4.

1 Letters for placing and acknowledging orders

Letters for placing and acknowledging orders should be brief, accurate, and to the point. In many cases, companies use printed prenumbered order forms. In turn, sellers also use printed acknowledgments. When placing an order by letter or fax, the following details must be mentioned: name of the item being ordered, the items number (catalog number, model number, etc ! "uantity desired! description ("uality, si#e, weight, material,models, patterns, or colors ! packing, special markings, and shipping instructions! deli$ery date! documents (e.g. in$oices, pro%forma in$oices, customs documents, bill of lading, insurance ! deli$ery address! method of shipment and confirmation of the terms of payment. If an arder is in response to an ad$ertisement, you should mention the source (such as title and issue date of a maga#ine or newspaper . &he following letter would run into trouble: 'ear (irs )lease send me one of your weather $anes which I saw ad$ertised for *+,.-.. We ha$e recently repainted our garage, and a weather $ane would be a wonderful finishing touch. /y check is enclosed. (incerely

0. 1cknowledge pre$ious correspondence 2x: &hank you for your letter of + 1pril, "uoting prices and deli$ery terms for......3enclosing your price lists and catalogues for..... 4. (tate your reactions to prices, discounts, samples, etc 2x: We ha$e examined the samples and are satisfied with their "uality. We think that the "uoted terms are acceptable. +. )lace the order 2x: We are ordering ... We enclose our official order form, 5o. 0,0, for ...... ,. 6onfirm terms of payment or suggest terms of payment 2x: 7ur usual method of payment is by ... and we trust that this will be acceptable to you. 1s agreed, payment is to be made by 'ocumentary 6redit. .. (et deadline for deli$ery 2x: 'eli$ery before . /ay is a firm condition of this order

Letter 1 'ate 5ame3&itle 8usiness37rgani#ation 1ddress 6ity, (tate 9ip 6ode 'ear 5ame: We acknowledge receipt of your samples and "uotation of 7ctober +. )lease find enclosed our order 5o. :W3;< 00-+%'de7, for ,.= /artinex 0== percent cotton thermal blankets for twin% and full%si#e beds. We would remind you that, as stipulated in our letter of 1ugust 4-, the blankets must be deli$ered to our warehouse in (alt Lake 6ity before 7ctober 0., because our special Winter (ales Week will start on /onday morning, 7ctober 4>. (incerely, (ignature 5ame

Letter 2 'ate 5ame3&itle 8usiness37rgani#ation 1ddress 6ity, (tate 9ip 6ode 'ear 5ame: We thank you for your "uotation of ?uly + for the supply of $acuum bottles and find your terms acceptable. We are pleased to enclose our order, 5o. --+ for 0,.== unbreakable stainless steel $acuum bottles (6at. 5o. ++=6 0%"uart 8ottle at *0-.>. per bottle. We would appreciate deli$ery within one month and look forward to your acknowledgment. (incerely, (ignature 5ame

Letter 3 'ate 5ame3&itle 8usiness37rgani#ation 1ddress 6ity, (tate 9ip 6ode 'ear 5ame: &hank you for responding so "uickly to our telephone in"uiry of ?une 4@ about your A;ough 6ountryA insulated leather sports boots for men (spring catalog: /odel B-%99 . We belie$e that these guaranteed waterproof boots will sell well in 5orway and therefore we enclose our order form 5o. =4-C.8 for a substantial trial order. We accept the terms in your "uotation of ?une 4C and also confirm that payment will be made by irre$ocable letter of credit. )lease acknowledge this order and also confirm that you will make deli$ery to 'allas, &exas, before (eptember 0.. (incerely yours, (ignature 5ame

'ate 5ame3&itle 8usiness37rgani#ation 1ddress 6ity, (tate 9ip 6ode 'ear 5ame: I ha$e seen your ad in the 8oston :lobe of (unday, Debruary 04, and would like to order the following weather $ane: /odel 2)(%0CE eagle with arrow, copper, *+,.-. I would also like the weather $ane sent to the abo$e adress by parcel post and charged, with any applicable sales tax and handling costs, to my FI(1 account (number ==+ =->0 10=-! expiration date, +3% (incerely yours, (ignature 5ame

