188
Rejecting a Request
This letter turns down a request, but it begins and ends on a
positive note.
Business Letters for Busy People
10
General Corporation
253 West 12th Street
Somerset, NJ 08873
February 25, 20XX
Robert P. Thomas
General Corporation District IV
P.O. Box 6425
Raleigh, NC 27628
Robert:
Thank you for the good work you did in preparing your
district’s 20XX budget. You supplied all the information I
needed to make decisions regarding which equipment will be
replaced this year.
I agree with you that three-fourths of all your road
equipment should be replaced. However, we are not able to
do it this year; the best I can promise is a new mixer and
spreader.
Hopefully next year the company will be able to replace
more of your equipment. The budget dollars should be
similar. Let me know if I can do anything to help keep your
equipment operating efficiently for one more year.
Harry King
Thank You
Agreement
Negative News
Team-Fly
®

10


HAPTER 11
C
Customer Relations Letters
191
Letters that improve or maintain good customer relations
sell a company’s image. The broad categories are as follows:
• General Appreciation
• Acknowledging a Complaint
• Following Up on a Complaint
• Regaining a Customer’s Confidence
• Acknowledging a Complaint — Disclaiming
Responsibility
• Acknowledging a Complaint — Explaining
a Misunderstanding
• Correcting an Error
• General Apology
• Acknowledging an Order — Back Order
• Acknowledging an Order — Explaining
Shipment Procedures
• Apologizing for an Employee’s Action
• Notifying Customers of a Move
• Holiday Greetings
• Notification of Complaints
11
192
At the side of the page, you will find a brief explanation of
each part of the letter. The first letter identifies each section of the
letter. Subsequent letters identify only changes to the basic format.
Step-by-Step Guide

224 Bever Ave. • Madrid, MS 39378
January 12, 20XX
Lillian R. Wilkinson
4500 Ramble Road Lane
Madrid, MS 39379
Dear Ms. Wilkinson:
On behalf of Zebra Prints, we wish to express our sincerest
appreciation for your continued patronage. It is because of
valued customers like you that we are able to continue to
offer you the finest in fabrics.
Zebra Prints has been in business for 75 years. We are
dedicated to bringing you the finest in fabrics, particularly
those of all-natural materials. Mr. Case, our founding father,
loved to say, “The customer wants the best at the lowest
price,” and that is the motto we use as our guiding principle.
Please stop in and see us soon. Our new spring fabrics will
be in the showroom on March 15. If you bring this letter
with you, we will give you a 15 percent discount on any
fabric you purchase in March.
Sincerely yours,
Signature
Terrance Sullivan Case, Jr.
President
TSC:maj
Letterhead
Date
Inside Address
Salutation
Statement of Purpose
Compliment

daughter, Jasmine, a speedy recovery. We shall put a hold on
your account until she is ready to return to her tap lessons.
Thank you once again for your concern.
Sincerely yours,
Signature
Mary Manson
Business Manager
MLM:wmj
Acknowledgment
of Complaint
Solution
Summary
Thank You
11
Following Up on a Complaint
Once a complaint is logged and your company has resolved it,
send a follow-up letter as an extra effort toward redeeming your
reputation for good service. Here is an example.
195
Customer Relations Letters
McGiven Publishing Company
29 New York Ave.
New York, NY 10022
May 21, 20XX
Steve Laing
444 Madison St.
Livingston, NJ 07039
Dear Mr. Laing:
Our service goal is to fill your orders accurately 100 percent
of the time. However, when we fall short and errors occur,

the customer or client that his business is appreciated and you are
still interested in continuing the relationship.
Business Letters for Busy People
11
Modern Medical Supplies
302 Main • Portland, OR 97272
November 23, 20XX
Dr. Laura Schmitt
1520 Barston Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95808
Dear Dr. Schmitt:
Please accept our sincerest apologies for the recent mix-up with the
shipment of tongue depressors. I can assure you that action has been
taken to remedy the problem in our warehouse.
As a token of good faith, we have deducted 15 percent from your bill.
We hope this will help compensate for any inconvenience this problem
caused. Because of this unfortunate situation, we have discovered a
number of errors with our shipping department. Consequently, we have
brought in a new person to head this department. We are confident that
our new shipping clerk will keep things running smoothly for you and
all of our customers. Thank you for bringing the error to our attention.
We hope this will be a satisfactory solution. Your corrected order of
tongue depressors should be arriving shortly, as they were sent
November 22.
Sincerely yours,
Signature
Graham Johnson
Customer Relations
GJJ:amr
Statement of

such matters. I suggest that you contact them, also, to
emphasize the seriousness of the situation.
I’m sorry I can’t help you any more than this, but I can
assure you that we are trying to remedy the situation as
quickly as we can. Unfortunately, an immediate solution is
dependent upon Nelson Trucking. Thank you once again for
your understanding.
Sincerely yours,
Signature
Lucy McAlister
Customer Relations
LJM:glu
Acknowledgment
of Complaint
Disclaimer of
Responsibility
Action Taken
Result
Suggestion
Apology
Thank You