STANDING UP FOR CUSTOMER'S RIGHTS
DEFENDRE LES DROITS DES CONSOMMATEURS
Exercice 1
Commencer par écouter la leçon en entier
Exercice 4
Traduire la structure du texte en anglais
Bonjour, Angela, le facteur nous a, accidentellement, donné ton courrier, tiens… !
- 44Page 2
Exercice 2
Lire le texte à voix haute
STANDING UP FOR CUSTOMER'S RIGHTS
P: Hello, Angela, the postman delivered some of your mail to us by accident; here you are!
A: Oh, thanks Paul! Would you like to come in for a cup of tea? I've just made a pot.
P: I'd love one. What's the matter? You look a bit stressed out.
A: Yeah, I've actually just had a huge argument with a repairman.
P: What about?
A: Well, I’ll start at the beginning. When David and I moved back from Africa last year and decided to settle down here for good, we had to buy a lot of things for the house.
P: Did you leave all your furniture and things in Africa then?
A: Yes, it wasn't worth bringing the bulky things back with us. They would have been so expensive to transport that we thought we'd start again when we got back.
P: Yes of course, but what has that got to do with your argument with the repairman.
A: I'm just coming to that. We had to buy all sorts of household appliances: a fridge, cooker, washing machine, tumble dryer, dishwasher… that sort of thing. Not to mention the tv and computer.
P: Yes.
A: Anyway, every week one of them goes wrong or breaks down altogether. I've called out the repairman five times in the past month! The last three times we've disagreed about the bill, and this morning we had a massive argument.
P: But surely all those appliances are still under guarantee? You only bought them a few months ago.
A: I know, but that's just the problem. We got most of them in one of those discount stores which are so much cheaper. Now we've discovered why their prices are so low. They don't offer any after-sales service. We might as well have bought them second hand online.
P: I see, that’s such a pain. But you know, they're obliged by law to guarantee the goods for a certain period. All shops are liable for faulty goods. You should go and see a consumer protection association. I'll give you the details. We've used them several times and they were a real help. Sometimes all they needed to do was to phone the store in question and the problem was resolved.
A: That's a good idea. We were getting so frustrated that we were even thinking about going to see a solicitor, but the price put us off.
P: That's right. You have to be firm with shopkeepers. Make sure you know your rights and stand up for them! A few weeks ago, my sister bought a pair of shoes from a very expensive shop, and they fell apart the first time she wore them. She went back to the shop and asked them to exchange them for a new pair. They refused to listen to her.
A: So what did she do?
P: She sat on the counter and refused to move until they refunded her money. The shopkeeper soon realised that having my sister sitting on the counter shouting was not a good advertisement for the shop! All the customers who came in got a very bad impression. He soon gave her her money back.
A: Wow, yes. You’ve got to have the courage, and sometimes the cheek, to assert your rights.
P: Exactly. Now, did you say something about a cup of tea? My mouth's getting dry with all this talking.
A: I get the hint. I'll pour it out.
Exercice 3
Traduire le vocabulaire en anglais
Le facteur
- 55Page 2
Exercice 5
Traduire le texte complet en anglais
DEFENDRE LES DROITS DES CONSOMMATEURS
P : Bonjour, Angela, le facteur nous a, accidentellement, donné ton courrier, tiens… !
A : Oh Merci Paul ! Tu veux rentrer boire un thé ? Je viens d’en faire.
P : Oui avec grand plaisir. Qu’est-ce qu’il se passe ? Tu as l’air stressé.
A : Oui, en fait je viens juste de me disputer avec un réparateur.
P : A quel propos ?
A : Eh bien, je vais commencer par le début. Quand David et moi sommes revenus d’Afrique l’année dernière et que nous avons décidé de nous installer ici pour de bon, nous avons du acheter beaucoup de choses pour la maison.
P : Vous avez laissé tous vos meubles et affaires en Afrique alors ?
A : Oui, ça ne valait pas la peine de ramener les gros objets avec nous. Cela aurait coûté trop cher à transporter donc on a pensé que ce serait mieux de recommencer à notre retour.
P : Oui bien sûr, mais qu’est-ce que cela a à voir avec ta dispute avec le réparateur ?
A : J’y viens. Nous avons dû acheter toute sorte d’appareils ménagers : un frigo, une cuisinière, un lave-linge, un sèche-linge, un lave-vaisselle… Ce genre de choses. Sans parler de la télé et de l’ordinateur.
P : Oui
A : Bref, toutes les semaines il y en a un qui ne fonctionne pas bien ou qui tombe carrément en panne. J’ai contacté le réparateur cinq fois le mois dernier ! Les trois dernières fois, nous n’étions pas d’accord sur la facture, et ce matin nous avons eu une grosse dispute.