USEFUL SENTENCES FOR LETTERS PLACING AN ORDER Please find enclosed our official order form No. ++C1 for fifty (.= /odel 8 ;egina compact disc players. We are happy to enclose our trial order 5o. (id8%CC44, for +4. 8urda Ladies 6ar 6oats, si#e medium, na$y blue color! We are enclosing our trial order.... This fax will confirm our order G placed by telephone this morning with your representati$e, ?anet :aynor G for 0== 1nnis pocket thermometers /odel D,. We hereby confirm our telephone order for 4. sets of your special Huart# 6lock (see page six of your summer catalog at *C-..= per clock, minus two percent cash discount. We would li e to emphasi!e that this is a trial order. "f the #uality of your merchandise is up to sample$ we expect to place substantial orders at regular inter%als. 1s agreed in our telephone con$ersation of 1ugust 04, we will pay half the amount of this order against your in$oice when the goods are deli$ered at our warehouse in Dayette$ille, /aryland, and the remainder within += days, deducting three percent discount. We place this trial order on the clear understanding that deli$ery to our warehouse in (an 'iego, 6alifornia, has to take place before /ay 0. &herefore, we reser$e the right to cancel this order and refuse deli$ery after this date. Iou will find detailed instructions regarding marking and packing on the attached sheet. When packing, please wrap each part separately in soft material. )lease, limit the o$erall length of any one crate to two yards.

Letters for ac nowledging an order /any companies today ha$e abandoned the practice of acknowleding orders, particularly when the order will be filled promptly. (ome companies respond to orders by immediately sending an in$oice, and some employ the halfway measure of using printed acknowledgement forms. 8ut howe$er handled, confirming an order helps to establish goodwill by reassuring the customer that the order has been recei$ed. Dirst orders (J7KL' be acknowledged as a way of welcoming the new customer and encouraging further business. 1n order acknowledgement should contain specific information: 0. 4. +. ,. mentioning the date of the order including the order or in$oice number explaining the date and method of shipment acknowledging the method of payment

2lements of letters acknowleding an order: 0. 1cknowledge receipt of the order 2x: &hank you for your order , 5o. 4444, for cotton shirts, which we recei$ed yesterday &hank you for your order of 0 /arch for ............. 4. 6onfirm that you are able to supply the goods 2x: We are glad to confirm that we can supply the abo$e order from stock +. (ay what you ha$e done about the order 2x: We ha$e already sent a pro%forma in$oice ,. (ay what you are going to do next about the order 2x: &he goods will be despatched on receipt of ..... We will despatch the goods as soon as we ha$e recei$ed .............

&. Letter 1 'ate 5ame3&itle 8usiness37rgani#ation 1ddress 6ity, (tate 9ip 6ode 'ear 5ame: We acknowledge receipt of your trial order 5o. /$9%-=+ for 4>. wrist watches (/odel B-4 , which we recei$ed today. Iour order is now being processed for immediate dispatch and will be ready for airfreight shipment for deli$ery to Jeathrow 1irport London early next week. 1s re"uested, we will enclose a packing note with the goods. We are sure you will be pleased with this new line of wrist watches and look forward to working with your company again soon. (incerely, (ignature 5ame Letter 2

'ate 5ame3&itle 8usiness37rgani#ation 1ddress 6ity, (tate 9ip 6ode 'ear 5ame: We welcome you as a new customer and appreciate $ery much your order of /ay @, which will be shipped on the 4,th by air express. 1s agreed upon, this order as well as future orders will be shipped to you on our most fa$orable credit terms. We are packing our latest brochures with this order. Within the next few days you will hear from our sales promotion department, a ser$ice that is conducted exclusi$ely for our customers. )lease feel free to make use of this ser$ice at any time without any obligation or charge. We are looking forward to pleasant business relations with your company. (incerely yours, (ignature 5ame Letter 3

'ate 5ame3&itle 8usiness37rgani#ation 1ddress 6ity, (tate 9ip 6ode 'ear 5ame: &hank you for your order 5o. ==.+= of ?anuary 0- for @== 8ambo Huart# &ra$el 6locks /odel 0C1 at *0-.-. per unit. We ha$e these clocks in stock and will be able to deli$er them before the date G /arch @ G you re"uested. Jowe$er, we are sorry that we cannot supply your order on the credit terms you re"uested and for that reason re"uest prepayment. 2nclosed you will find our pro%forma in$oice. We would be obliged if you would arrange payment for this in$oice by either irre$ocable letter of credit or bankerLs draft as soon as possible in order that we can ship the goods D.7.8. 8uenos 1ires. (incerely, (ignature 5ame

