Writing an email that complains effectively without closing the door
You booked and paid €180 online for a two-day Italian language course in Siena. The confirmation said the course included 'materiale didattico e visita guidata'. On arrival, the school asked for a further €25 for the textbook and said the guided visit had been cancelled 'per motivi organizzativi'. You have the confirmation email and a receipt for €180. You want either the €25 waived and a replacement activity, or a partial refund. You must write in Italian to the school's office, and you want to keep a good relationship because you may enrol again next year.
1. Plan the email: what order will you put the information in, and which register (tu/Lei) will you use? Justify both.
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Use 'Lei' throughout: this is a first contact with an office about money, and the relationship is professional, not personal; 'tu' would be presumptuous. Order: (1) neutral identification - name, dates, booking reference; (2) the facts as stated in the confirmation, quoted briefly ('il materiale didattico e la visita guidata erano inclusi'); (3) what actually happened (€25 requested, visit cancelled); (4) the specific remedy requested, offered as a choice; (5) a courteous closing that leaves the relationship open. Putting facts before feelings and the request last-but-clear is what makes a complaint actionable. Starting with indignation ('Sono molto deluso!') before the facts makes the reader defensive and buries the request.
2. Write the body of the email (about 90-120 words) in Italian, including a clear request and a deadline.
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Model: 'Gentile Ufficio, mi chiamo [nome] e ho frequentato il corso di due giorni a Siena il [date], prenotato e pagato 180 euro (ricevuta allegata). Nella conferma era scritto che il corso comprendeva il materiale didattico e la visita guidata. All'arrivo mi sono stati chiesti 25 euro per il libro, e la visita guidata è stata annullata per motivi organizzativi. Vorrei quindi chiedere o l'esenzione dei 25 euro con un'attività sostitutiva, oppure un rimborso parziale corrispondente. Resto in attesa di una sua risposta entro il [data, due settimane]. La ringrazio e resto a disposizione. Cordiali saluti.' Check: facts with amounts and dates, the confirmation quoted, two concrete remedies, a deadline, and a formal closing. 'Cordiali saluti' suits an office; 'Distinti saluti' is colder and would undercut the wish to return.
3. Explain why offering two remedies rather than demanding a full refund is the stronger writing choice here.
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A full-refund demand is disproportionate to the harm (€25 plus one cancelled activity out of a €180 course), so the office can reject it outright and the exchange ends in a stalemate. Offering two proportionate options gives the office an easy path to say yes to one, which is more likely to produce an actual remedy, and it signals reasonableness - important because you may enrol again. It also protects you: if they refuse both, your letter already shows you were flexible, which strengthens any later escalation. The writing skill tested is calibrating the size of the request to the size of the problem, and choosing remedies the other party can actually deliver.