UPPER INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED - AB6 - LETTER of COMPLAINT

LETTERS OF COMPLAINT

1. Have you ever bought a faulty product?
For example, maybe you have bought a faulty computer or a faulty car. Maybe you've bought faulty clothes or faulty food.

2. What did you do?
Did you put up with it? Did you take the product back? Did you write a letter of complaint?

A couple of years ago I bought a used car. It was two years old. It had central locking. When I picked up the car, they only gave me one key. I thought that was strange. My husband and I both needed a key, but I didn't wory too much. I thought it would cost me about $30 to get a new key cut. However, when I tried to get it cut I discovered that it costs a lot more to get an electronic key cut. I also discovered that you need the master key. They key I was given was only a copy. It wasn't a master key. So to get a new key was going to cost over $800.

I rang the company I bought the car from. They said they were sorry, but they couldn't help. So I rang Consumer Affairs. They told me to write to the company and tell the company that I had contacted the Department of Consumer Affairs. I did that and at the bottom of the letter I indicated that I had sent a copy of the letter to Consumer Affairs. Within a few days I got a phone call from the car company. They offered to pay for the new key. A few days later I had the new key. It cost me nothing.

3. Read the example complaint letter on the next page.