USEFUL SENTENCES FOR LETTERS ACKNOWLEDGING ORDERS Than you for your order No. ==C++, which has been completed and transported to the )ort of 5ewark, 5ew ?ersey, where it will be loaded onto the (.(. 'en$er. &he freighter sails for Jamburg on 1pril 00 and arri$es on 1pril 4=. Than you for ordering ..... We are pleased to ha%e recei%ed your order of 'eptember 1& and would li e to welcome you as a new customer of Payton(s Plastics. Than you for your order )*+33,2- for 0,=== panel alarm clocks. Knfortunately, this new product has been so popular that our stock has been temporarily depleted. Jowe$er, in $iew of your urgent need, we are gi$ing your order priority when a new shipment arri$es at the end of this month. .our order No. /&,2 for 1,, anti+theft auto loc s is being processed and will be ready for shipment on 7ctober 0+. We are pleased to inform you that your order )0W123224- is being processed and will be dispatched by airfreight to 5aples on ?uly 4. .our order )No. //56- will be dispatched immediately upon receipt of your remittance of '/ .,>==.@- as per the attached pro%forma in$oice. We enclose our pro+forma in%oice for *40,C>..,=. )lease inform us what arrangements you ha$e made for payment. 7n receipt of your remittance we will forward your order immediately f.o.b. (umter, /ississippi. We enclose our pro+forma in%oice. .our order will be ready for immediate shipment to 6anmore, 5orth 'akota, when we recei%e your remittance.

We are pleased to recei%e your 7rder No. 11%--,> for 0,.== chain%saw sharpeners. 8owe%er$ we regret that we cannot supply these items immediately owing to a strike of truck dri$ers in Illinois. We are %ery sorry to ha%e to ad%ise you that we are unable to accept your order MC+00 for .>. tricycles until further notice, because our manufacturing facilities in &hailand are fully occupied with long%term contract orders. We are sorry that we cannot supply your order on the credit terms you re#uested in your fax of 9arch 3. We ha%e been %ery pleased to ser%e you and hope to establish a pleasant business connection with your company. We hope that this initial order will lead to further business. We appreciate your business and loo forward to ser%ing you again soon.

5.1 Letters of complaint

Letters of complaint about delays, wrong shipments, damaged goods, missing parts, defecti$e merchandise, billing errors, late deli$eries, faulty e"uipment, community problems, rude employees, or warranties (to name Nust a few problems are usually written by dissatisfied, indignant or angry customers seeking redress. In writing such letters you must pro$ide a clear description or explanation of what is wrong with the deli$ery, product or ser$ice. 0. ;efer to the order 2x: I am writing about3 concerningO.. 4. (tate reason for complaint 2x: I regret to inform you that O.3 We are sorry to inform you that O +. (uggest possible causes of the problem 2x: &here seems to ha$e been O3 It appears that the boxes were O. ,. (tate action(s you re"uire the other company to take 2x: )lease could youO3 We would be grateful if you could O3 We would appreciate it if you couldO I must insist that youO3 In accordance with our contract, I must ask you O. .. (tate action taken by your company

2x: I am returning the damaged goods and expect immediate replacement3 We enclose a report of the damage O3 We will keep the goods untilO Jere are some sample letters:

Letter 1 ):omplaint about a deli%ery'ate 5ame3&itle 8usiness37rgani#ation 1ddress 6ity, (tate 9ip 6ode 'ear 5ame: We are sorry to inform you that your deli$ery of 4C four%drawer chests (/odel J-.Gwhite finish on Debruary 0has gi$en us cause for serious complaint. &hey were deli$ered in substandard condition and cannot be fixed. We ha$e been doing business with your company for the past four years and ha$e always been satisfied until today. Dor that reason, please let us know as soon as possible what your company intends to do to rectify this situation. (incerely, (ignature 5ame

Letter 2 ):omplaint about a wrong item shipped'ate 5ame3&itle 8usiness37rgani#ation 1ddress 6ity, (tate 9ip 6ode 'ear 5ame: 7n ?une 0,, I ordered an answering machine with a built%in telephone (1rticle 5o. 0>41/%&2 from your (ummer (ales 6atalog. 7n opening the parcel, I found that it did not contain the ordered item. Instead it contained an entirely different machine. I am therefore returning the item for replacement. (incerely, (ignature 5ame

