1) to practice expressing disappointment and formal complaints about a product bought in a store 

2) to develop an awareness of customers rights

3) to practice 21st-century skills

You are going to write a formal letter of complaint about a product you are dissatisfied with. 

STEP 1: Have a short small group (international group) or large F2F class discussion about the following questions: 

1) What do you know about consumer rights and responsibilities in your country? 

2) Are there any laws that protect you as a consumer? 

3) What can you do when you are dissatisfied with a product, you have fallen victim to a shopping scam, or you have encountered some dishonest trade practices? What options do you have to get your money back? 

TIP: To conduct an ASYNCHRONOUS discussion with students from various countries and time zones, ask your teacher to set up a Google doc editable by anyone and send the link to all members of the small group.

TIP: If your teacher requests it, you may want to research the correct answers to the questions above.

STEP 2: Choose one of the following scenarios for your group: 

SCENARIO 1 

You recently purchased a brand-new laptop online from a well-known electronics store. You were excited about your purchase as you needed the laptop for study/work and personal use. However, upon receiving the laptop and setting it up, you encountered several issues. The laptop frequently freezes, crashes unexpectedly, and the battery life is significantly shorter than what was advertised. These issues have made it impossible for you to study/work efficiently and have caused you a great inconvenience.

When you contacted the customer service department of the store to report the problems, you were met with unhelpful responses. The representatives were dismissive, offered generic troubleshooting tips that did not solve the issues and were unresponsive to your concerns. This lack of support added to your frustration, as you expected better service from a reputable company.

SCENARIO 2 

Eager to showcase your style and protect your eyes from the sun, you recently purchased a trendy pair of sunglasses from a popular online fashion store. However, the sunglasses you received fell far short of your expectations, leading to a disappointing experience.

Upon wearing the sunglasses outdoors, you noticed that the lenses did not provide the promised UV protection. Despite the label indicating full UV protection, you found yourself squinting in bright sunlight, and your eyes felt strained after wearing the sunglasses for just a short period. This lack of proper UV protection not only defeats the purpose of sunglasses but also raises concerns about potential damage to your eyes from prolonged sun exposure.

Additionally, the build quality of the sunglasses proved to be subpar. One of the hinges connecting the frame to the temple broke within a few days of normal usage. This breakage not only rendered the sunglasses unwearable but also highlighted the poor craftsmanship and durability of the product.

When you attempted to return the sunglasses to the local store, hoping for a replacement or a refund, you encountered unhelpful and uncooperative store staff. They were reluctant to accept the return, citing various policy loopholes and refusing to acknowledge the product's defects. This lack of customer service left you frustrated and dissatisfied, especially since you had trusted the store's reputation for quality fashion items.

SCENARIO 3 

Think of your own recent shopping excursion that went wrong. Prepare your letter of complaint about the product or situation.

STEP 3: Open the link and study the structure and the phrases characteristic of such a letter. 

STEP 4: Look at the success criteria below. EITHER write your letter TOGETHER with each member of the group chipping in a bit of the text, OR write the letter ON YOUR OWN. 

TIP: Your teachers will decide whether the letters will be written JOINTLY or INDIVIDUALLY. 

STEP 5: Look at the success criteria and make sure you tick all the boxes. Next, submit your letter by posting it on this PADLET. 

Go the extra mile! 

Go to ChatGPT to get feedback about your writing. Not sure how to do this? You can try asking ChatGPT the following question: Can you grade my paper and tell me how to improve it? 

Next, improve your letter based on the feedback received from ChatGPT.

• clearly outline the issues you faced with the product and provide as many details about encountered problems as possible 

• use polite and formal language, showing your dissatisfaction without being rude or aggressive

• explain the attempts you made to resolve the problem and why these failed

• clearly state the desired outcome; this could be a replacement, a refund, or a store credit.

• stress the intermediate need for a resolution to restore the faith in the brand.

• specify a reasonable time frame for the response.

• write between 150 and 200 words