English Course · Level 4 (B1+) · Week 5 of 12

Customer Service and Complaints

Grammar: The passive in all tenses · have / get something done

This week's plan

Day	Learn	Listen / Watch	Practise
Day 1	Words: Making a complaint · Sentences 1–2	BBC 6 Minute English: “Where do your tips go?” (podcast)	Exercise 1
Day 2	Words: Customer service · Sentences 3–4	British Council: “A phone call from a customer” (listening)	Exercise 2
Day 3	Words: Shopping problems · Sentences 5–6	BBC 6 Minute Grammar: “Active and passive voice” (podcast) + British Council: “Passives” (grammar)	Exercise 3
Day 4	Words: Getting things done · Sentences 7–8	BBC Learning English Grammar: “Using services” (podcast)	Exercise 4
Day 5	Words: The result · Sentences 9–10	British Council: “A letter of complaint” (writing)	Write & Speak
Day 6	Review all 30 words + 10 sentences	engVid (Benjamin): “English for Daily Life: Talking to Customer Service” (video) + BBC 6 Minute English: “Rude emails” (podcast)	Redo mistakes
Day 7	Free day ☺	BBC 6 Minute English: “How do you say sorry?” (podcast)	Tick your tracker

30 minutes a day: review, learn, listen, practise, speak. Day 7 is a free day. Tap a resource to find it.

30 words to learn

Set 1 · Making a complaint

complain aboutيشتكي من
a complaintشكوى
faultyمعيب / فيه عطل
damagedتالف / متكسّر
reimburseيعوّض / يرُدّ المبلغ المدفوع
a helplineخط مساعدة / خط خدمة العملاء

Set 2 · Customer service

customer serviceخدمة العملاء
be on holdينتظر على الخط
put someone throughيحوّل المكالمة إلى شخص
a reference numberرقم مرجعي
apologise forيعتذر عن
sort outيحل / يظبط (مشكلة)

Set 3 · Shopping problems

a warrantyضمان
a voucherقسيمة شراء / فاوتشر
deliverيوصّل / يسلّم
a deliveryتوصيل / شحنة (دليفري)
overchargeيحاسب بأكثر من السعر
a courierمندوب توصيل / مندوب شحن

Set 4 · Getting things done

have my hair cutأقص شعري (عند الحلاق)
get my car servicedأعمل صيانة لسيارتي (في الورشة)
have the flat paintedأدهن الشقة (عند نقّاش)
get my phone repairedأصلّح هاتفي (عند فني)
have something installedأركّب شيئًا (عن طريق فني)
get my suit dry-cleanedأنظف بدلتي تنظيفًا جافًا / أوديها الدراي كلين

Set 5 · The result

compensationتعويض
satisfiedراضٍ
unacceptableغير مقبول
politeمهذب / مؤدب
firmحازم
escalateيرفع الشكوى إلى مستوى أعلى / يصعّد

10 sentences to memorise

1I'd like to make a complaint about my order.أود أن أقدّم شكوى بخصوص طلبي.
2The washing machine was delivered yesterday, but it's faulty.تم توصيل الغسالة أمس، لكنّ بها عطلًا.
3My order still hasn't been sent, and I paid two weeks ago.لم يُرسَل طلبي حتى الآن، وقد دفعت منذ أسبوعين.
4Your complaint is being dealt with by our team.يتم التعامل مع شكواك الآن من قِبَل فريقنا.
5I was kept on hold for forty minutes!جعلوني أنتظر على الخط أربعين دقيقة!
6I'd like a refund or a replacement, please.أريد استرداد المبلغ أو استبدال المنتج، من فضلك.
7The problem will be sorted out within 48 hours.ستُحَل المشكلة خلال ٤٨ ساعة.
8I had my phone repaired, but it broke again a week later.أصلحت هاتفي عند فني، لكنه تعطل مرة أخرى بعد أسبوع.
9We're getting the kitchen painted next week.سندهن المطبخ (عند نقّاش) الأسبوع القادم.
10This is unacceptable. Can I speak to the manager, please?هذا غير مقبول. هل يمكنني التحدث إلى المدير من فضلك؟

Grammar: The passive in all tenses · have / get something done

Passive = be (in the right tense) + past participle. We use it when the action is more important than the person who does it.

have / get + object + past participle = someone else does a job for you (you pay or ask them to do it).

