In the Production Ecrite section of your DELF A2 or B1 exam, you might be asked to write a letter of complaint in french in regards to a defective/ faulty product or poor services. In this Guide we will be looking a how to write a letter of complaint in regards to a defective/faulty product.
This is part of our series Guide on the Production Ecrite of your DELF Exam.This guide is useful for any french exam that follows the CEFR scale of languages, such as the DELF, TCF, TEF. You might also find useful:
(1) Guide to writing a post card in french about your vacation
(2) Guide to filling out a form in French
(3) Guide to writing a letter accepting an invitation in french
You will need to know:
- The vocabulary that relates to products and services also the ability to describe such products and services.
- How to complain and describe a problem.
- How to show the result that you would like.
How to plan your letter
If it is to write a letter of complain in french about a damage product, here are a few things to remember when your are organising your letter:
- 1. What is your address?
- 2. Who are you writing to? ( Always remember to write the name of company and to write the correct greetings)
- 3. Where and When did you write this letter?
- 4. What is the aim of your letter? ( Always show at the top of the letter the aim or subject of your letter)
- 5. When did you place your order?
- 6. What did you buy? (Give a description if necessary and if word count allows it)
- 7. When did you get your order?
- 8. How was it delivered?
- 9. What was the problem when you got it? (Give details were possible and the word count allows it)
- 10. What kind of action would you like the receiver of the letter to take? Do you want a refund? Do you want to exchange the product?
- 11. Remember to politely close the letter.
- 12. Remember your signature
Sample Situation and Letter of complaint in french for DELF exam
Vous avez réceptionné une commande faite par un livreur autre que La Poste et constatez que les marchandises sont endommagées alors que le colis semblait intact. Vous envoyez une lettre de réclamation à la société auprès de laquelle vous avez passé commande afin de trouver réparation.
Nom et prénom
Adresse
Ville Nom du vendeur (de la société)
Adresse
Ville A … (lieu), le …/…/… Objet : réclamation pour livraison d’une marchandise endommagée
Référence : (n° de la commande…) Je vous ai passé commande le _____ [Indicate when you made the purchase] de _________ [Indicate what you bought] au prix de … euros. Je reçois ________ [say when you got it] la livraison de ma commande. Livraison étant effectuée par ________ [ say how was the product delivered]. Je n’ai alors rien remarqué d’anormal sur l’aspect extérieur du colis qui semblait intact. Toutefois, une fois ouvert, j’ai constaté que la marchandise était endommagée car _______ [give the details on what is the problem with the product]. En tout état de cause, les biens que je vous ai achetés étant inutilisables, je vous demande de bien vouloir procéder à un échange afin de respecter les termes du contrat de vente que nous avons conclu pour cette transaction. Dans l’attente de votre réponse, je vous prie d’agréer, Madame, / Monsieur, l’expression de nos salutations distinguées. Signature PJ : copie du bon de commande n°… en date du …