#160: Complain in writing or in person?

[incinka]

Hello,

 

this is the first essay with (at least I hope so) acceptable structure I was able to write in 30 minutes. If someone could judge it, it would help me a lot. (I need eventually a 5.0)

 

TOEFL Topic #160: “When people need to complain about a product or poor service, some prefer to complain in writing and others prefer to complain in person. Which way do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.”

 

Almost every adult person has yet made the experience that he was disappointed about the quality of a product he bought before. Sometimes, it is worth to complain either by writing a letter or by going to the responsible person and complaining face-to-face. I personally prefer the first possibility because I’m not so quick at repartee, I have more time if I can write and in addition, for the other side it’s not so easy to ignore a written paper than a personal speech.

 

Unfortunately, I’m a person who needs a little bit of time to find the best expression in language. I’m always a little bit worried if I have to complain to someone in person because this person might be used to hear complaints of disappointed customers and might have invented some kind of useful rhetorical counter-strategies. As I am rather a cautious person for not to say a little bit cowardly I wouldn’t prefer this option.

 

Moreover, if I can write a letter I have plenty of time to find the best fitting expressions and emphasize on the clearness and readability of my letter. I’m able to consider deeply whether this case is serious enough to threat with an advocate in order to take legal steps. And sometimes I can also add a little bit of irony in order to make clear that the quality of the service or product I’m complaining about isn’t tolerable.

 

Furthermore, I have also the impression that while a spoken complain can easily be ignored, a written letter is considered more important. I can be sure, that those who are responsible for the unsatisfying product will be addressed, which isn’t true if I complain in person. And unless the company in question doesn’t throw away my letter it will remain there for a longer time than an oral complaint. Therefore I’m sure that any written piece of paper will have a greater impact.

 

All in all, at least for me, the advantages of address a complaint orally are so overwhelming that I can’t imagine a situation where I wouldn’t do so. This technique is not only more appropiate but also more effective.

 

Many thanks in advance!

incinka.