6.14 Complaining politely — Epoché
What you will be able to do Complain in a restaurant about a wrong or cold dish, politely and effectively. Return a faulty product to a shop, ask for an exchange or a refund, and show your receipt. Escalate when a complaint is not resolved: ask for the manager and ask what they propose. Recognise and use the formulas of apology on both sides: excusez-moi de vous déranger , je m'excuse pour hier . Sentences from this lesson, before the explanation. Read the French aloud; all of them come back below. French English Désolé de vous déranger, mais pouvez-vous m'aider ? [1] Sorry to trouble you, but can you help me? Pourriez-vous vérifier ça pour moi ? [2] Could you check this for me? Vous pouvez l'échanger avec une autre. [3] You can exchange it for another one. Je suis désolé de vous déranger si souvent. [4] I'm sorry to bother you so often. Je vous dois des excuses pour mon retard. [5] I must offer you an apology for coming late. Est-ce que je peux échanger ça contre autre chose ? [6] Can I exchange this for something else? J'ai présenté mes excuses pour avoir été en retard à l'école. [7] I apologized for having been late for school. Tu as commandé quelque chose ? [8] Did you order something? Prerequisites : 6.13 — this lesson follows 6.13 Conversation . You need the conditional of politeness from 4.15 Grammar and exiger from 4.18 Grammar . The French reputation for complaining is deserved: râler , from 5.9 Vocabulary , is a national habit. But a complaint to a waiter, a shop assistant or a hotel receptionist follows rules, and the English speaker who breaks them gets nowhere. The rules are simple. Begin with a greeting and an apology for disturbing; state the problem calmly and precisely; say what you would like, in the conditional; and escalate only if necessary. Raising your voice early is the quickest way to lose. Who is speaking to whom Complaints are made in vous , always, and the staff will answer in vous . Address the person with monsieur or madame , without a name. The greeting matters even more than usual: a complaint that begins without bonjour starts badly. On the other side, French staff often apologise with je m'excuse , which purists criticise, since it literally means I excuse myself ; the alternatives are je suis désolé and toutes nos excuses . You will hear all three. How to complain in France Be precise. Say exactly what is wrong: ce n'est pas ce que j'ai commandé , ça ne fonctionne pas . Vague irritation gets vague answers. Ask for something. Say what you would like: an exchange, a refund, another dish. Use pourriez-vous or je voudrais . Know your rights. In France a shop must accept a faulty product back, but it is not obliged to refund a product you simply do not like, unless you bought it online, when you have fourteen days to change your mind. Many shops offer a credit note, un avoir , instead of money. Escalate in steps. If the first person cannot help, ask for le responsable , the manager. A written complaint, une réclamation , comes next. Exchange one — in a restaurant Excusez-moi de vous déranger. [9] Excuse me for bothering you. Désolé, mais ce n'est pas ce que j'ai commandé. [10] Sorry, but that's not what I ordered. Le potage est froid. [11] The soup is cold. Je vais vérifier. [12] I'm going to check. The customer's first line is the model opening: excusez-moi de vous déranger , sorry to bother you . The second states the problem precisely, with ce que from 4.24 Grammar . Le potage is the soup of menus; in everyday speech people more often say la soupe . The waiter promises to check: je vais vérifier . Exchange two — in a shop Ça ne fonctionne pas ! [13] This doesn't work! Pouvez-vous l'échanger contre une autre ? [14] Could you change it for a different one? J'ai un reçu. [15] I have a receipt. Aucun remboursement. [16] No refunds will be given. J'exige un remboursement ! [17] I demand a refund! Pouvez-vous l'échanger contre une autre ? asks for an exchange: échanger contre , to exchange for . Le reçu , or le ticket de caisse , is your proof of purchase. The assistant's answer is a shop's policy, and the customer's reply, j'exige un remboursement , uses exiger from 4.18 Grammar : strong, and justified only for a faulty product. Exchange three — escalating J'attends depuis des heures. [18] I've been waiting for hours. C'est inacceptable. [19] That's unacceptable. Appelez le responsable. [20] Call the manager. Que proposez-vous d'autre ? [21] What is your alternative? J'aimerais vous rembourser. [22] I'd like to pay you back. J'attends depuis des heures uses the present with depuis for an action still going on: English needs I've been waiting . C'est inacceptable marks the turning point; save it for when you mean it. The question to the manager, que proposez-vous d'autre ? , invites a solution without dictating one, and it often works better than a demand. Exchange four — a complaint that ends well Je suis désolé de vous déranger. [23] I'm sorry to bother you. Ceci ne fonctionne pas. [24] This doesn't work. C'est une erreur. [25] This is a mistake. Je m'excuse pour hier. [26] I apologize for yesterday. A hotel guest reports that something in the room does not work, and the next day the receptionist admits the mistake and apologises. The guest's opening, je suis désolé de vous déranger , is the slightly fuller form of the restaurant opening. Notice how much of a polite complaint is apology on both sides. New words Six words for complaints. Word Meaning Notes déranger fr to disturb, to bother Gender / part of speech verb How English differs Not derange ; ça vous dérange si … , do you mind if … . Je suis vraiment désolé de vous déranger ! [27] I'm really sorry to trouble you! vérifier fr to check Gender / part of speech verb How English differs The everyday word; verify is a formal translation. Je vais vérifier. [12] I'm going to check. échanger fr to exchange, to swap Gender / part of speech verb How English differs échanger contre , to exchange for . J'ai quelqu