يخلط المتعلم العربي بين «قصّيت شعري» بمعنى ذهبت إلى الحلاق، وبين أن يقص شعره بنفسه: جملة I cut my hair تعني أنك قصصته بيدك! إذا قام شخص آخر بالعمل لك فقل I had my hair cut أو I got my hair cut. وفي المبني للمجهول يظهر الزمن في فعل be وحده، والفعل الرئيسي يبقى في التصريف الثالث دائمًا: is being repaired (يتم الآن)، has been sent (تم)، will be delivered (سيتم). والخطأ الشائع هو حذف be كقولهم The order sent yesterday، والصحيح The order was sent yesterday.

Tense	Passive form	Example
Present simple	am / is / are + p.p.	Complaints are answered within a day.
Present continuous	am / is / are being + p.p.	Your order is being prepared.
Past simple	was / were + p.p.	The parcel was delivered yesterday.
Past continuous	was / were being + p.p.	The road was being repaired.
Present perfect	has / have been + p.p.	My money has been refunded.
Past perfect	had been + p.p.	The tickets had been sold before we arrived.
Future / modals	will be / can be / must be + p.p.	The problem will be sorted out. It must be fixed today.

have / get something done	Meaning
I had my car serviced.	A mechanic serviced it for me.
She's getting her hair cut tomorrow.	A hairdresser will cut it.
We've had the flat painted.	Painters painted it for us.

Use by + person only when it is important: The cake was made by my grandmother.

Wrong: I cut my hair at the barber's. ✔ I had (got) my hair cut at the barber's.

get something done is more informal than have something done.

Exercises

Exercise 1 · Rewrite in the passive.

1) They deliver the newspapers every morning.
2) Someone is repairing my laptop.
3) They sent the wrong size.
4) They have cancelled our flight.
5) They will refund the money next week.
6) They had sold all the tickets.

Show the answers

1) The newspapers are delivered every morning. 2) My laptop is being repaired. 3) The wrong size was sent. 4) Our flight has been cancelled. 5) The money will be refunded next week. 6) All the tickets had been sold.

Exercise 2 · Complete with the correct passive form.

1) The lift ___ (repair) at the moment, so please use the stairs.
2) My complaint ___ (not answer) yet.
3) These phones ___ (make) in Korea.
4) The parcel ___ (deliver) tomorrow morning.
5) When we arrived, the food ___ (already / eat).
6) The faulty fridge must ___ (replace) immediately.

Show the answers

1) is being repaired 2) hasn't been answered 3) are made 4) will be delivered 5) had already been eaten 6) be replaced

Exercise 3 · Rewrite with have / get something done.

1) A mechanic is checking my car. (I / have)
2) A technician repaired Mona's washing machine. (Mona / get)
3) The barber cuts my son's hair every month. (I / have)
4) A technician is going to install our new air conditioner tomorrow. (we / get)
5) A photographer took Nour's passport photos. (Nour / have)
6) The dry cleaner's has cleaned my suit. (I / have)

Show the answers

1) I'm having my car checked. 2) Mona got her washing machine repaired. 3) I have my son's hair cut every month. 4) We're going to get our new air conditioner installed tomorrow. 5) Nour had her passport photos taken. 6) I've had my suit cleaned. / I've had my suit dry-cleaned.

Exercise 4 · Translate into English.

1) أُلغيت رحلتنا ولم يعتذر أحد.
2) يتم إصلاح سيارتي الآن.
3) قصصت شعري أمس عند الحلاق.
4) لم يُرسَل طلبي حتى الآن.
5) أريد استرداد المبلغ، فهذا المنتج معيب.

Show the answers

1) Our flight was cancelled and nobody apologised. / Our flight was cancelled and no one apologised. 2) My car is being repaired now. / My car is being fixed now. 3) I had (got) my hair cut at the barber's yesterday. 4) My order hasn't been sent yet. 5) I'd like a refund; this product is faulty. / I want my money back; this product is faulty.

Do each exercise in pencil first, then open the answers to check.

Write & Speak

Write & Speak — Write a formal email of complaint (150–200 words) to an online shop. Say what you ordered, what went wrong and what you want them to do. Use at least four passive forms. Then role-play the phone call to customer service with a friend: be polite but firm.

Example: Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to complain about an order I placed on your website on 3rd March (reference number 58217). I ordered a microwave, and I was told that it would be delivered within three days. Unfortunately, the microwave was not delivered until 15th March, almost two weeks late. When the box was opened, I found that the door was damaged and the machine did not work at all. I called your customer service line three times, and each time I was kept on hold for more than thirty minutes. I was promised a call back, but nobody has contacted me since then. This is unacceptable, especially as the full amount has already been taken from my bank account. I would like the faulty microwave to be collected from my flat in Nasr City as soon as possible, and I would like a full refund. Alternatively, I would accept a replacement, provided that it is delivered this week. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours faithfully, Mona Adel