【2023.2.23】你会投诉吗？Are you good at complai

Introduction

When a company's service is not to your satisfaction, how do you complain? What's the best way to get what you want? And when has complaining been completely futile? Sam and Rob discuss people's readiness to complain and teach you vocabulary.

This week's question

The oldest recorded complaint is on a stone tablet in the British Museum. It’s nearly 4000 years old. What was the complaint about?

a) An incorrect number of goats that were delivered after being bought at market.

b) The quality of copper bars that were supplied.

c) The non-payment of a bill for a banquet.

Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Transcript

Note: This is not a word for word transcript  

Sam

Hello, this is 6 Minute English. I'm Sam. 

Rob

And I'm Rob.

Sam

Are good at complaining, Rob?

Rob

Of course not. I’m British! I never complain, even when I get terrible service. It’s just too embarrassing.

Sam

Well, you might be in a minority now as it seems we British are complaining more than we used to. We’ll look at this topic a little more after this week’s quiz question. The oldest recorded complaint is on a stone tablet in the British Museum. It’s nearly 4000 years old. What was the complaint about?

a) An incorrect number of goats that were delivered after being bought at market

b) The quality of copper bars that were supplied, or

c) The non-payment of a bill for a banquet

What do you think, Rob?

Rob

I’m just going to guess at the goats. Someone bought a load of goats and fewer were delivered than were bought. That sounds good, but it’s just a guess.

Sam

OK. Well, I will reveal the answer later in the programme, and don’t complain if you get it wrong! You and Yours is a BBC radio programme about consumer affairs. On a recent programme they discussed the topic of complaining and customer service with Giles Hawke from an organisation called the Institute of Customer Service. He talks about different sectors. A sector is a particular area of business. Which sectors does he say have most problems when it comes to keeping the complaining customer satisfied?

Giles Hawke

The sectors that probably have more problems than the UK average are public services, telecommunications, transport and service sector. And there are probably some inherent challenges within those sectors - they may have more impact on a day-to-day basis. Those sectors which are performing well … travel is performing well, retail is performing well, leisure appears to be performing well.

Sam

So, which sectors are not keeping the customer satisfied?

Rob

He says that public services, telecoms, transport and the service sector have most problems.

Sam

And he says that these sectors may have inherent challenges. What does he mean by that?

Rob

Well, some sectors, by their nature, are more complicated and more likely to cause problems for customers. Public services, for example, often don’t have enough money or enough staff. Telecommunications systems, such as your internet connection, are very complicated and sometimes go wrong. Bad weather can affect transport, and so on. So an inherent problem is a problem that is part of the nature of the thing itself.

Sam

So, those sectors are not performing well. We usually think of the word perform when we are talking about actors or musicians, but in a business sense to perform well or badly means to be successful or not, and, according to Giles Hawke, travel and retail are performing well in terms of customer service.

Giles Hawke goes on to talk about how people are actually making their complaints, but are modern methods taking over from the traditional letter or phone call?

Giles Hawke

We still see over 58% of complaints are made by phone or by letter so, you know, the more traditional methods of making a complaint are still dominant, but we are seeing social media rise, although it’s still a very small part of how people complain and it tends to be used as an escalation point if people aren’t getting what they want dealt with in the first instance.

Sam

So, are people using modern methods more than traditional ones?

Rob

Actually, no. He says that phoning or writing a letter are still dominant. This means they are still the main, most used methods for making a complaint.

Sam

Where people are turning to social media is if their complaint is not dealt with. To deal with something means to sort it, to fix it – and if you complain and it’s not dealt with, then, he says, people turn to social media as a form of escalation.

Rob

When you escalate a complaint, you take it to a higher level. Putting your complaint on social media means that a lot more people are going to see it and it might encourage a company to deal with the complaint.

Sam

Right, well before we receive any complaints, let’s review today’s vocabulary after the answer to the question which was about a 4000-year-old complaint. Was the complaint about:

a) An incorrect number of goats that were delivered after being bought at market.

b) The quality of copper bars that were supplied, or

c) The non-payment of a bill for a banquet.

Rob, what did you say?

Rob

I went for a). I went for the goats.

Sam

Sorry! It was actually a complaint about the quality of copper ingots or bars that were supplied. If you knew that, very well done. If you guessed right, also, very well done. No shame to get that one wrong.

Rob

And no complaints from me!

Sam

OK. Right, now vocabulary. We had sectors,which are particular areas of business in the economy.

Rob

Something that is inherent is a natural part of something. It’s usually used to describe a problem or risk that is an unavoidable part of something.

Sam

How successful a company is can be describe as how well it’s performing. And if something is dominant, it means it is the strongest or most used.

