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A Month with a Robot Cleaner

5th Grade Common Core RL.5.1 Product review and complaint letter 388 words ⏱ 40 minESL B1

A review by a writer who tried a robot vacuum cleaner for a month, and a complaint letter from a customer whose robot broke down.

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Name: ______________________   Date: ____________

Text 1: A Month with a Robot Cleaner

I don't like cleaning, so when my parents bought a robot vacuum cleaner, I was the happiest person in the family. For a month, I watched it work and wrote down what I thought. Here is my review.

The good news first. The robot cleans the floors while we are at work or at school. We use an app on the phone to choose the time, and when we come home, the floors are clean. When the battery is low, it goes back to its charger by itself. It is also quieter than our old vacuum cleaner.

But the robot is not perfect. It often gets stuck under the sofa, and it once ate a phone cable. Before it starts, someone has to pick up socks and toys from the floor. Its bin is small, so we need to empty it every day. And of course, it can't clean the stairs.

Is it worth the money? For a busy family with no stairs, I think the answer is yes. It saves us about an hour of cleaning every week. However, it doesn't replace a real cleaning – we still clean the corners and the stairs ourselves.

My rating: four stars out of five.

Text 2: A Letter of Complaint

Dear Customer Service Manager,

I am writing to complain about a robot vacuum cleaner, model R-200, that I bought at your shop on March 3.

For the first two weeks, the robot worked well. Then it suddenly stopped. Now the battery does not charge at all, even when the robot stays on its charger all night. I followed all the instructions in the user's guide, but nothing helped.

I have called your service number three times. The first time, I waited forty minutes and nobody answered. The second and third times, I was told that a technician would call me back the next day. Nobody has called.

I paid a lot of money for this product, and I expected it to work for years, not for two weeks. The robot still has a one-year guarantee.

I would like you to replace the robot with a new one or to give me my money back. I am attaching a copy of the receipt. Please answer me within fourteen days. If I don't hear from you, I will contact a consumer organization for help.

Yours sincerely,

Dana Morris

📘 Word bank
vacuum cleaner
a machine that cleans floors by sucking up dirt
charger
a device that gives a battery power
stuck
not able to move
replace
to give a new one in place of an old one
complain
to say that you are not happy about something
technician
a person whose job is to fix machines
guarantee
a promise from the maker to fix or replace a product
receipt
a paper that shows you paid for something

✏️ Questions

  1. Text 1

    Inference

    Why was the writer "the happiest person in the family" (paragraph 1)?

  2. Key details

    Give TWO good things about the robot, according to paragraph 2.

  3. Reference words

    What does the word "it" in "it goes back to its charger by itself" (paragraph 2) refer to?

  4. Key details

    What must someone do before the robot starts cleaning?

  5. Key details

    Why does the family need to empty the robot's bin every day?

  6. Key details

    How much time does the robot save the family every week?

  7. Fact, opinion & point of view

    What is the writer's opinion of the robot?

  8. Text 2

    Author’s purpose & structure

    Dana wrote the letter because…

  9. Key details

    What is the problem with the robot now?

  10. Key details

    What happened when Dana called the service number for the first time?

  11. Key details

    Give TWO things Dana asks the shop to do.

  12. Inference

    Why does Dana mention that the robot "still has a one-year guarantee"?

  13. Key details

    What will Dana do if the shop doesn't answer her?

  14. Comparing texts

    Which sentence is true about BOTH texts?

Questions

  1. Why was the writer "the happiest person in the family" (paragraph 1)?

    1. Because she got a new phone.
    2. Because she doesn't like cleaning.
    3. Because she chose the robot herself.
    4. Because she wanted to write a review.

  2. Give TWO good things about the robot, according to paragraph 2.

    ______________________________________________________________

  3. What does the word "it" in "it goes back to its charger by itself" (paragraph 2) refer to?

    ______________________________________________________________

  4. What must someone do before the robot starts cleaning?

    1. Pick up socks and toys from the floor.
    2. Clean the stairs.
    3. Move the sofa.
    4. Charge the phone.

  5. Why does the family need to empty the robot's bin every day?

    1. Because it smells bad.
    2. Because the app says so.
    3. Because the bin is small.
    4. Because the robot eats cables.

  6. How much time does the robot save the family every week?

    ______________________________________________________________

  7. What is the writer's opinion of the robot?

    1. It is perfect and replaces all cleaning.
    2. It is a waste of money.
    3. It is good only for homes with stairs.
    4. It is useful, but it does not do all the work.

  8. Dana wrote the letter because…

    1. she wanted to buy a second robot.
    2. the robot she bought stopped working.
    3. the shop sent her the wrong model.
    4. she wanted to thank the technician.

  9. What is the problem with the robot now?

    ______________________________________________________________

  10. What happened when Dana called the service number for the first time?

    1. A technician came the next day.
    2. She was told to read the instructions.
    3. She waited forty minutes and nobody answered.
    4. She got her money back.

  11. Give TWO things Dana asks the shop to do.

    ______________________________________________________________

  12. Why does Dana mention that the robot "still has a one-year guarantee"?

    1. To show that the shop must fix or replace it.
    2. To show that the robot is new.
    3. To ask for a longer guarantee.
    4. To explain why she paid a lot of money.

  13. What will Dana do if the shop doesn't answer her?

    ______________________________________________________________

  14. Which sentence is true about BOTH texts?

    1. Both writers think that the robot is not worth the money.
    2. Both writers are happy with their robot.
    3. Both writers mention the robot's battery or charger.
    4. Both writers say the robot can clean stairs.

Answer key

  1. b) Because she doesn't like cleaning.
  2. Any two of: it cleans while the family is out; you choose the time with an app; it goes back to its charger by itself; it is quieter than the old vacuum cleaner.
  3. The robot (vacuum cleaner).
  4. a) Pick up socks and toys from the floor.
  5. c) Because the bin is small.
  6. About an hour (of cleaning).
  7. d) It is useful, but it does not do all the work.
  8. b) the robot she bought stopped working.
  9. The battery does not charge at all.
  10. c) She waited forty minutes and nobody answered.
  11. Replace the robot with a new one or give her her money back; answer her within fourteen days.
  12. a) To show that the shop must fix or replace it.
  13. She will contact a consumer organization for help.
  14. c) Both writers mention the robot's battery or charger.

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