Our task was to resolve conflict in the following situation:
I (Anatoly) was a manager of a pharmaceutical company and we were in a trial study for a pill that is supposed to make people more intelligent and more clever). Tracy agreed to it knowing the side effects were mild. However when she did the study the side effects were severe and it had a detrimental affect on her life. Tracy should complain to the pharmaceutical company that caused her some problems and I should refuse a guilty (deny any wrongdoing/not accept responsibility/not admit to being guilty/deny any culpability) in the beginning of our conversation and find compromise in the end.
The problems could be:
mild side effect - headache
severe side effect - migraine
Here are some phrases we can use to make your point stronger when you complain:
Look, this is absolutely ridiculous!
You have an obligation to me as a customer.
I can’t believe you think this is acceptable.
Would you (eat/try/do/drink/ accept) this?
I’m flabbergasted that you think this is reasonable!
you’re being unreasonable.
This is simply unacceptable.
You can’t be serious!?!
I demand you do something about this.
How dare you speak to me like that!
Have you not heard of ‘the customer is always right?’
You have no right to treat me like this.
I want to speak to your manager.
I want to know what you’re going to do about this!
If you don’t resolve this, I’m going to take it to the press/ombudsman
Here is our dialog when Tracy came to the office of my company.
Tracy:
I had a headache yesterday and I think that the reason was your pill. Today I feel that my deals are going wrong, and I suspect that the consequences of the pill could be in the form of not just mild side effects but severe side effects.
Anatoly:
Can you remember what you did before you took the pills? (I tried to avoid paying compensation).
Tracy:
Nothing. I only woke up in the morning and took the pills.
Anatoly:
Had you eaten something?
Tracy:
Just one piece of toast and a cup of tea.
Anatoly:
That is the reason. I read in the special magazine that tea could be the reason for the headache! It would be better for you to drink a cup of coffee.
Tracy:
But this is absolutely ridiculous!
Anatoly:
It was a joke. I can offer you two options:
1.) lots of apologies but no money or;
2.) no apologies and $1000.
What is your choice?
Tracy:
I choose money.
Anatoly:
It means that our medicine is very efficacious, you are so clever. And … You haven’t reasons for complaining. We did a conflict resolution.
This anecdote was written after Kori’s class (event) “Conflict Resolution”.
Anatoly