P : Mais je suppose que tous ces appareils sont encore sous garantie ? Tu les as achetés il y a à peine quelques mois !
A : Je sais mais c’est bien ça le problème. La plupart d’entre eux, on les a achetés dans un de ces magasins discount qui sont beaucoup moins chers. Maintenant on sait pourquoi leurs prix sont si bas ! Ils ne proposent aucun service après-vente. On aurait aussi bien fait de les acheter d’occasion en ligne.
P : Je vois, ça s’est ennuyeux ! Mais tu sais, ils sont obligés, légalement, de garantir la marchandise pour un certain temps. Tous les magasins sont responsables de leurs produits défectueux. Tu devrais aller voir une association de protection des consommateurs. Je te donnerai leurs coordonnées. Nous avons fait appel à eux plusieurs fois et ils nous ont bien aidés. Parfois tout ce qu’ils ont dû faire c’est appeler le magasin en question et le problème était résolu.
A : C’est une bonne idée. On est tellement contrariés qu’on a même pensé à aller voir un avocat mais c’est le prix qui nous en a dissuadés.
P : C’est vrai. Il faut être ferme avec les commerçants. Il faut attention de bien connaître ses droits et de ne pas se laisser faire ! Il y a quelques semaines, ma sœur a acheté une paire de chaussures dans un magasin très cher, et elles sont tombées en morceaux la première fois qu’elle les a mises. Elle est retournée au magasin et leur a demandé de les échanger contre une nouvelle paire. Ils ont refusé de l’écouter.
A : Et alors qu’est-ce qu’elle a fait ?
P : Elle s’est assise sur le comptoir et a refusé de bouger jusqu’à ce qu’ils la remboursent. Le commerçant a vite compris que laisser ma sœur assise sur le comptoir crier, n’était pas une bonne publicité pour son magasin ! Tous les clients qui étaient entrés ont eu une très mauvaise impression. Il l’a vite remboursé.
A : Ah oui… Il faut avoir le courage, et parfois le culot, de faire valoir ses droits.
P : Exactement. Et maintenant, tu m’avais bien parlé d’une tasse de thé ? Ma bouche est toute sèche à force de parler.
A : J’ai bien compris l’allusion. Je vais le servir.
STANDING UP FOR CUSTOMER'S RIGHTS
P: Hello, Angela, the postman delivered some of your mail to us by accident; here you are!
A: Oh, thanks Paul! Would you like to come in for a cup of tea? I've just made a pot.
P: I'd love one. What's the matter? You look a bit stressed out.
A: Yeah, I've actually just had a huge argument with a repairman.
P: What about?
A: Well, I’ll start at the beginning. When David and I moved back from Africa last year and decided to settle down here for good, we had to buy a lot of things for the house.
P: Did you leave all your furniture and things in Africa then?
A: Yes, it wasn't worth bringing the bulky things back with us. They would have been so expensive to transport that we thought we'd start again when we got back.
P: Yes of course, but what has that got to do with your argument with the repairman.
A: I'm just coming to that. We had to buy all sorts of household appliances: a fridge, cooker, washing machine, tumble dryer, dishwasher… that sort of thing. Not to mention the tv and computer.
P: Yes.
A: Anyway, every week one of them goes wrong or breaks down altogether. I've called out the repairman five times in the past month! The last three times we've disagreed about the bill, and this morning we had a massive argument.
P: But surely all those appliances are still under guarantee? You only bought them a few months ago.
A: I know, but that's just the problem. We got most of them in one of those discount stores which are so much cheaper. Now we've discovered why their prices are so low. They don't offer any after-sales service. We might as well have bought them second hand online.
P: I see, that’s such a pain. But you know, they're obliged by law to guarantee the goods for a certain period. All shops are liable for faulty goods. You should go and see a consumer protection association. I'll give you the details. We've used them several times and they were a real help. Sometimes all they needed to do was to phone the store in question and the problem was resolved.
A: That's a good idea. We were getting so frustrated that we were even thinking about going to see a solicitor, but the price put us off.
P: That's right. You have to be firm with shopkeepers. Make sure you know your rights and stand up for them! A few weeks ago, my sister bought a pair of shoes from a very expensive shop, and they fell apart the first time she wore them. She went back to the shop and asked them to exchange them for a new pair. They refused to listen to her.
A: So what did she do?
P: She sat on the counter and refused to move until they refunded her money. The shopkeeper soon realised that having my sister sitting on the counter shouting was not a good advertisement for the shop! All the customers who came in got a very bad impression. He soon gave her her money back.
A: Wow, yes. You’ve got to have the courage, and sometimes the cheek, to assert your rights.
P: Exactly. Now, did you say something about a cup of tea? My mouth's getting dry with all this talking.
A: I get the hint. I'll pour it out.