bg‑azure

The photo below shows a delivery man carrying a package. Have you ever waited impatiently for a purchased product, but after opening the package you found out that the goods were damaged or wrong? If yes, you probably felt as if somebody had pulled your leg, right? In this section, you are going to read about the problems customers had either with items or with service.

Na poniższym zdjęciu widać doręczyciela niosącego paczkę. Czy zdarzyło ci się kiedyś czekać z niecierpliwością na zakupiony produkt tylko po to, by po otwarciu paczki przekonać się, że towar jest uszkodzony lub nietrafiony? Jeśli tak, to pewnie poczułeś/poczułaś się, jakby ktoś nabił cię w butelkę, prawda? Poniżej przeczytasz o problemach, jakie klienci mieli z zamówionymi przedmiotami lub usługami.

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Your order has finally arrived, but take a look inside and make sure it's the item you ordered
Twoje zamówienie wreszcie nadeszło – ale lepiej zajrzyj do środka i sprawdź, czy to na pewno zamówiony przez ciebie przedmiot
Źródło: dostępny w internecie: https://www.pexels.com/ [dostęp 14.03.2022], domena publiczna.
Exercise 1
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Study the words and match them to make the correct phrases. consumer Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. programme, 2. fee, 3. policy, 4. client, 5. awareness loyalty Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. programme, 2. fee, 3. policy, 4. client, 5. awareness novice Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. programme, 2. fee, 3. policy, 4. client, 5. awareness entrance Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. programme, 2. fee, 3. policy, 4. client, 5. awareness restaurant Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. programme, 2. fee, 3. policy, 4. client, 5. awareness
Źródło: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Exercise 1

Read the chart carefully and decide whether the sentences are true (T) or false (F).

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Źródło: dostępny w internecie: https://trends.e-strategyblog.com/2016/07/21/top-15-factors-driving-consumer-satisfaction/27330/, domena publiczna.
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1. The price of a product isn’t as important to consumers as its perceived value. TRUEFALSE
2. Consumers care the least about the eco-friendliness of companies. TRUEFALSE
3. The quality of customer service matters less to people than the quality of the products. TRUEFALSE
4. According to the five highest-scoring answers, customers expect companies to know their wants. TRUEFALSE
5. Innovation is one of the least concerning factors for consumers. TRUEFALSE
6. Overall, American consumers seem to care the least about customer service. TRUEFALSE
Źródło: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.

Read three texts written by various customers and then, do the exercises below.

Does Ideal Service Even Exist?
Ewelina Ramotowska, Zuzanna Kościuk Does Ideal Service Even Exist?

1. DupeddupedDuped by a company

This blog post will be sincere and intimate… I can barely express how angry I am after my latest purchase online. The whole story began half a year ago while I was browsing some websites and a pop‑up adpop‑up ad pop‑up ad with an offer of ridiculously cheap shoes appeared.

1.1

As you may guess, the company has failed to comply withcomply with comply with purchasing arrangements. To tell you the truth, I’m more than certain that the shoes were never even sent to my place although I have received dozens of emails from this firm confirming my order and stating that the delay was due to the shipping company. How gulliblegulliblegullible and unaware of all these marketing techniques I turned out to be! The advertising experts  pulled my legpull my leg [pull somebody’s leg]pulled my leg with this product which, rationally thinking, couldn’t cost as little as a packet of crisps. I have never felt more embarrassed with myself. I’m simply ashamed of my lack of consumer awarenessconsumer awareness consumer awareness. Adults should not fall into such traps.

~Mark

2. Equal and more equal clients

I’m usually a patient person, but not this time. Yesterday, my friend and I decided to visit a shrimp restaurant located in the city centre. It’s become a very popular culinary spot recently, as the owners pride themselves on having a great loyalty programmeloyalty programme loyalty programme . If you are their regular customer, you can eat to your heart's contentto your heart’s content [to one’s heart’s content]to your heart's content while paying only the entrance feeentrance feeentrance fee. Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? We went there being aware that we were novice clientsnovice clients novice clients but hoping to become frequent visitors in the future. We ordered our favourite – crispy shrimp in tempura with some Asian beverages – and waited for the arrival of the food. Unfortunately, it turned out that most guests were covered by the programmecovered by the programmecovered by the programme, so our order was the last to be processed. We waited more than two hours for a meal! I hadn’t predicted such a scenario. Anyway, we both became fed up with waiting, so I finally asked to speak to the manager and complained about the restaurant’s poor service. I asked what kind of compensationcompensationcompensation he was going to give us. He replied that according to restaurant policyrestaurant policy restaurant policy, regular customers had priorityprioritypriority and the only thing he could do was accept our complaintcomplaintcomplaint!

