Making a polite complaint at a service desk | Learn Japanese in English

Japanese lesson set in a contemporary Tokyo everyday setting: At a service desk, a customer politely complains about an unexplained delay after a confirmed appointment and asks for a proper response..

EN → JA / Level: B1

About This Lesson

Use Making a polite complaint at a service desk to practice Japanese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

昨日のサービスについて、苦情を申し立てたいのですが。

kee-NOH-noh SAH-bee-soo nee-TSOO-ee-teh, koo-JOH oh moo-shee-tah-teh-TAI noh-deh-soo gah. I would like to make a complaint about the service yesterday.
B

それは申し訳ありません。何があったか教えていただけますか。

soh-REH wah moo-shee-WAH-keh ah-ree-mah-SEN. nah-NEE gah AHT-tah kah oh-SHEH-teh ee-tah-dah-keh-MAH-soo kah? I am sorry to hear that. Could you tell me what happened?
A

予約が確定していたのに、その後長い間待ちました。

yoh-YAH-koo gah kah-koo-TEH shee-TEH-ee-tah no-nee, soh-noh-OH nah-GUY EYE-dah mah-chee-mah-SHEE-tah. I waited a long time after my confirmed appointment.
B

その遅れについては、その時に説明されるべきでした。

soh-noh oh-koh-REH nee-TSOO-ee-teh wah, soh-noh TOH-kee nee seh-tsoo-MAY sah-reh-roo BEH-kee deh-SHEE-tah. That delay should have been explained at the time.
A

遅れが起こることは理解していますが、誰も状況を知らせてくれませんでした。

oh-KOH-reh gah oh-KOH-roo koh-toh wah ree-KAI shee-TEH-ee-mah-soo gah, dah-REH-moh joh-KYOH oh shee-RAH-seh-teh koo-reh-mah-SEN deh-SHEE-tah. I understand delays happen, but nobody gave me an update.
B

お待ちの間、私たちはお客様に状況をお知らせすべきでした。

oh-MAH-chee noh EYE-dah, wah-TAH-shee-tah-chee wah oh-kyah-koo-sah-mah nee joh-KYOH oh oh-SHEH-rah-seh soo-BEH-kee deh-SHEE-tah. We should have kept you informed while you waited.
A

難しいことを言うつもりはありませんが、もっとよいサービスを期待していました。

mah-ZOO-kah-shee koh-toh oh EE-oo tsoo-MOH-ree wah ah-ree-mah-SEN gah, moht-toh YOH-ee SAH-bee-soo oh ehk-TAI shee-TEH-ee-mah-SHEE-tah. I am not trying to be difficult, but I expected better service.
B

マネージャーに書面で回答するよう頼みます。

mah-NEH-jah nee SHOH-men deh KAI-toh soo-roo yoh tah-noh-MAH-soo. I will ask the manager to respond in writing.
A

それなら助かります。私はただ、その問題に適切に対応してほしいだけです。

soh-REH nah-rah tah-soo-kah-ree-MAH-soo. wah-TAH-shee wah tah-DAH, soh-noh MOHN-dai nee teh-kee-SEH-tsoo nee tai-OH shee-TEH hoh-SHEE dah-keh deh-soo. That would help. I just want the issue handled properly.
B

私がマネージャーと話している間、ここでお待ちください。

wah-TAH-shee gah mah-NEH-jah toh hah-NAH-shee-teh ee-roo ah-EYE-dah, KOH-koh deh oh-MAH-chee koo-DAH-sai. Please wait here while I speak with the manager.

