CLAIMS

Lesson 1

In ideal business conditions everything should be done carefully — details of offers and orders checked, manufacture of the goods carried out properly, packing and marking verified.

However in spite of all possible care and attention that is given to contracts letters of complaint happen to arrive rather frequently because of various infringements.

There are various reasons for complaints. The following kinds of claims are often made by Buyers:

1) claims arising from the delivery of wrong goods, damaged goods or substandard goods;

2) claims connected with delays of one kind or another;

3) claims owing to goods missing from delivery (i.e. short­shipment or short-delivery);

4) claims that concern errors in carrying out the order. These may be caused by mis-typing of figures, mis-reading of numbers, mis-direction of goods, wrong goods, wrong packing and so on.

Sellers most frequently make claims on Buyers because of default of payment.

As a rule a customer will not complain unless he has a good reason. If the customer's complaint is well-grounded, the settlement is comparatively easy: the error will be admitted and the responsible party will meet the claim fully or partly. In other words, the dissatisfied party will get full or partial compensation for the losses they suffered. Thus the matter is settled amicably.

Much more difficult is the case where the customer's complaint is not justified. It would be wrong policy to reject the claim off­hand.

The responsible party must carefully explain why the claim is de­clined and try to persuade the dissatisfied party to withdraw the claim.

Settling Commercial disputes by arbitration is practiced if the parties in dispute cannot meet mutual understanding. In this case the parties may refer the matter to Foreign Trade Arbitration Commission at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Moscow. The award of the Arbitration Commission is final and binding upon both parties.

Vocabulary:

a claim претензия, рекламация

packing упаковка

marking маркировка

to verify проверять

a complaint претензия, жалоба

an infringement нарушение

to infringe (a contract) нарушать (не выполнять) условия контракта

damaged goods поврежденные товары

substandard goods недоброкачественные товары

short-shipment {short-delivery) недопоставка

mis-direction of goods отправка товаров по неправильному адресу

to make a claim on smb. предъявлять претензию

to reject / to decline a claim отклонять претензию

to accept / to acknowledge / to admit / to meet a claim принимать (признавать) претензию

a well-grounded / a justified claim обоснованная претензия

an unjustified claim необоснованная претензия

to withdraw a claim отзывать претензию

default of payment задержка платежа

responsible party ответственная сторона, ответчик

dissatisfied party неудовлетворенная сторона

to suffer losses нести убытки

compensation компенсация, возмещение ущерба

a dispute конфликт, спор, разногласия

arbitration арбитраж, арбитражный суд

to refer the matter to передавать дело на рассмотрение

Foreign Trade Arbitration Commission Внешнеторговая арбитражная комиссия

the award of the Arbitration is final and binding upon both parties решение арбитража окончательно и обязательно для обеих сторон

Exercises 1. Translate from Russian into English.

1) Покупатели часто предъявляют претензии продавцам по поводу поставки товаров, не предусмотренных контрактом, поврежденных и недоброкачественных товаров.

2) Претензии могут быть вызваны недопоставкой товаров.

3) Во избежание претензий со стороны покупателя следует проверить упаковку и маркировку товаров.

4) Продавцы могут предъявлять претензии покупателям по поводу задержки платежа.

5) Если претензия обоснована, ответчик должен полностью или частично компенсировать убытки.

6) Сторона может отклонить претензию, если считает, что она необоснована.

7) Если сторонам не удалось прийти к соглашению, дело может быть передано на рассмотрение Внешнеторговой арбит­ражной комиссии при Торгово-промышленной палате.

8) Решение Арбитражной комиссии окончательно и обяза­тельно для обеих сторон.

NОТЕ:

То have a complaint is annoying, but to complain without good reason will also annoy your correspondent. If you complain, make sure you get your facts right. And if you have to answer an unjustified complaint, be polite and restrained, and remember that we can all make mistakes.

Lesson 2.Claims connected with delay in delivery

Expressions used in connection with delay in delivery:

1

1) We shall be glad to know when we may expect delivery of | the goods as they are most urgently wanted.

2) The delivery of the goods was to have taken place last month, and we have been caused serious inconvenience through the delay.

3) When placing this order with you we particularly stipulated for delivery within eight months.

4) Your delay in delivering the goods against Order No 1225 caused us considerable inconvenience.

5) We are surprised that you have not yet delivered the goods against Order No 1225.

6) We must insist on your unconditional guarantee that the goods will be delivered at the end of September.

7) We refuse to accept the goods on the ground of late delivery.

2

1) We are very sorry that you have to complain of delay in delivery of the goods.

2) We ask you to accept our apologies for the delay and the inconvenience you have been caused.

3) We apologize for the delay and trust that you have not been caused any serious inconvenience.

4) The delay in delivery occurred through no fault of ours.

5) The great pressure of orders for these goods has made it impossible for us to deliver the goods in August.

Exercise 1. Translate the letter from English into Russian.

July 15, 19...

Black & Co.,

London

Dear Sirs,

Re: Order No 235

Further to our letter dated June 30, 19... we are writing to you to express our deep concern about the delay in delivery of consignment under the above Order.

You will remember that when we sent you our Order we pointed out that timely delivery was most essential.

We are taking this opportunity to remind you that lately we have had numerous complaints from our clients who find fault with the packing of your goods.

We are sure that you are well aware of our previous claims. Therefore we expect you to take urgent steps to speed up the delivery of the above consignment and to give instructions to your packing department to take more care of inside packing of the goods.

Yours sincerely

Exercise 2. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1) When we sent you our order we pointed out that earl; delivery of the goods was absolutely necessary.

2) We urged on you the importance of the time factor.

3) The delivery time was clearly stated on our order and your acceptance.

4) In your acknowledgement of our order you stated that the consignment would be dispatched within two weeks and we therefore very surprised that we have had no advice of dispatch (уведомление об отправке груза) yet.

5) We are at a loss to understand why we have not heard from you.

6) We are still without your advice of dispatch of the cameras; we are receiving urgent requests from customers and you will understand that this delay places us in an awkward position.

7) You will remember that it was agreed the goods would be shipped in time to arrive here by the end of month.

8) Our stocks may become too low for us to be able to cope with the Christmas trade.

9) We must ask you to dispatch the consignment immediately, if you have not already done so, and in any case please inform us by cable what the position is.

10) We hope to hear from you by return that the consignment is on its way.