IV. Have a discussion on the topic «types of business letters ». Use the following questions as a plan. Retell the text.

1. What types of business letters are among those most frequently in use?

2. What purposes does the business employee have to write letters?

3. Do Letters of request are also called “please send me” letters?

4. How do small companies place orders for goods and services?

5. What type of letter gives the letter writer an excellent opportunity for making friends and building goodwill?

6. If some mistakes occur in business, what kind of letters must be written?

7. Letters written in response to complaints are called adjustment letters, aren’t they?

8. What letters are written in response to requests for credit?

9. Why is every letter business people write a sales letter?

10. What kinds of employment letters are mentioned in the text?

11. What does typical social-business correspondence include?

 

V. Match the words with their definitions.

1. Letter of request	a) letter written to explain how a problem with a product or service may (or may not) be resolved
4. Credit letter	b) a letter sent by a customer to a business or agency to identify a problem with a product or service
6. Letter of application	c) a letter issued by bank at the request of the customer to pay for goods or services
2. Letter of complaint	d) a letter providing detailed information about a person while applying for a job
7. Social-business letter	e) a letter written to convince the recipient to purchase a certain product
5. Sales letter	f) a letter which is business-related but social in nature
3. Adjustment letter	g) a letter written when you need certain information, permission, favour, service or any other matter which requires a polite and humble request

SECTION B

 

I. Read and remember the following words and word combinations:

1. accounts department, n – бухгалтерія

2. blame, n – провина

3. consignment, n – партія товару

4. customer, n – клієнт

5. damaged articles/goods, n [pl] - пошкоджені товари

6. deadline, n – крайній термін

7. delay, n – затримка

8. dispatch department, n – відділ відправки

9. discrepancy, n – невідповідність

10. doubtful, adj – сумнівний, двозначний

11. misunderstanding, n – непорозуміння

12. non-delivery, n – непоставка

13. query, v – піддавати сумніву

14. replacement, n – заміна

15. second rate products, n [pl] – продукція другого сорту

16. supplier, n – постачальник

17. warn, v – попереджати

 

II. Read the following word-combinations and phrases which will help you to understand the text:

1. to apologize – вибачитися

2. to be cancelled – бути скасованим

3. to be overdue – бути простроченим

4. to be rectified – бути виправленим

5. to be satisfied/dissatisfied – бути задоволеним/незадоволеним

6. to cancel an order – скасувати замовлення

7. to deal with – мати справу з

8. to follow requirements – слідувати вимогам

9. to give an explanation – дати пояснення

10. to investigate a complaint – розглядати скаргу

11. to solve a problem – вирішити проблему

12. to take action – почати дії

13. to take legal action – звернутися до суду

 

III. Read and analyze the following text.

A LETTER OF COMPLAINT

A letter of complaint is one of the most popular and the most widely written types of letters because mistakes happen no matter how efficient a business firm tries to be. Complaints may be of several kinds, and may arise from delivery of wrong goods (Example 2.1), damaged goods (Example 2.2), too many or too few goods, or non-delivery (Example 2.3), etc. Even if the right articles are delivered in the right quantities, they may arrive later than expected, thus causing severe difficulty to the

 

Example 2.1

Letter of complaint

(complaint of wrong delivery)

 

R. Hughes & Son Ltd. 21 Mead Road, Swansea, Glamorgan 3ST1DR Telephone: Swansea 58441 VAT No. 215 2261 30 Telex: 881821   Mr R. Cliff, 3^rd February 2012 Homemakers Ltd., 54-59 Riverside, Cardiff CF1 1JW   Dear Mr Cliff,   I have received a consignment of 6 dressing tables from you yesterday, my order No. 1695, which were ordered from your summer catalogue, Cat, No. GR154. But on unpacking them I found that six heavy mahogany-finished dressing tables had been sent, instead of the light pine-finish ones asked for.   As most of my customers live in small flats earning a moderate income it is doubtful that I will be able to find a market for larger more expensive products.   I also have firm orders for the goods asked for. Would you send someone with my consignment as soon as possible and at the same time pick up the wrongly delivered goods? Thank you.   Yours sincerely,   R. Hughes   R. Hughes

 

Example 2.2

Letter of complaint

(complaint of damage)

 

F. Lynch & Co. Ltd. (Head Office), Nesson House, Newell Street, Birmingham B3 3EL Telephone No.: 021 236 6571 Fax: [phone] Telex: 341641   SatexS.p.A. YourRef: Via di Pietra Papa Our Ref: 00146Roma ITALY Date: 15 August 20—   Attn. Mr D. Causio   Dear Mr Causio,   Our Order No. 14478   I am writing to you to complain about the shipment of sweaters we received yesterday against the above order.   The boxes in which the sweaters were packed were damaged, and looked as if they had been broken open in transit. From your invoice No. 18871 we estimate that thirty garments have been stolen to the value of.150.00. And because of the rummaging in the boxes, quite a few other garments were crushed or stained and cannot be sold as new articles in our shops.   As the sale was on a c.i.f. basis and the forwarding company your agents, we suggest you contact them with regard to compensation.   You will find a list of the damaged and missing articles attached, and the consignment will be put to one side until we receive your instructions.   Yours sincerely,   L. Crane L. Crane Chief Buyer

 

 

Example 2.3

Letter of complaint

(complaint of non-delivery)

 

FORHAM VEHICLES PLC Lever Estate, Scarborough, Yorkshire Y011 3BS Directors: M. Blackburn, M.H. Thomson   Telephone [phone] Reg. England: 8969135 Fax:[phone] VAT. 1462321 17 Telex: 437865   MrR. Zeitman Date: 20th June 20— E.F.Baden AG Zillpicher Str. 10-20 D-4000 Dusseldorf 11   Dear Mr Zeitman Order No. VC 58391   We are writing to you with reference to the above order and our letter of 22 May in which we asked you when we could expect delivery of the 60 dynamos (Artex model 55) you were to have supplied on 3 June for an export order.   We have tried to contact you by phone, but could not get anyone in your factory who knew anything about this matter.   It is essential that we deliver this consignment to our Greek customers on time as this was an initial order from them and would give us an opening in the Greek market.   Our deadline is 28 June, and the lorries have been completed except for the dynamos that need to be fitted.   Unless we receive the components within the next five days, the order will be cancelled and placed elsewhere. We should warn you that we are holding you to your delivery contract and if any loss results because of this late delivery we will be taking legal action.   Yours sincerely,   M. Blackburn   M. Blackburn

buyer and, possibly, to his customers. Then the quality of the goods may be unsatisfactory: perhaps they are not according to the sample or description on the basis of which they were ordered, or they may simply be second rate products.

If a customer is dissatisfied with the execution of his order, he will complain. In doing so he should refer clearly to the articles in question, by referring to his own order number or to that of his supplier’s invoice, or both. He should then specify the nature of his complaint, and finally state what action he wants his supplier to take.