Rob

And if a company doesn’t deal with, or try to fix a problem, the customer might take the complaint to the next level on social media, which would mean an escalation.

Sam

Thank you, Rob. That’s all from 6 Minute English this time. Do join us again soon and don’t forget to check us out online. Bye bye!

Rob

Bye!

Vocabulary

a sector

an area of business within the economy, for example: the telecommunications sector

inherent

a natural part of something, usually a difficulty or risk, that can’t be avoided

to perform

if a company is performing well, it is being successful

dominant

strongest, most used

to escalate (adj, noun: escalation)

to take something to a higher level, for example to escalate a complaint if you are not satisfied with the first response

to deal with (a problem or complaint)

to try to fix a problem or resolve a complaint

双语版Transcript

Hello, this is6 Minute English. I'm Sam.

大家好，这里是六分钟英语，我是萨姆。

And I'm Rob.

我是罗伯。

Are good atcomplaining, Rob?

罗伯，你擅长投诉吗？

Of course not.I'm British!

当然不。我是英国人！

I nevercomplain, even when I get terrible service.

我从不投诉，即使我得到很差的服务。

It's just tooembarrassing.

那太尴尬了。

Well, you mightbe in a minority now as it seems we British are complaining more than we usedto.

好吧，你现在可能是少数，因为我们英国人似乎比以前投诉得多了。

We'll look atthis topic a little more after this week's quiz question.

在本周的小测验之后我们会进一步讨论这个话题。

The oldestrecorded complaint is on a stone tablet in the British Museum.

被记录下来的最久远的投诉是在大英博物馆的一块石碑上。

It's nearly4000 years old.

它有近4000年的历史。

What was thecomplaint about? a) An incorrect number of goats that were delivered afterbeing bought at market, b) The quality of copper bars that were supplied, or c)The non-payment of a bill for a banquet?

投诉的内容是什么？a)在市场上买到的山羊数量不正确，b)所供应铜条的质量，还是c)没有支付宴会账单？

What do youthink, Rob?

你觉得呢，罗伯？

I'm just goingto guess at the goats.

我猜是跟山羊有关。

Someone boughta load of goats and fewer were delivered than were bought.

有人买了许多的山羊，送来的比买下的少。

That soundsgood, but it's just a guess.

听起来不错，但这只是个猜测。

OK. Well, Iwill reveal the answer later in the programme, and don't complain if you get itwrong!

好的。稍后我将在节目中揭晓答案，如果你答错了不要投诉啊！

You and Yoursis a BBC radio programme about consumer affairs.

Youand Yours是BBC广播一个关于消费者事宜的节目。

On a recentprogramme they discussed the topic of complaining and customer service withGiles Hawke from an organisation called the Institute of Customer Service.

在最近的一期节目中，他们与客户服务协会的贾尔斯·霍克讨论了投诉与客户服务方面的话题。

He talks aboutdifferent sectors.

他谈到了不同行业。

A sector is aparticular area of business.

行业是一个特定的商业领域。

Which sectorsdoes he say have most problems when it comes to keeping the complainingcustomer satisfied?

当谈到令投诉的客户满意方面时，他说哪些行业的问题最多？

The sectorsthat probably have more problems than the UK average are public services,telecommunications, transport and service sector.

问题可能超过英国平均水平的行业是公共服务、电信、交通和服务行业。

And there areprobably some inherent challenges within those sectors - they may have moreimpact on a day-to-day basis.

这些行业可能存在一些固有的挑战——它们可能对日常生活有更大的影响。

Those sectorswhich are performing well … travel is performing well, retail is performingwell, leisure appears to be performing well.

那些经营良好的行业……旅游业经营良好，零售业经营良好，娱乐产业经营良好。

So, whichsectors are not keeping the customer satisfied?

所以哪些行业没有让客户满意呢？

He says thatpublic services, telecoms, transport and the service sector have most problems.

他说公共服务、电信、交通和服务业面临的问题最多。

And he saysthat these sectors may have inherent challenges.

而且他说这些行业可能存在固有挑战。

What does hemean by that?

他那么说是什么意思？

Well, somesectors, by their nature, are more complicated and more likely to causeproblems for customers.

嗯，有些行业从本质上说就比较复杂，更容易给客户带来麻烦。

Publicservices, for example, often don't have enough money or enough staff.

例如，公共服务常常没有足够的资金或足够的员工。

Telecommunicationssystems, such as your internet connection, are very complicated and sometimesgo wrong.

电信系统，比如你的网络连接，是非常复杂的，有时会出错。

Bad weather canaffect transport, and so on.

坏天气会影响交通等等。

So an inherentproblem is a problem that is part of the nature of the thing itself.

所以固有的问题是事物本质的一部分。

So, thosesectors are not performing well.

