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Talking about complaining

Episode 260904 / 04 Sep 2026

(Photo: Getty)

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Introduction

Georgie and Neil have a real conversation in easy English about complaining – what we do when we are not happy about something. Learn how to talk about whether you might be entitled to a discount, and find out why some hotel reviews have got Neil worried...

Vocabulary

complain
say or write that something is wrong or not good enough

complaint
written or spoken words about something being wrong or unsatisfactory

discount
money taken off the full price of something

entitled
feeling allowed or permitted to do something

reviews
written posts or articles about what someone thinks about a place, event or item

More about feelings

Transcript

Georgie
Hi Neil. How are you doing?
 
Neil
I'm very well, thank you Georgie. How are you?
 
Georgie
I'm very well too. Neil, in this episode of Real Easy English we're talking about complaining – that is when you say something is wrong, or you have a problem and you want to tell someone about it.
 
Neil
Yes. And people should remember that they can get a free worksheet for this podcast at bbclearningenglish.com.
 
Georgie
I know that you have a recent experience with this, don't you?
 
Neil
Ah yes. Yeah, I booked somewhere to stay on a trip and the reviews were all really good. And then when I checked again, the reviews were all really bad.
 
Georgie
Oh no! What were they about?
 
Neil
They said the place was dirty and things were broken.
 
Georgie
Oh no. What did you do? Have you been yet?
 
Neil
Not yet. No.

Georgie
So, what did you do?
 
Neil
I wrote to them. I sent them an email to say I was worried. And I asked them to assure me that the place would be clean and working properly.
 
Georgie
OK. And did you get a response?
 
Neil
I did, but I really hated the whole process.
 
Georgie
Oh no! Why?
 
Neil
Because I don't like complaining.
 
Georgie
No, neither do I. I'm not very good at it. I don't like to make people feel bad. Even if there is a problem, and I've paid for something and it should be a certain way, but it's not and I'm entitled to complain, I still don't like it. I just feel... yeah, I feel embarrassed about it.
 
Neil
Yeah, it's not an easy thing to do, I think.
 
Georgie
I think I'm getting better with age. I think I'm getting braver. I had an experience a couple of weeks ago. Because I am subscribed to a food delivery service, I get a box of food every week, and the last two weeks the delivery has been very late and I'm not happy about it. And so, I found the courage – found the bravery to call up the customer service and complain. And I was very strong. And I asked for money – a discount on the next order.
 
Neil
Wow, that sounds very well done. I think when you do complain, sometimes you feel bad about it. But if it works out well, like with you and hopefully with my accommodation...
 
Georgie
Yes.
 
Neil
...afterwards you feel really good.
 
Georgie
Yes.
 
Neil
Because you did what was right.
 
Georgie
Yeah. If you've paid for something, I think you can expect it to be what you paid for. So, if it isn't, I think you're allowed to... you're allowed to complain. But there is a nice way to do it, isn't there?
 
Neil
There is, yeah. Be polite. Don't be personal. It's not often... The person you are complaining to is often not the person responsible for the mistake or whatever.
 
Georgie
Yeah.
 
Neil
So, I think if you are respectful and polite but you know what you want.
 
Georgie
So Neil, you and I find complaining quite stressful so we don't do it very often. But do you know anyone that complains all the time?
 
Neil
Oh yeah. Some people seem to love complaining and they complain about things that I would not complain about.
 
Georgie
Yeah, I've been in restaurants with groups of people where there's been someone that has complained about something that is really embarrassing, and you just think this is not a real, big issue. Has that ever happened to you?
 
Neil
Yeah, the same thing. I've been having a meal with some friends and one of the people I was with – he used to be a waiter, and he had a very clear idea about how waiters should behave. And he didn't like something and he complained about it, and nobody else really understood what he was talking about or why he was complaining. And it was embarrassing.
 
Georgie
Did he complain to the waiter?
 
Neil
Yeah, but so everyone could hear.
 
Georgie
Oh no. And how did the waiter respond?
 
Neil
I don't think he liked it very much.
 
Georgie
Well, I used to work in restaurants. I've also worked in customer service, but in restaurants, if people have a reason to complain, of course I'm going to try to fix it. But it also depends how they say it. If they're very rude, as a waitress you don't really want to help them. But if they're polite and they have a reason to complain, of course I'll try to fix their problems. OK. Neil, it's time to recap the vocabulary we used in this conversation. We used the verb complain, which is when you say something is wrong or not good enough. And we also heard the noun complaint.
 
Neil
We did. And you make a complaint, don't you?
 
Georgie
Yes. We also heard discount, which is when you don't pay the full price of something.
 
Neil
You also said that people are entitled to something, and it means that that is something they should get if they paid for it.
 
Georgie
And Neil, you said you were worried about the reviews of the accommodation for your trip, which is when people write what they think about the place.
 
Neil
That's it then, Georgie, isn't it? But join us again, another time for more Real Easy English.
 
Georgie
Don't forget, there's a free worksheet on the website. Goodbye for now.
 
Neil
Goodbye.
 

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