مکالمه ی اول

Conversation 1:

Listen to a conversation between a student and an employee in the housing office.

Employee: Hi. Here for your room key?

Student: Actually, no, I got a bill in the mail today.

Employee: Yeah, don’t worry about it. Some students got a second copy of their housing bills. You can just ignore it if you’ve already paid.

Student: Yeah, no, actually it’s my phone bill. I just got it and it looks like there were all these calls made during the summer break, and I wasn’t even here. I turned in my room key at the end of last term.

Employee: Right, but do you remember making arrangements to have your phone service turned off before you left?

Student: Was I supposed to do that?

Employee: Yeah, you were.

Student: I didn’t know that.

Employee: Yeah, it’s in the contract.

Student: What contract?

Employee: Okay, you had service with the phone company, right?

Student: Sure.

Employee: And you got a copy of the contract when you signed out.

Student: Yeah, I guess so.

Employee: Well, okay then, it’s buried in the details of the contract in fine print.

And I’ve got to admit that I might not have noticed it myself but I’ve dealt with two or three other cases like this. And it does state that it’s your responsibility to cancel the service.

Student: Really?

Employee: I’m afraid so.You might not have seen it, but it’s in there.

Student: But I thought that the housing office automatically shuts the service off when the university closes for the summer break.

Employee: I’m afraid not. Classes may end for you, but the university doesn’t close down. We have a whole summer program of short courses, so it’s likely that someone who was enrolled in the summer program was assigned to your old room and when they might plug the phone in…

Student: The service was already there. Oh, wow! I really made a stupid mistake.

Employee: Oh, well, don’t be too hard on yourself. There is a chance we could do something. What was your old room number?

Student: Baker Hall, Room 622.

Employee: Okay. It looks like someone did stay there over the break. What I can do is contact them and ask them to give us a call, then we’ll explain what happened and we’ll give them your contact information.

Student: Okay, but what if you don’t get a reply.

Employee: Well, I hope that doesn’t happen, because if it does, then you are on your own. Again, what it comes down to is this: you signed a contract with the phone company, and there is really not much we can do to help you at this point.

get in as much observation time as you can.