Word by Word

昨日 昨日 means “yesterday” here and identifies when the service took place. It is used before の to connect a time reference to a noun.
の の links 昨日 to サービス, giving the meaning “yesterday’s service.” It commonly connects one noun or noun-like phrase to another.
サービス サービス means “service” here, referring to the service the customer received. It is useful when discussing the quality or problems of a service.
について について means “about” or “regarding” and introduces the subject of the complaint. In this construction, に marks the relation to the topic and ついて completes the expression; it can follow a noun when stating what someone will discuss.
苦情 苦情 means “complaint” here and is the matter being formally made. It is suitable for customer-service or other formal situations involving dissatisfaction.
を を marks 苦情 as the object of 申し立て. It commonly appears after the thing that an action directly concerns.
申し立て 申し立て means “make or file a complaint” here, in the form used before たい. It is the form from 申し立てる used to express the speaker’s wish to make a formal complaint.
たい たい expresses the speaker’s desire to carry out the preceding action, so 申し立てたい means “want to make a complaint.” It is attached after a verb stem to state what the speaker wants to do.
です です gives the sentence a polite ending in 申し立てたいのですが. The desire is expressed by たい, while this ending helps present the complaint politely before continuing.
が が means “but” in 申し立てたいのですが and softens the opening before the speaker states the complaint. It can follow a preliminary statement when the speaker is about to make a request or explain a concern.
それ それ means “that” and refers here to the complaint or situation just mentioned. It is used to point back to something already known in the conversation.
は は marks それ as the topic in それは申し訳ありません. It presents the matter being addressed before the apology.
申し訳ありません 申し訳ありません is a polite apology meaning “I am sorry” in this service interaction. 申し訳 expresses the apology or excuse, and ありません completes the fixed polite expression; together they acknowledge the customer’s problem.
何 何 means “what” in 何があったか and asks which event occurred. It is used before a particle when asking about an unspecified thing or event.
あった あった means “happened” or “occurred” in 何があったか. It is the past form of ある, referring to the event that took place.
か か marks 何があったか as an embedded question. It is used after a question clause when that clause is part of a polite request such as 教えていただけますか.
教えて 教えて means “tell” or “explain” here and asks the listener to provide information. It is the te-form of 教える, used before the polite request helper いただけます.
いただけます いただけます helps form the polite request 教えていただけますか, meaning “could you please tell me.” It follows a te-form when asking someone to do something as a courteous favor.
予約 予約 means “appointment” or “reservation” here. It is the thing whose confirmed status is described by 確定していた.
確定して 確定して means “being confirmed” in 確定していた, describing the appointment’s confirmed state. It is the te-form of 確定する and connects that state to いた.
いた いた shows that the confirmed state had already existed at the relevant past time. It is the past form of いる used after 確定して to describe a prior continuing state.
のに のに means “although” or “even though” and contrasts the confirmed appointment with the long wait. の presents the preceding clause as a fact, and に completes the concessive relationship; this construction introduces an unexpected result.
その その means “that particular” and points to the period connected with the appointment. It comes before 後 to identify the specific time afterward.
後 後 means “after” or “afterward” in その後. It refers to the time following the appointment or event just mentioned.
長い 長い means “long” here and describes the duration in 長い間. It is placed before a noun when describing its length or duration.
間 間 means a period or length of time in 長い間, giving “for a long time.” It follows a duration description to identify the span during which something happens.
待ちました 待ちました means “waited” here and reports the customer’s completed wait politely. It is the polite past form of 待つ and can be used with a stated period such as 長い間.
遅れ 遅れ means “delay” here and names the problem that should have been explained. It is a formal noun useful when discussing a delay in a service or schedule.
時 時 means “time” in その時に, referring to the time when the delay occurred. It is commonly followed by に when identifying a point in time.
に に marks 時 as the time at which the explanation should have been given. Here it indicates a specific time point rather than a destination.
説明 説明 means “explanation” here and is the action that should have been provided about the delay. It is used in formal discussions when information or reasons need to be given.
される される means “be explained” in 説明される. It is the passive form of する, showing that the explanation should have been given to the customer.
べき べき expresses what should or ought to happen, so されるべき means “should be explained.” It follows a verb form to state an expected duty or proper action.
でした でした gives the polite past ending in べきでした, meaning that the action should have happened in the past. It is the polite past form of です used with this expectation.
起こる 起こる means “happen” or “occur” here, referring to delays as events that can take place. It is in the plain form before こと and can describe an event or situation.
こと こと turns 起こる into a noun-like idea, so 遅れが起こること means “the fact that delays happen.” It is used after a clause when referring to that event or fact as a whole.
理解して 理解して means “understand” here and connects to います in 理解しています. It is the te-form of 理解する and presents understanding as an ongoing state.
います います shows the ongoing state in 理解しています, giving “I understand” in a polite form. It follows a te-form when describing a continuing condition or state.
誰 誰 means “who” here, but with も and the negative verb it contributes to the meaning “nobody.” It is used when the person responsible for an action is unspecified.
も も means “also” in many contexts, but with 誰 and a negative expression it means that not even one person did the action. Here 誰も知らせてくれませんでした means “nobody informed me.”
