英语语法:60 How to Write a Complaint Letter
时间:2018-12-07 作者:英语课 分类:英语语法 Grammar Girl
Today we're going to focus on that better writing part with a show about how to write a better complaint letter.
Negotiation 1
If you usually start letters of complaint with “Dear Stupid-head” and end them with “Threateningly yours,” they may not be as effective as you’d like. In fact, it’s probably time to reconsider your tactics when you want to complain about something. One interesting approach is to think about it as a negotiation.
When you sit down to write a letter to a company complaining that the toaster they sold you exploded and singed 2 off your eyebrows 4 (or whatever it is you’re upset about) you’ve initiated 5 a conflict.
Thoughtful negotiation is widely recognized as an appropriate way to deal with a conflict between parties. One of the most-recognized books on negotiation is Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury of the Harvard Negotiation Project.
Fisher and Ury propose a simple four-step model for negotiation:
Separate the people from the problem
Focus on interests rather than positions
Invent options for mutual 6 gain
Insist on using objective criteria 7
Although all four steps have some relevance 8 to writing a letter of complaint, the first two are of particular value in today’s discussion.
Separate the People from the Problem
The first step -- separate the people from the problem -- is the most important. To return to our exploding toaster, as you’re sitting in the remains 9 of your kitchen wondering if your eyebrows will ever grow back, you’re probably feeling pretty frustrated 10. It’s tempting 11 to let this spill out onto the page, but by giving in to this temptation you are actually making it harder to get your complaint heard.
Even if you are completely justified 12 in your anger, starting out on the attack is likely to trigger defensiveness 13 in the person who has to read your letter. That defensiveness will make it hard for them to want to help you.
Stick to the Facts
One good way to ensure that your letter avoids blame is to stick to the facts as you experienced them and write from a first-person perspective. Instead of saying, “With the dial set to eleven, your unreliable toaster exploded” try “When I pushed the lever with the dial set to eleven the toaster exploded.”
Appeal to Their Better Nature and Loyalties 14
As a bonus, you might try starting the letter with an appeal to their better nature with something along the lines of, “I would appreciate your assistance.”
Above all, remember that your letter will be read by a human being who feels a certain loyalty 15 to their job and their company. If you attack either them or the company, they won’t be inclined to help you. On the other hand, if you make them feel like helping 16 you is helping the company they will probably do all they can for you.
Focus on Interests Rather than Positions
The second step -- focus on interests rather than positions -- speaks to being open to finding a solution that works for you and the company. A position is a hard-and-fast statement about what they must do to satisfy you as a customer. Here's an example of a position: “I demand that you provide a new toaster, re-paint my kitchen, and find an eyebrow 3 donor 17 immediately!”
An interest is more flexible and allows room for creativity. Here's one way to approach the situation with an interest statement: “I’ve lost my toaster and my eyebrows, and I’d like to find some way to improve the situation.”
The problem with positions is that they don’t leave the other person much room to negotiate. You’ve made a demand and they either have to give in or counter with an offer of their own. By making an open, interest-focused statement, you’re indicating to the other person that you are willing to truly negotiate.
For instance, you might say, “I’ve been a loyal customer for several years and would like to have continued confidence in your products. My preference would be to have a replacement 18 toaster from you. I’d also be willing to send back the damaged unit for your inspection 19.” Instead of merely demanding action from them, you are offering something: continued loyalty and the opportunity to troubleshoot the damaged toaster.
Keep It Short
You’ll want to close the letter with a brief statement re-emphasizing your interest in reaching a mutually-satisfactory resolution. Keep the letter pleasant and short (one page is best), and you may well win a friend or two in the customer service department.
What To Do If You Don't Get a Satisfactory Response
What do you do if your complaint is ignored or rejected, though? The old saying about “if at first you don’t succeed” applies in this case. Do a little digging and try to find the name (or at least position) of the manager of the department or some other upper-level individual in the company. Write them a similar letter, but reference the first letter.
If your letters are repeatedly ignored, you might want to escalate 20 the intensity 21 by discussing possible consequences such as a complaint to the Better Business Bureau. If the situation has reached the point where you feel threats are necessary, though, you may not have much hope of a mutually-satisfactory conclusion.
The key is to remember that your letter is being read by a human being who is probably doing their best and wants to help you. Give them the chance to save face and they’ll go out of their way to meet your needs. And, besides, you actually look pretty good without eyebrows.
- They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判,他们的食糖生意成交了。
- The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。
- He singed his hair as he tried to light his cigarette. 他点烟时把头发给燎了。
- The cook singed the chicken to remove the fine hairs. 厨师把鸡燎一下,以便去掉细毛。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- Her eyebrow is well penciled.她的眉毛画得很好。
- With an eyebrow raised,he seemed divided between surprise and amusement.他一只眉毛扬了扬,似乎既感到吃惊,又觉有趣。
- Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
- His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
- We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
- Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。
- The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
- There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。
- Politicians' private lives have no relevance to their public roles.政治家的私生活与他们的公众角色不相关。
- Her ideas have lost all relevance to the modern world.她的想法与现代社会完全脱节。
- He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
- The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
- It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
- The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- It is tempting to idealize the past. 人都爱把过去的日子说得那么美好。
- It was a tempting offer. 这是个诱人的提议。
- She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
- The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。
- The fear of being sued for malpractice has magnified physicians' defensiveness. 担心因医疗事故而被起诉的恐惧加剧了医生们的防卫心理。
- This outbreak of defensiveness embodies one paradox and several myths. 排外行动的爆发,体现了一个矛盾和几个“神话”。
- an intricate network of loyalties and relationships 忠诚与义气构成的盘根错节的网络
- Rows with one's in-laws often create divided loyalties. 与姻亲之间的矛盾常常让人两面为难。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
- His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。
- The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
- By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
- In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下,接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
- The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。
- We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
- They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。
- On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查,发现肉变质了。
- The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。