I work at a small electronics store in the city center. Today was a normal Tuesday morning. I arrived at work at nine o'clock and opened the store. My colleague Sarah was already there, organizing the shelves. 'Good morning!' she said with a smile. The first few hours were quiet. A few customers came in to look at phones and laptops. Then, around eleven o'clock, a man walked into the store. He was wearing a gray suit and looked very serious. He walked directly to the counter where I was standing. 'I need to return this tablet,' he said loudly. He placed a box on the counter with force. 'Of course, sir. May I see your receipt?' I asked politely. 'I don't have the receipt. I lost it,' he replied angrily. I took a deep breath and stayed calm. 'I understand. When did you buy the tablet?' I asked. 'About three months ago. Maybe four. I don't remember exactly,' he said. I opened the box and looked at the tablet. The screen had a large crack in the corner. 'Sir, the screen is broken. What happened?' I asked carefully. 'It was already broken when I bought it!' he shouted. Sarah looked at me from across the store with worried eyes. 'Sir, I need to check our system for your purchase,' I said. I typed the tablet's serial number into the computer. The information appeared on the screen. The tablet was bought five months ago, not three. Our return policy is thirty days. 'Sir, I found your purchase in our system,' I explained. 'The tablet was purchased five months ago, and our return period is thirty days.' The man's face became red with anger. 'This is ridiculous! I want to speak to your manager!' he demanded. 'Of course, sir. Please wait a moment,' I said. I went to the back of the store to find Mr. Thomas, our manager. He was in his office, working on some papers. 'Mr. Thomas, there is a difficult customer at the front,' I said. I explained the situation to him quickly. Mr. Thomas nodded and stood up from his chair. 'Let me handle this,' he said calmly. We walked back to the counter together. The customer was tapping his fingers impatiently on the counter. 'Good morning, sir. I'm the store manager. How can I help you?' Mr. Thomas asked. The customer repeated his story, this time even louder. Mr. Thomas listened patiently without interrupting. 'I understand your frustration, sir,' Mr. Thomas said. 'However, our records show the purchase was made five months ago.' 'Also, the screen damage appears to be from a drop, not a factory defect.' The customer started to protest, but Mr. Thomas raised his hand. 'Let me finish, please. I want to help you,' he said. 'Although we cannot accept a return, we can offer you a discount on a repair.' 'We have a repair service that can fix the screen for half the usual price.' The customer looked surprised by this offer. He was quiet for a moment, thinking about it. 'How much would the repair cost?' he asked, much calmer now. 'Normally it is one hundred euros, but with the discount, only fifty,' Mr. Thomas explained. The customer sighed and nodded slowly. 'Fine. I'll take the repair,' he said. Mr. Thomas smiled and filled out the repair form. 'The tablet will be ready in three days. We will call you,' he said. The customer left the store without saying goodbye. Sarah walked over to us with a relieved expression. 'That was intense! You handled it very well,' she said to Mr. Thomas. Mr. Thomas laughed and shook his head. 'Difficult customers are part of the job. The key is to stay calm,' he said. 'And always try to find a solution that works for everyone.' I learned an important lesson that day about customer service. Being patient and finding solutions is better than arguing. Three days later, the customer came back to pick up his tablet. The screen looked perfect, like new. 'Thank you,' he said quietly as he paid. It was not a big apology, but it was enough. I smiled and gave him his tablet in a bag. 'Have a good day, sir,' I said. This time, he smiled back before leaving the store.
English Story (A2)The Difficult Customer
This A2 English story is designed for elementarys learning English. It includes simple vocabulary and short sentences to help you improve your reading and listening skills. Click any word to see translations and hear pronunciation.
About this story
A shop employee deals with an angry customer who wants to return a broken tablet without a receipt. The customer claims the screen was already cracked when he bought it, but records show the purchase was made five months ago, beyond the thirty-day return policy. The store manager offers a discounted repair instead, and the customer agrees. Three days later, he returns for the fixed tablet and finally shows some gratitude.
Translations in English
Linked wordUnderlined wordOther words
Comprehension Questions
4 questions
1
What was wrong with the tablet the customer wanted to return?
2
How long ago did the customer actually buy the tablet?
3
What solution did the manager offer to the customer?
4
What did the customer do when he came back to pick up the tablet?
Vocabulary
30 words from this story