1.2

Well, I’m writing the review now, as the manager literally did nothing! If you want to spend a nice evening with great food and a nice atmosphere – just don’t go there.

~Sadie

3. A perfect spot? No doubts

“The Shiny Sun” hostel? If I were you, I’d definitely choose this place. It’s clean and cosy, with a convenient location (700 metres from the sandy beach), and a family atmosphere. The host was always at the venuevenuevenue and eager toeager toeager to help. The only problem we noticed was the lack of wi‑fi. It wasn’t a big deal for us, but our children (two rebellious teens) literally pulled their hair out of their headspulled their hair out of their heads [pull one’s hair out]pulled their hair out of their heads showing their disapprovaldisapproval disapproval. I tried to put a stop to it by saying that I wouldn’t lift a fingerwouldn’t lift a finger [not to lift a finger]wouldn’t lift a finger in that matter, but it didn’t help.

1.3

I'm not certain what arguments my children had used, but the very next day, the hostel owner signed a contract with an internet company. Unbelievable, right? I must admit I was proud of these two resourcefulresourcefulresourceful creatures… Anyways, I am gonna repeat myself: the best choice is this hostel whose advertising slogan should be „your wish is my commandyour wish is my command your wish is my command.” Don’t hesitatehesitate hesitate, guys!

~James

1 Źródło: Zuzanna Kościuk, Ewelina Ramotowska, licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Exercise 2

Read the text. Then, match the missing fragments to the correct place to create logical paragraphs. One fragment does not fit into any gap.

I thought that it was a real bargain and, believe it or not, didn’t smell a tricksmell a tricksmell a trick. I placed an order and paid without thinking much, rather feeling like grasping the chancegrasping a chance grasping the chance.

I said that in such case, I’d leave a negative review on social media, which would certainly damage the reputation of that place. What happened next?

To my great surprise, they decided to take matters into their own handstake matters into their own hands [take matters into one's own hands]take matters into their own hands and asked the host for a refundrefundrefund as compensation for their wasted time.

An amazing atmosphere of that place made us not feel like arguing with the owner so we decided to enjoy the time we can spend with our family. But… things started to get more and more complicated.

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Read the texts quickly and link them with the appropriate headings. Three headings don’t fit any of the texts. 1) 1. LONG-AWAITED FAULTY GOODS, 2. FAMILY HOLIDAY: PLEASURE OR ORDEAL ?, 3. EQUAL AND MORE EQUAL CLIENTS, 4. DUPED BY A COMPANY, 5. A PERFECT SPOT? NO DOUBTS, 6. POSH RESTAURANT RANKING
2) 1. LONG-AWAITED FAULTY GOODS, 2. FAMILY HOLIDAY: PLEASURE OR ORDEAL ?, 3. EQUAL AND MORE EQUAL CLIENTS, 4. DUPED BY A COMPANY, 5. A PERFECT SPOT? NO DOUBTS, 6. POSH RESTAURANT RANKING
3) 1. LONG-AWAITED FAULTY GOODS, 2. FAMILY HOLIDAY: PLEASURE OR ORDEAL ?, 3. EQUAL AND MORE EQUAL CLIENTS, 4. DUPED BY A COMPANY, 5. A PERFECT SPOT? NO DOUBTS, 6. POSH RESTAURANT RANKING
Źródło: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Exercise 3

Based on the texts, choose the correct answer.