Letter 3 ):omplaint about damaged merchandise'ate 5ame3&itle 8usiness37rgani#ation 1ddress 6ity, (tate 9ip 6ode 'ear 5ame: &he se$en%piece wood%and%glass dining set (7rder 5o. 0+C-- I ordered on 1pril 4 was deli$ered yesterday. (ince I was away on business that day, my neighbor (who has a key to my apartment accepted the packaged set and signed for it without "uestion. Jowe$er, when I unpacked the oak%finished table myself with great care, I disco$ered that one glass insert of the tableLs three glass inserts was badly scratched. I can only assume that this damage must be due to careless handling at some stage prior to packing. I cannot accept the table in this state and want to recei$e a replacement as soon as possible. (incerely, (ignature 5ame

'ate 5ame3&itle 8usiness37rgani#ation 1ddress 6ity, (tate 9ip 6ode 'ear 5ame: I am writing for the third time to complain about the color photocopying machine you installed in our office only three months ago. &his machine has not met our staffs high expectations. 6ontrary to the description in your sales and instruction booklets, the colors (at least of our color copier are not PrealE. In addition, your ser$ice representati$e who has examined this machine on $arious occasions has not been able to correct this continuing serious problem. We expect you to deal with this problem without further delay. (incerely, (ignature 5ame

USEFUL SENTENCES FOR LETTERS OF COMPLAINT " am writing to complain, not only about the $ery poor ser$ice we recei$ed from your company this week, but also about the discourteous beha$ior of your new sales representati$e, 1rthur ?ones. " want to lodge a complaint about the $ery discourteous treatment that my wife and I experienced in your department store on Driday afternoon, /ay 4-. 9y wife and " would li e to register a serious complaint about one of your storeLs salesmen.
We are sorry to inform you that your deli%ery of 2/ four+drawer chests )9odel 84&;white finish- on <ebruary 14 has gi%en us cause for serious complaint.

We refuse to pay for merchandise that was ne$er deli$ered to our company. " am returning the damaged goods to your office for a full refund. We are returning the defecti%e products for credit at your expense. We are returning the entire order of && tennis rac ets and would li e to be refunded for their full purchase price of *44C@.+> plus shipping expenses of *0-C.00. In our opinion, the damage seems to ha%e been caused by inade"uate packaging. I would like to clear up this unpleasant situation without delay. Dor that reason, " expect a prompt reply. This mista e must be corrected as soon as possible$ because we are far from satisfied with the ser%ice your company offers. We are confident that we can resol%e this serious complaint without ha%ing resort to the 'mall :laims :ourt. 7ur order No. //2L' was placed on condition that we recei$e the blue Neans before 5o$ember 0.. =nless your company can fulfill our monthly orders efficiently in the future$ we will ha%e to consider other reliable sources of supply.

" am seriously disappointed to find that the "uality of the tricycles for young children (/odel 2<+%;; you supplied does not correspond with that of the sample tricycle submitted to us in Debruary. Things ha%e now reached the point that " want action within forty+eight hours or " will place the whole matter in the hands of my lawyer.

6.1 Letters of adjustment

1ssuming that the complaint is Nustified, a letter of adNustment should acknowledge the complaint, offer an apology, and explain what the company is doing about the complaint. 1lso point out that the fault or the error seldom occurs. If you cannot deal with a genuine complaint promptly, always acknowledge this fact as soon as possible. 1t the same time, explain that you will pro$ide a full reply at a later date. If you belie$e that a complaint is unreasonable or unNustified, a polite but firm answer must be gi$en. In the e$ent that no Nustification exists for an error, a problem or an unpleasant situation, a straightforward admission of that fact often has a disarming effect upon the recipient of such a letter. 1 sincere letter of apology for bad beha$ior, an o$ersight, an error, a discourtesy, or a mistakeG plus the $aluable words AI am sorryAGoften go a long way to smooth relations with a disgruntled customer. &he following elements are usually included in a letter of apology 0. 1cknowledge the letter of complaint 2x: &hank you for your letter3 email3 fax of 0 /ay O 4. 2xplain the cause of the problem 2x: We ha$e in$estigated the matter and disco$ered the mistake was due to O It seems that the problem was caused by O.