因此，这些行业经营不善。

We usuallythink of the word perform when we are talking about actors ormusicians, but in a business sense to perform well or badly means to besuccessful or not, and, according to Giles Hawke, travel and retail areperforming well in terms of customer service.

当我们谈论演员或音乐家时，我们通常会想到"表演"这个词，但在商业意义上，"经营得好"或"经营得不好"意味着成功或失败。而且根据贾尔斯·霍克的说法，旅行业和零售业在客户服务方面经营良好。

Giles Hawkegoes on to talk about how people are actually making their complaints, but aremodern methods taking over from the traditional letter or phone call?

贾尔斯·霍克继续谈到人们实际上是如何投诉的，但是现代方法取代了传统的信件投诉或电话投诉吗？

We still see over58% of complaints are made by phone or by letter so, you know, the moretraditional methods of making a complaint are still dominant, but we areseeing social media rise, although it's still a very small part of how peoplecomplain, and it tends to be used as an escalation point if people aren'tgetting what they want dealt with in the first instance.

我们仍看到超过58%的投诉是电话投诉或信件投诉，你知道的，以更传统的方法进行投诉仍占主导地位，但我们看到社交媒体兴起，尽管仍是小部分的人以这种方式投诉，如果人们一开始没有得到想要的处理，它往往会被用作事件升级点。

So, are peopleusing modern methods more than traditional ones?

所以人们使用现代方法投诉比使用传统方法投诉多吗？

Actually, no.

事实上，不是。

He says thatphoning or writing a letter are still dominant.

他说，打电话或写信投诉仍占主导地位。

This means theyare still the main, most used methods for making a complaint.

这指的是它们仍然是主要的，最常用的投诉方法。

Where peopleare turning to social media is if their complaint is not dealt with.

人们转向社交媒体的原因是他们的投诉没有得到处理。

To deal withsomething means to sort it, to fix it – and if you complain and it's not dealtwith, then, he says, people turn to social media as a form of escalation.

解决某事指的是对它进行处理、修正——如果你投诉却没得到处理，那么人们就会转向社交媒体作为一种升级形式。

When youescalate a complaint, you take it to a higher level.

当你把投诉升级时，你会把它提升到一个更高的等级。

Putting yourcomplaint on social media means that a lot more people are going to see it andit might encourage a company to deal with the complaint.

把你的投诉放到社交媒体上意味着会有更多的人看到它，这可能会促进公司处理投诉。

Right, wellbefore we receive any complaints, let's review today's vocabulary after theanswer to the question which was about a 4000-year-old complaint.

好的，在我们收到任何投诉之前，让我们揭晓问题答案然后复习一下今天的词汇。那个问题是关于一个有4000年历史的投诉。

Was thecomplaint about: a) An incorrect number of goats that were delivered afterbeing bought at market. b) The quality of copper bars that were supplied, or c)The non-payment of a bill for a banquet.

投诉的内容是：a)在市场上买到的山羊数量不正确。b)所供应铜条的质量，还是c)没有支付宴会账单？

Rob, what didyou say?

你说是什么，罗伯？

I went for a).I went for the goats.

我选了a)。我选了山羊那个选项。

Sorry! It wasactually a complaint about the quality of copper ingots or bars that weresupplied.

很遗憾！它实际上是对所供应铜锭或铜条质量的投诉。

If you knewthat, very well done.

如果你知道的话，那你做得很好。

If you guessedright, also, very well done.

如果你猜对了，也很好。

No shame to getthat one wrong.

答错了也并不丢脸。

And nocomplaints from me!

我不会投诉的！

OK. Right, nowto vocabulary.

好的。现在词汇部分。

We had sectors,which are particular areas of business in the economy.

我们学了"行业"，这是经济中的特殊商业领域。

Something thatis inherent is a natural part of something.

固有的事物是事物的自然组成部分。

It's usuallyused to describe a problem or risk that is an unavoidable part of something.

它通常用来描述一个问题或风险是某事物不可避免的部分。

How successfula company is can be describe as how well it's performing.

一个公司的成功程度可以用它的经营情况来描述。

And ifsomething is dominant, it means it is the strongest or most used.

如果某物占主导地位，意思是它是最强的或使用最多的。

And if acompany doesn't deal with, or try to fix a problem, the customer might take thecomplaint to the next level on social media, which would mean an escalation.

如果一家公司不处理或试图解决一个问题，客户可能会在社交媒体上将投诉带到下一个等级，这意味着升级。

Thank you, Rob.That's all from 6 Minute English this time. Do join us again soon and don'tforget to check us out online.

谢谢你，罗伯。以上就是本期六分钟英语的全部内容。下次再加入我们，不要忘记在线查看我们的内容。

Bye bye!