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1. Half a year ago, Mark Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. had no idea how pop-up ads work., 2. had a rare opportunity to buy something cheap., 3. needed to think hard before purchasing a product., 4. had good luck smelling the trick.
Źródło: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.
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2. Mark’s blog post suggests that Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. he believes the company is the only responsible side., 2. the company’s confirmation would help him get the item., 3. he blames himself for the unfortunate turn of events., 4. first and foremost, he feels cheated.
Źródło: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.
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3. According to the restaurant’s loyalty programme Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. you can only pay after finishing your meal., 2. you need to be a regular customer to eat there., 3. you receive special offers when you are a regular client., 4. you can eat without limit as a novice client.
Źródło: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.
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4. The manager of the restaurant Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. wasn't bothered by the complaint yet offered compensation., 2. was worried and tried to soothe the clients., 3. was unmoved by the complaint and didn’t react to the problem., 4. stuck to the rules but has taken note of the service.
Źródło: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.
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5. During his stay at the hostel, James Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. was constantly arguing with his children., 2. distanced himself from the issue to tame his children., 3. was seriously engaged in his children's troubles., 4. was amused by his children's reaction to the situation.
Źródło: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.
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6. James recommends the hostel as a place Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. where even odd needs of customers are met., 2. where one can have fun in a cosy and fun environment., 3. where customers can come to fix their family problems., 4. where the host is extremely resourceful.
Źródło: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.
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7. The reader can find all the texts Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. in a magazine., 2. on a travel agency website., 3. on social media., 4. in an advertising column.
Źródło: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Exercise 4
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Match the phrases with their definitions. consumer awareness Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. the money you pay in order to be allowed in e.g. restaurant, 2. allowed to take advantage of special offers, 3. to feel a deceit, 4. a special offer (e.g. discounts) for regular customers, 5. knowledge and understanding that a buyer should have of their rights as a customer, 6. a fresh customer novice client Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. the money you pay in order to be allowed in e.g. restaurant, 2. allowed to take advantage of special offers, 3. to feel a deceit, 4. a special offer (e.g. discounts) for regular customers, 5. knowledge and understanding that a buyer should have of their rights as a customer, 6. a fresh customer loyalty programme Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. the money you pay in order to be allowed in e.g. restaurant, 2. allowed to take advantage of special offers, 3. to feel a deceit, 4. a special offer (e.g. discounts) for regular customers, 5. knowledge and understanding that a buyer should have of their rights as a customer, 6. a fresh customer smell a trick Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. the money you pay in order to be allowed in e.g. restaurant, 2. allowed to take advantage of special offers, 3. to feel a deceit, 4. a special offer (e.g. discounts) for regular customers, 5. knowledge and understanding that a buyer should have of their rights as a customer, 6. a fresh customer entrance fee Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. the money you pay in order to be allowed in e.g. restaurant, 2. allowed to take advantage of special offers, 3. to feel a deceit, 4. a special offer (e.g. discounts) for regular customers, 5. knowledge and understanding that a buyer should have of their rights as a customer, 6. a fresh customer covered by the programme Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. the money you pay in order to be allowed in e.g. restaurant, 2. allowed to take advantage of special offers, 3. to feel a deceit, 4. a special offer (e.g. discounts) for regular customers, 5. knowledge and understanding that a buyer should have of their rights as a customer, 6. a fresh customer
Źródło: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Exercise 5
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Complete the sentences with the phrases from the task above. Full spelling correctness is required. 1. I thought that my stay in the hotel was     Tu uzupełnij     but I was mistaken and I have to pay full price for the rendered services now. 2. I’ve recently joined the     Tu uzupełnij     of this popular online shop, so now I can enjoy discounts and express shipping! 3. She didn’t     Tu uzupełnij     before purchasing the dress, so now she can’t do anything about it. 4. We’re always talking about     Tu uzupełnij     yet people still fall for the oldest tricks in the books. 5. Can you believe the     Tu uzupełnij     to this place? It’s so low that I might just call my entire family and invite them for dinner. 6. Since you’re a     Tu uzupełnij     we cannot offer you our loyalty programme yet, but you’ll surely get there in the future!
Źródło: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Exercise 6

Write an answer to the question in 5‑6 sentences.

Have you ever had problems with the service or an item you bought? Describe the situation and the resolution you sought. Remember to use the vocabulary from the text. 

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(Uzupełnij).
Źródło: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.

Słownik

compensation
compensation

/ ˌkɒmpenˈseɪʃn̩ /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

rekompensata (money that is paid to someone in exchange for something that has been lost or damaged)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
complain
complain

/ kəmˈpleɪn /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

skarżyć się, składać reklamację (express one’s dissatisfaction with e.g. the service)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
complaint
complaint

/ kəmˈpleɪnt /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

skarga, reklamacja (the act of expressing one’s dissatisfaction with e.g. a service)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
comply with
comply with

/ kəmˈplaɪ wɪð /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

zastosować się do, spełniać (to fulfil)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
consumer awareness
consumer awareness

/ kənˈsjuːmər əˈweənəs /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

świadomość konsumencka (knowledge and understanding that a buyer should have)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
covered by the programme
covered by the programme

/ ˈkʌvəd ˈbaɪ ðə ˈprəʊɡræm /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

objęci programem (allowed to take advantage of special offers)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
disapproval
disapproval

/ ˌdɪsəˈpruːvəl /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

dezaprobata (the feeling of having a negative opinion of someone or something)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
duped
duped

