1993年6月英语四级 - 阅读理解C

When a consumer finds that an item she or he bought is faulty or in some way does not live up to the manufacturer's claim for it, the first step is to present the warranty, or any other records which might help, at the store of purchase. In most cases, this action will produce results. However, if it does not, there are various means the consumer may use to gain satisfaction.
当消费者发现购买的商品有缺陷或在某种程度上不符合制造商的要求时，第一步是提供保单或任何其他在商店购买时可能的有用记录。在大多数情况下，这一行动会有效。然而，如果没有，消费者可能会使用各种手段来获得满意度。

A simple and common method used by many consumers is to complain directly to the store manager. In general, the "higher up" the consumer takes his or her complaint, the faster he or she can expect it to be settled. In such a case, it is usually settled in the consumer's favor, assuming he or she has a just claim.
许多消费者使用的一种简单而常见的方法是直接向商店经理投诉。一般来说，消费者投诉的级别越高，就能越快得到解决。在这种情况下，通常会以有利于消费者的方式解决，假设他有正当的诉求。

Consumers should complain in person whenever possible, but if they cannot get to the place of purchase, it is acceptable to phone or write the complaint in a letter.
消费者应尽可能亲自投诉，但如果他们无法前往购买地，可以打电话或写信投诉。

Complaining is usually most effective when it is done politely but firmly, and especially when the consumer can demonstrate what is wrong with the item in questions. If this cannot be done, the consumer will succeed best by presenting specific information as to what is wrong, rather than by making general statements. For example, "The left speaker does not work at all and the sound coming out of the right one is unclear" is better than "This stereo does not work."
投诉通常在礼貌但坚定的情况下最有效，尤其是当消费者能够证明商品有什么问题时。如果不能做到这一点，消费者最好通过提供具体的错误信息，而不是做出一般性的陈述来取得成功。例如，“左扬声器根本不工作，右扬声器发出的声音不清晰”比“这个立体声不起作用”要好。

The store manager may advise the consumer to write to the manufacturer. If so, the consumer should do this, stating the complaint as politely and as firmly as possible. But if a polite complaint does not achieve the desired result, the consumer can go a step further. She or he can threaten to take the seller to court or report the seller to a private or public organization responsible for protecting consumers' rights.
商店经理可能会建议消费者写信给制造商。如果是这样，消费者应该这样做，尽可能礼貌和坚定地陈述投诉。但是，如果礼貌的投诉没有达到预期的结果，消费者可以更进一步。可以威胁将卖方告上法庭，或向负责保护消费者权利的私人或公共组织举报卖方。