Intermediate Listening Practice

1. What is one reason Ryan gives for part of the increase in the bill?
    Helen used more heating than in previous winters
    The billing period covers a longer time
    A new standing charge was added to the account
    The unit rate was applied incorrectly to her account

2. What does Helen say she has been doing every month?
    Checking her account online to see what she owes
    Phoning in to check her balance on a regular basis
    Keeping a written record of her energy use at home
    Sending in her own figures using the company's app

3. What does Ryan discover about how this bill was calculated?
    It used a calculated guess
    It double-counted one month's usage
    It applied an old, higher unit rate
    It was issued based on Helen's old address

4. Why can Ryan not correct the bill himself during the call?
    He does not have access to Helen's account
    Helen has not provided a recent reading
    Only another department can make that change
    Helen's reading has not been verified by an engineer yet

5. What does Ryan do about the payment due date?
    He cancels the bill completely
    He pauses the deadline so she is not chased for it
    He extends it by five working days
    He transfers the amount to the next bill

6. What does Helen reveal about her past dealings with the company?
    She has never had a single billing problem until now
    She has switched away from them once already
    She has always paid by estimated readings in the past
    A similar billing error happened to her once before

7. What can we infer about why Helen submits her own readings through the app?
    She wants to avoid this type of error
    She does not trust the company's engineers
    Ryan recommended it to her during a previous call
    The company charges less if customers provide their own figures

8. How long does Ryan say a corrected bill normally takes?
    Roughly a week
    Just a day or two
    About ten working days
    Up to a month