状況 状況 means “situation” or “status” here and is the information the customer expected to receive. It is useful when giving an update about an ongoing problem or delay.
知らせて 知らせて means “inform” or “let someone know” here and connects to くれませんでした. It is the te-form of 知らせる, used before a helper that describes who benefits from the action.
くれませんでした くれませんでした means that someone did not perform the preceding action for the speaker, so 知らせてくれませんでした means “did not inform me.” It is the polite negative past form of くれる used after a te-form when describing an action someone was expected to do for the speaker.
お待ち お待ち refers respectfully to the customer’s waiting in お待ちの間. The polite form helps maintain formal service language when addressing or referring to a customer.
私たち 私たち means “we” or “us” here and identifies the service staff as responsible for keeping the customer informed. It is used to refer to the speaker’s group.
お客様 お客様 means “customer” or “guest” in a respectful service expression. Here it refers politely to the person who was waiting.
お知らせ お知らせ means “inform” or “notify” here in a respectful service expression. The form is used before すべき to state that informing the customer was an expected responsibility.
すべき すべき means “should” or “ought to” in お知らせすべきでした, describing an action that should have been done. It follows the verb form for the expected action and is useful when discussing duties or proper service.
難しい 難しい means “difficult” here, but in 難しいことを言う it refers to saying something difficult or demanding. It comes before こと to describe the kind of thing the speaker says.
言う 言う means “say” in 言うつもり and refers to expressing a complaint or demand. It is in the plain form before つもり to describe the intended action.
つもり つもり means “intention” in 言うつもりはありません, so the speaker says they do not intend to be difficult. It commonly follows a verb form to describe what someone plans or intends to do.
ありません ありません means “do not have” or “is not” here and negates the intention in つもりはありません. It is the polite negative form of ある and is used here to say that such an intention does not exist.
もっと もっと means “more” here and increases the degree of よい in もっとよいサービス, meaning better service. It is placed before the word whose degree is being increased.
よい よい means “good” here and, with もっと, describes service that should have been better. It comes before サービス to describe its quality.
期待して 期待して means “expect” here and connects to いました in 期待していました. It is the te-form of 期待する and presents the expectation as a state held at that time.
いました いました shows that the expectation existed in the past, giving 期待していました the meaning “I expected.” It is the polite past form of いる used after a te-form to describe a past state.
マネージャー マネージャー means “manager” here, the person who is asked to respond in writing. It is a useful service-work term for the person responsible for handling an issue.
書面 書面 means “written form” or “writing” here and identifies the requested form of the manager’s response. It is used when a response or record should be provided in writing.
で で marks 書面 as the means or format of the response in 書面で回答する. It can follow a method or medium used to carry out an action.
回答する 回答する means “respond” or “give an answer” here, especially to a complaint or request. It is in the plain form before よう in the request directed to the manager.
よう よう helps form 回答するよう頼みます, meaning “ask [someone] to respond.” It follows the requested action and connects that action to a verb of asking or requesting.
頼みます 頼みます means “ask” or “request” here and describes the staff member’s promise to make a request to the manager. It is the polite form of 頼む and can be used with a person marked by に and an action marked by よう.
なら なら means “if so” or “in that case” here, referring to the proposed written response. It is used when reacting to a situation or option that has just been mentioned.
助かります 助かります means “that would help” or “I would appreciate that” here. It is a polite way to express that the proposed action would be useful, especially after someone offers help.
私 私 means “I” or “me” here and identifies the customer as the person making the request. It is used as the topic in 私は before stating the customer’s desired outcome.
ただ ただ means “just” or “simply” here and limits the customer’s demand to proper handling of the issue. It is useful when emphasizing that a request is modest or specific.
問題 問題 means “problem” or “issue” here and refers to the delay and lack of information. It is the matter that the speaker wants handled properly.
適切 適切 means “proper” or “appropriate” here, and 適切に describes the manner of handling the issue. It is useful when stating that an action should be carried out correctly or suitably.
対応して 対応して means “handle” or “deal with” here and is followed by ほしい to express the desired action. It is the te-form of 対応する and is used after the issue being handled.
ほしい ほしい means that the speaker wants someone else to carry out the preceding action, so 対応してほしい means “want [someone] to handle it.” It follows a te-form when expressing a request or desired action by another person.
だけ だけ means “only” or “just” here and limits the request to having the issue handled properly. It can follow a word or phrase to show that the stated matter is the full extent of the request.
と と means “with” in マネージャーと話している and marks the person the speaker is talking with. It is placed between the participants in an action done together.
話して 話して means “speak” or “talk” here and connects to いる in 話している. It is the te-form of 話す and describes the ongoing conversation with the manager.
いる いる shows that the speaking is in progress in 話している, meaning “while I am speaking.” It follows a te-form to describe an ongoing action.
ここ ここ means “here” and identifies the place where the customer is asked to wait. It is used to point to the speaker’s current location.
お待ちください お待ちください is a polite request meaning “please wait.” お待ち gives the waiting expression a respectful service tone, and ください asks the listener to carry out that action; together they form the complete request.

