The Complaint Email: Register, Relevance and a Deadline
Jonas, a Year 10 student, ordered a hoodie for sports day from an online shop. The hoodie arrived two sizes too small and with the wrong logo. He paid €39.90; the order number is 4471. The shop promised delivery in 5 days, but it took 12. Sports day is on Friday. He wants a replacement before Friday. He has to write an email of complaint in 120–150 words. The task says: 'Include the order number, describe the problem, say what you want, and set a deadline. Use a formal tone.' Jonas's friend suggests: 'Just write: "Hey, you sent the wrong stuff. Fix it or I'll post a bad review."' Jonas is not sure. The shop's returns policy says replacement takes 10 working days, but a customer service agent said on the phone that urgent cases can be fast-tracked.
1. Write a suitable subject line and first sentence for Jonas's email. Explain the choices.
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Subject: Complaint about order 4471 - wrong size and logo
First sentence: Dear Customer Service Team, I am writing to complain about order 4471, which I received on [date].
The subject line includes the order number so the shop can identify the case immediately, and it names the two defects. The salutation is formal because the task asks for a formal tone; 'Hey' would be too casual. The first sentence states the purpose directly instead of telling a long story. In a 120–150-word email, this saves space for the problem description, the requested solution, and the Friday deadline.
2. Which request is better for the task: (a) 'Please send a replacement by Friday, or refund me if that is not possible.' or (b) 'I demand my money back now.'? Explain in terms of the situation.
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(a) is better. Jonas actually wants a replacement before sports day on Friday, so a refund is only a fallback. Request (a) gives the shop a clear, achievable action and a deadline, and it offers a polite alternative if the deadline cannot be met. Request (b) ignores the replacement goal, sounds aggressive, and gives the shop no reason to fast-track the case. The shop's policy says normal replacement takes 10 working days, so Jonas needs to mention the agent's promise that urgent cases can be fast-tracked; that makes the Friday request reasonable rather than unrealistic.
3. Jonas wants to add 'The hoodie is blue and I play football for my school.' Should he include this? Justify your answer with reference to the task constraints.
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No. The colour of the hoodie and Jonas's football hobby do not help the shop solve the problem, and the task limits him to 120–150 words. Irrelevant personal details use up words that are needed for the required content: order number, the two defects, the requested replacement, and the Friday deadline. A complaint email should be concise and factual. If he has words left, he could add the delivery delay (12 days instead of 5), because that supports his complaint about urgency - but not the colour or his hobby.