In this fast paced competitive world, everyone is in hurry. If we don’t get what we need within a time frame, we lose our temper and provide negative feedback/ complaint to the concerned person. One might have surely experienced this situation either in a shop, restaurant, or a hotel. It is always advisable to respond and handle the situation in a polite way. One must use polite language with decent words to communicate in such situations. This always gives back what we want. While complaining about certain thing one should always start the conversation with the words like “Excuse Me” and “Sorry”, as this grabs the listener’s attention and it becomes easy for both of them to find a solution.



The following  expressions could be used when we are about to complain:

1. I am sorry to say this…

When an employee doesn’t perform well, the manager provides the feedback using this phrase.
E.g. I am sorry to say this, but your performance level is not upto the mark.

2. Excuse me, but there is a problem about…

This phrase is used to explain a situation, where you buy something and you receive something different than the original.
E.g. Excuse me, but there is a problem in this shirt. I had ordered a medium size but the one  I received was the small size.

3. I want to complain about… / I have a complaint to make…

We use this phrase to complain about a specific issue.
E.g. I want to make a complaint about the excessive charges in last month’s electricity bill.

4. I am sorry to bother you…

This phrase can be used when you are taking someone’s time and efforts to solve a query or doubt.
E.g. I am sorry to bother you, but can you please help me out with this query.

5. I understand, it’s not your fault.

The phrase can be especially used in a restaurant with a waiter when you are served with a wrong dish or a frozen food. As the waiter doesn’t cook the food we can use the phrase and complain politely without hurting him.
E.g. I understand, it’s not your fault, but kindly serve us fresh food.

Hope the above phrases will be helpful to you in situations where you have to complain politely. This will help you in improving English communication skills.

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