Grammar Points

〜のに

予約が確定していたのに

yoh-YAH-koo gah kah-koo-TEH shee-TEH-ee-tah no-nee

Even though the appointment had been confirmed.

のに connects a fact with an unexpected or contrasting result: “even though…”

〜べきでした

説明されるべきでした

seh-tsoo-MAY sah-reh-roo BEH-kee deh-SHEE-tah

It should have been explained.

べきでした expresses that something was expected or ought to have happened, but did not.

Japanese Vocabulary

サービス noun
SAH-bee-soo service
その時に phrase
soh-noh TOH-kee nee at the time
何があったか phrase
nah-NEE gah AHT-tah kah what happened
教えていただけますか phrase
oh-SHEH-teh ee-tah-dah-keh-MAH-soo kah could you tell me
苦情を申し立てたいのですが phrase
koo-JOH oh moo-shee-tah-teh-TAI noh-deh-soo gah I would like to make a complaint
昨日 noun
kee-NOH yesterday
状況 noun
joh-KYOH situation; update
申し訳ありません phrase
moo-shee-WAH-keh ah-ree-mah-SEN I am sorry
説明されるべきでした phrase
seh-tsoo-MAY sah-reh-roo BEH-kee deh-SHEE-tah should have been explained
遅れ noun
oh-koh-REH delay
長い間 phrase
nah-GUY EYE-dah for a long time
予約が確定していたのに phrase
yoh-YAH-koo gah kah-koo-TEH shee-TEH-ee-tah no-nee even though the appointment had been confirmed

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

what happened

Show Answer何があったか

even though the appointment had been confirmed

Show Answer予約が確定していたのに

service

Show Answerサービス

I am sorry

Show Answer申し訳ありません