Respond to situation — damaged delivery

Every situation on this page is a complaint about a product that arrived damaged. Respond politely and clearly. Include:

1) A short introduction saying who you are and why you are contacting them.
2) The key details — what you ordered, when it arrived, and exactly what is wrong with it.
3) A clear action you want — a replacement, a refund, a repair, or a collection — and by when.
4) A polite closing showing appreciation or willingness to cooperate.

How to practise

Press Start. The situation is read aloud once by the built-in voice. After it finishes, you have 10 seconds to get ready — then a beep signals your 40-second response window. Use speech-to-text or type your answer. Press Repeat prompt to redo the same situation, or Next to move on. Change the voice and speed under Listening settings.

Situation: 1 / 6

Situation

Listen to the prompt, then respond using the structure above.

Press Start to hear the situation.

00:00

Your answer

Type here, or use the microphone button for speech-to-text (Chrome / Edge).

Self-check

After responding, tick each element you included.

Did your complaint cover all four required elements?

✓

IntroductionDid you say who you are and why you are contacting them — the order, the delivery, the purchase?

✓

The damageDid you describe exactly what is wrong — cracked, dented, scratched, leaking, not working?

✓

What you wantDid you ask for a specific outcome — replacement, refund, repair, collection — and give a timeframe?

✓

Polite closingDid you stay calm and close politely — offering photos, a receipt, or thanks for their help?

0 / 4

Useful language for complaining

Firm but polite — the tone examiners expect.

Opening

I'm calling about an order I received yesterday…
I'm afraid I've had a problem with a delivery.
My name is …, and my order number is …

Describing the damage

Unfortunately, when I opened the box, the … was cracked.
There's a deep scratch / a dent along one side.
The packaging was torn and the item wasn't protected.
It doesn't switch on at all.

Asking for action

I'd like to request a replacement, if possible.
I'd prefer a full refund rather than an exchange.
Could you arrange for it to be collected?
Would you be able to sort this out before Friday?

Staying polite

I understand this probably happened in transit.
I'm happy to send photos if that helps.
Thanks very much for looking into this.
I'd really appreciate your help with it.

Template

Use as a starting point if you get stuck.

Shortcut: Ctrl + Enter inserts the template.