Formality in a Complaint Email
A student, Nikola, needs to complain to a Sarajevo language school about a cancelled course. He drafts an email beginning: Hej, htio bih da se žalim. Vi ste otkazali kurs bez ikakvog razloga i to je stvarno bezveze. Tražim povrat novca odmah. His teacher notes that the email contains a factual claim (bez ikakvog razloga) that Nikola cannot prove, and that the tone may harm his chances of a refund. Nikola says he is angry and wants to be direct. The school's policy says refunds are considered when a complaint is osnovana (well-founded) and submitted in writing.
1. Identify the language choices that weaken Nikola's complaint, and explain the risk of each.
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Several choices undermine him:
- Hej - casual greeting signals he does not take the matter seriously or is writing in anger; it lowers his credibility with an institution.
- htio bih da se žalim - awkward and indirect; a complaint should state the problem clearly.
- bez ikakvog razloga - an absolute claim he cannot prove. If the school had a reason (low enrolment, staff absence), he looks unreasonable, and the policy requires an osnovana complaint.
- stvarno bezveze - colloquial dismissal; it expresses emotion but no argument.
- Tražim povrat novca odmah - a demand with no reference to policy or process, which invites refusal.
The risk is cumulative: the email reads as a rant, so the school can treat it as not osnovana and decline. Directness is not the problem; unsupported assertion and hostile tone are.
2. Rewrite the opening of the email to be firm but effective, and explain how it meets the school's policy.
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A revision:
Poštovani, obraćam se u vezi s otkazivanjem kursa bosanskog jezika na koji sam se prijavio 3. septembra. Molim vas za pisano objašnjenje razloga otkazivanja i informaciju o povratu uplaćene školarine, u skladu s vašom politikom povrata.
How it meets the policy and the situation:
- Formal greeting and frame (Poštovani, obraćam se u vezi s...) show seriousness and make the email easy to process.
- Specific facts (course, date of enrolment) replace vague anger; this supports the claim that the complaint is osnovana.
- Requesting an explanation rather than asserting bez ikakvog razloga keeps him accurate - he does not know the reason, so he asks.
- Referring to the refund policy turns a demand into a procedural request, which is harder to refuse.
- Written form satisfies the policy requirement explicitly.
The judgement shown is that tone is strategic: firmness is achieved through precision and reference to policy, not through volume.