What may customer complaints result in?They may result in losing future sales from customers and from everybody else who hears abo
28、ut their bad experience.3)Which do you think are the four most important actions?Why?(Open)4)When customer complaints have occurred,what is considered to be important for a company to do?When customer complaints have occurred,the manner in which a company responds to its customers is important and w
29、orth its careful consideration.5)Can you add more tips as advice for handling customer complaints and explain them?(Open)In this part you are going to learn how to write letters of complaints and adjustments.Complaint Letters A complaint letter requests some sort of compensation for defective or dam
30、aged merchandise or for inadequate or delayed services.While many complaints can be made in person,some circumstances require formal business letters.The complaint may be so complex that a phone call may not effectively resolve the problem;or the writer may prefer the permanence,formality,and seriou
31、sness of a business letter.The essential rule in writing a complaint letter is to maintain your poise and diplomacy,no matter how justified your gripe is.Avoid making the recipient an adversary.1.Identify early the reason you are writing to register a complaint and to ask for some kind of compensati
32、on.Avoid leaping into the details of the problem in the first sentence.2.State exactly what compensation you desire,either before or after the discussion of the problem or the reasons for granting the compensation.3.Provide a fully detailed narrative or description of the problem.This is the evidenc
33、e.4.Explain why your request should be granted.Presenting the evidence is not enough:state the reasons why this evidence indicates your request should be granted.5.Suggest why it is in the recipients best interest to grant your request:appeal to the recipients sense of fairness,desire for continued
34、business,but dont threaten.Find some way to view the problem as an honest mistake.Dont imply that the recipient deliberately committed the error or that the company has no concern for the customer.Toward the end of the letter,express confidence that the recipient will grant your request.Complaint Le
35、tters Adjustment Letters Replies to complaint letters,often called letters of adjustment,must be handled carefully when the requested compensation cannot be granted.Refusal of compensation tests your diplomacy and tact as a writer.Some suggestions:1.Begin with a reference to the date of the original
36、 letter of complaint and to the purpose of your letter.If you deny the request,dont state the refusal right away unless you can do so tactfully.2.Express your concern over the writers troubles and your appreciation that he has written you.3.If you deny the request,explain the reasons why the request
37、 cannot be granted in as cordial manner as possible.If you grant the request,dont sound as if you are doing so in a begrudging way.4.If you deny the request,try to offer some partial or substitute compensation or offer some friendly advice.5.Conclude the letter cordially,perhaps expressing confidenc
38、e that you and the writer will continue doing business.Sample complaint letterDear Mr Smith Order No.68197I am writing to inform you that the goods we ordered from your company have not been supplied correctly.On 15 June 2019 we placed an order with your firm for 12 000 ultra super long-life batteri
39、es.The consignment arrived yesterday but contained only 1 200 batteries.This error put our firm in a difficult position,as we had to make some emergency purchases to fulfill our commitments to all our customers.This caused us considerable inconvenience.I am writing to ask you to please make up the s
40、hortfall immediately and to ensure that such errors do not happen again.Otherwise,we may have to look elsewhere for our supplies.I look forward to hearing from you by return.Yours sincerely,Sample adjustment letterDear Mr Coleman Order No.68197Please accept our apologies for the error made by our co
41、mpany in filling your Order No.68197 dated 15 June 2019.You ordered 12 000 size ultra super-long-life premium batteries,but our dispatch office sent 1 200.This was due to a typing error.The balance of 10 800 batteries was dispatched by express courier to your store this morning and will arrive by Mo
42、nday,3 July 2019.Since we value your business,we would like to offer you a 10%discount off your next order with us.We look forward to receiving your further orders and assure you that they will be filled correctly.Yours sincerely 1)Write a letter to complain about late delivery/inferior or wrong qua
43、lity/shortage of goods.2)Write a letter responding to the complaint letter you receive from one of your classmates that responds negatively or positively to the complaint.Writing Practice Practice makes perfectWe will practice what we have learnt in this unit.Yes,lets do it!1.Questions and Answers W
44、hat would you say?1.A:Our customers complain that the goods they received last week are much inferior in quality to those you delivered in the past.B:_.2.A:Im sorry to tell you that a lot of cases are broken and the contents are badly damaged.B:_ 3.A:The computer we bought from you last month is bro
45、ken down.B:_ 4.A:We ordered chairs but received tables.B:_5.A:The cases are found to be badly damaged.This was apparently attributable to faulty packing.B:_ 6.A:The goods we received are not what we ordered,which made us suffer a heavy loss.So we have to lodge a claim with you.B:_7.A:We placed an or
46、der on 1 May for tables,but still havent received them.B:_ 8.A:_ B:Im sorry about the mistake.Ill look into it right away.9.A:_ B:Im sorry.Its our fault.We are ready to permit 15%off the invoice price if you can accept the goods wrongly delivered.10.A:_ B:Our product enjoys high prestige.I guess its
47、 not a matter of inferior quality.2.How would you reply to the following complaints?1)There seems to be a mistake.2)The goods are inferior in quality to those we received in the past.3)The delivery was late.4)Your rep was extremely rude.5)We were surprised to receive an invoice as the goods have bee
48、n returned.6)We have to make a claim with you for a compensation of$5 000.7)The goods we received are not what we ordered.8)There seems to be mix-up.We ordered radios but received calculators.9)We placed an order two months ago for TV sets,but we still havent received them.We are in bad need of the
49、goods.10)There is a difference of 10 tons between the actual weight and the invoiced weight of this consignment.3.Description Describe what the two parties do when they deal with an inquiry.Sellers action Buyers action 买方收到货物发现品质不良买方收到货物发现品质不良认为有权请求赔偿认为有权请求赔偿 向向卖方提出索赔卖方提出索赔聘请独立鉴定人聘请独立鉴定人寄出索赔信及有关索赔文件
50、寄出索赔信及有关索赔文件卖方不接受索赔卖方不接受索赔123456将索赔提交仲裁将索赔提交仲裁7 4.Presentation PracticeMake a short presentation on one of the following topics.Try to find as much information as you can from different sources available for your talk.Describe causes for complaints and claims in international tradeHow to make compla