/ djuːpt /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

nabrany, oszukany (deceived, tricked)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
eager to
eager to

/ ˈiːɡə tuː /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

chętny/chętna do, skory/skora do (strongly wanting to do or have something)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
entrance fee
entrance fee

/ ˈentrəns fi: /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

opłata za wejście (money you pay in order to be allowed in e.g. a restaurant)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
every trick in the book
every trick in the book

/ ˈevri trɪk ɪn ðə bʊk /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

w każdy możliwy sposób (every available method of achieving what one wants)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
grasping a chance
grasping a chance

/ ˈɡrɑːspɪŋ ə tʃɑːns /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

wykorzystywanie szansy (taking an opportunity)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
gullible
gullible

/ ˈɡʌlɪbl̩ /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

naiwny/naiwna (naive)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
hesitate
hesitate

/ ˈhezɪteɪt /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

wahać się (to feel uncertain about something, have a problem with making a decision)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
loyalty programme
loyalty programme

/ ˈlɔɪəlti ˈprəʊɡræm /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

program lojalnościowy (a special offer – e.g. discount – for regular customers)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
novice clients
novice clients

/ ˈnɒvɪs ˈklaɪənts /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

nowy klient/nowa klientka (fresh, new customer)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
ordeal
ordeal

/ ɔːˈdiːl /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

męka, gehenna (a very difficult and hard experience)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
pop‑up ad
pop‑up ad

/ ˈpɒp ʌp æd /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

reklama wyskakująca podczas przeglądania internetu (advertisements which appear during internet browsing)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
priority
priority

/ praɪˈɒrɪti /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

priorytet (something of the greatest importance)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
pull my leg [pull somebody’s leg]
pull my leg [pull somebody’s leg]

/ 'pʊl maɪ leɡ / / 'pʊl ˈsəmˌbɑːdis leɡ /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

zrobił mnie w konia, nabił mnie w butelkę, wykiwał mnie [zrobić kogoś w konia, nabić kogoś w butelkę, wykiwać kogoś] (to fool somebody)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
pulled their hair out of their heads [pull one’s hair out]
pulled their hair out of their heads [pull one’s hair out]

/ pʊld ðeə heər aʊt əv ðeə hedz / / pʊl wʌnz heər ˈaʊt /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

wyrywali sobie włosy z głowy [rwać włosy z głowy] (to be very worried or upset about something)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
refund
refund

/ rɪˈfʌnd /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

zwrot pieniędzy (an amount of money that is given back to you, especially because you are not happy with a product or service that you have bought)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
rendered [render]
rendered [render]

/ ˈrendəd / / ˈrendə /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

wyświadczone, wykonane (usługi) [wyświadczyć, wykonać] (provided or given)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
resourceful
resourceful

/ rɪˈzɔːsfəl /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

zaradny/zaradna (good at solving problems)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
restaurant policy
restaurant policy

/ ˈrestrɒnt ˈpɒləsi /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

polityka restauracji (the set of rules in a particular restaurant)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
smell a trick
smell a trick

/ smel ə trɪk /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

wyczuć podstęp (feel a deceit)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
soothe
soothe

/ suːð /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

uspokoić (to gently calm someone)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
take matters into their own hands [take matters into one's own hands]
take matters into their own hands [take matters into one's own hands]

/ ˈteɪk ˈmætəz ˈɪntə ðeər əʊn hændz / / ˈteɪk ˈmætəz ˈɪntə wʌnz əʊn hændz /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

wezmą sprawy w swoje ręce [wziąć sprawy w swoje ręce] (to act by oneself)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
to your heart’s content [to one’s heart’s content]
to your heart’s content [to one’s heart’s content]

/ tu jə ˈhɑ:ts kənˈtent / / tu wʌnz ˈhɑ:ts kənˈtent /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

do syta (until one feels satisfied)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
wouldn’t lift a finger [not to lift a finger]
wouldn’t lift a finger [not to lift a finger]

/ ˈwʊdn̩t lɪft ə ˈfɪŋɡə / / nɒt tu lɪft ə ˈfɪŋɡə /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

nie kiwnęliby palcem [nie kiwnąć palcem] (to not make any effort)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
your wish is my command
your wish is my command

/ jə wɪʃ ɪz maɪ kəˈmɑːnd /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

twoje życzenie jest dla mnie rozkazem (I will fulfil your every wish)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe
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(Uzupełnij).
Źródło: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.
venue
venue

/ ˈvenjuː /

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Nagranie dźwiękowe

miejsce (location)

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Nagranie dźwiękowe