Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Unit 7. Written communication for Tourism. Task

One of the writing topics most usual at UNED exams is" writing a complaint letter". Imagine you have booked a flight and once you are in the airport the staff tells you that you that there is overbooking and you cannot fly till next day. Explain that you needed to arrive very early in the morning the first flight you had was for next day the 13.00.

Don't worry to use all the linkers and expressions suggested in the book (page 122) .

Here you are some useful websites:

http://www.businessballs.com/complaintsletters.htm
http://ezinearticles.com/?10-Secrets-For-Writing-Killer-Complaint-Letters&id=15696
http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/tows_past_20010531_e.jhtml?promocode=089

Remember to write your tasks as a "comment".

6 comments:

  1. Dear manager:
    First of all I want to inform you that your company´s staff aren´t very polite since they reply me in a not very good way.
    Next I explain you that my trouble is that I need to be in my destination at 13.00 o´clock for a very important business subject. A lot of money and my company´s prestige depend of this journey.
    If you don´t solve my problem I´ll sue your airline for damages.
    I firmly believe that you´ll take in account my problem and you´ll solve it fastly.
    I thank your attention to you and I also hope that you consider my special case.
    Yours sincerely
    José Carlos Moreno Gutiérrez

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Jose Carlos!

    Here you are some comments on your little errors...;). Anyway, thanks you writing! Don't leave it!

    Dear manager:
    - Hi Jose Carlos, we use a comma when writing letters in English;) So, better: "Dear manager, "

    First of all (Better a comma here too) I want to inform you that your company´s staff aren´t (try no to use abbreviations when writing formaly) very polite since they reply me in a not very good way.

    Next (better a comma here) I explain you that my trouble is that I need to be in my destination at 13.00 o´clock for a very important business subject. A lot of money and my company´s prestige depend (s) of (on) this journey (better "travel").

    If you don´t solve my problem (better a comma here) I´ll sue your airline for damages.

    I firmly believe that you´ll take in (into) account my problem and you´ll solve it fastly (very fast or efficiently).

    I thank your attention to you (you don't need this) and I also hope that you consider my special case (mmmmm...better "problem".

    Yours sincerely (a comma here)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Sir,
    Today I had to take a plane in order to get to London for a business question but, despite I booked a few weeks ago and I made the check-in online, your staff at the counter have informed me that there is overbooking and I can not flight until tomorrow morning.
    As you will probably know, since the moment I made the check-in I should have my place guaranteed, so I think that there must have been some kind of mistake.
    Therefore I will appreciate your help so I can flight as soon as possible since I have to be in London tomorrow before 13:00 o'clock.
    Yours sincerely,
    Sonia Expósito

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear Sir,
    I am very dissapointed because i have had a big problem with your airline.
    I had a ticket to flight to London this night (flight NM0951)at 20.00.I went to do my check in four hours before my flight departure and which was my surprise when your staff said me that the flight was full, and i can not fly. They said me that i will have a economic compensation and a sure place in the next flight. But the next flight is not until tomorrow and i have to arrive London before 13.00! I need to flight today, yours solution is not valid for me.
    I ask you for a flight today, it is very important for me.
    Yours sincerely,

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear Mr. Brown

    The intention of this letter is to solve a problem I have had with your company. Now, I’m writting from the Urban Hotel in Madrid when I should be in Lisbon closing a business. The cause of this situation is the ineffectiveness of your company.
    The last monday I bought a ticket to flight to Lisbon this morning and when I have gone to check-in it today a stewardess have said me there was overbooking in my flight. She has offered to me a free ticket for the next flight to Lisbon, but this one is too much late for me: the departure is fixed at 13:00 p.m. tomorrow but I must be in Lisbon at 9:00 a.m. !!.
    For these reasons I hope you could solve immediately my problem and to provide myself the earliest flight to Lisbon. I think I’m in right to demand a solution as well as the total refund of my ticket.
    Yours sicerely.
    Jesús Seligrat.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks Jesus for your contribution!

    Just a few comments...

    1. Don't forget a comma after Dear...
    2. the cause "for" instead of "of" sounds better in this case.
    3. "Last Monday", without "the"."Monday" in capital letters.
    4. "When I had to...". No "gone".
    5. She "offered" me. Be careful with the use of tenses. If you are using adverbs, always simple past.

    Very good anyway!! You won't have any problems using you English in this way!

    María Jordano

    ReplyDelete