&he problem must ha$e been caused by O. +. (tate action taken to sol$e the immediate problem 2x: We ha$e arranged for the collection of the wrongly%deli$ered goods by O ,. ;eassure the customer and state action taken to pre$ent the problem happening again 2x: Iou may be sure that such a mistake will not be made again &he new "uality control procedures we ha$e introduced will ensure that this problem does not happen again.. .. 1pologise 2x: We must apologi#e for O We are extremely sorry for O )lease accept our apologies for O @. 2nd optimistically

Letter 1 )1eply and apology for defecti%e coffee machine'ate 5ame3&itle 8usiness37rgani#ation 1ddress 6ity, (tate 9ip 6ode 'ear 5ame: &hank you for your fax of ?uly +=. 7f course, we are deeply concerned when one of our customers is not satisfied with one of our products. 7ur company takes great pride in trying to produce only top products. Knfortunately, we sometimes fail. If you return the defecti$e cappuccino coffee machine to the dealer who sold it to you, he will replace it with a new one. Jowe$er, if you prefer, we are also willing to refund the purchase price to you. We are sorry to ha$e incon$enienced you and offer our apologies. (incerely, (ignature 5ame

Letter 2 )1eply and apology for a damaged des 'ate 5ame3&itle 8usiness37rgani#ation 1ddress 6ity, (tate 9ip 6ode 'ear 5ame: We are sorry to learn about the damage to the four%drawer desk that you purchased at our store in )hiladelphia on (eptember 4@. 7ur deli$ery%person informed us that the damage probably occurred during the shipment from the furniture manufacturer to our warehouse in Wilmington, 'elaware. /eanwhile, we ha$e ordered an exact replacement from the manufacturer and expect that deli$ery will take place within one month. 1s soon as the desk arri$es, we will telephone you immediately and will arrange a con$enient deli$ery time. We regret the incon$enience this has caused you. (incerely, (ignature 5ame

Letter 3 )1eply and apology for a billing error'ate 5ame3&itle 8usiness37rgani#ation 1ddress 6ity, (tate 9ip 6ode 'ear 5ame: I ha$e recei$ed your e%mail of 1pril - and regret the error on your bimonthly in$oice. When this in$oice was made up, two items had been duplicated on in$oice >>C, with the result that your company was o$ercharged *0+00.4-. I ha$e deducted this amount from your in$oice and will mail you a new one for the correct amount of *00,,+=.CC. &hank you for bringing our billing error to our attention. 1gain, I apologi#e for the incon$enience this has caused you. (incerely, (ignature 5ame

USEFUL SENTENCES FOR ACKNOWLEDGING AND RESPONDING TO LETTERS OF COMPLAINT

Than you for your letter of Debruary 4C bringing this problem to our attention. We than you for bringing this matter to our attention. Than you for writing us as candidly as you did about the defect in your new $acuum cleaner. We can understand your annoyance at not ha$ing recei$ed the color tele$ision set you ordered on (eptember 0.. We are sorry that the /odel 4++ 2xpresso /achine you purchased on 1pril 04 has not li$ed up to your expectations. We are prepared to exchange this model or else gi$e you a full refund. We greatly regret your unsatisfactory experience with our direct mail order products. .ou ha%e e%ery right to be upset about the fact that the clock radio did not work. We are sorry to learn that you are not completely satisfied with the performance of our multipurpose manual lift, /odel +,%0=%0@1. We are prepared to exchange the faulty parts. We are %ery sorry that our work was unsatisfactory and did not meet your companyLs expectations, especially since we take great pride in our work. We can$ howe%er$ assure you that we will do our utmost to correct this situation as #uic ly as possible. Please$ accept our sincere apologies for the incon%eniences this has caused you. " suggest you discuss this problem with your local dealer for a replacement or a possible refund. We will ma e e%ery effort to ensure that this problem will not happen again.

6nclosed you will find our credit note for *+>0.,= representing a complete refund on the faulty merchandise you returned to our warehouse last month. Than you once again for your concern and understanding and for bringing this serious matter to our attention. .our company will recei%e immediate credit for all shipping charges. "f this is not satisfactory$ please let me now. Please return the damaged chair to our warehouse in 'eakins$ille. &hey will replace the chair and ship a new one to your office address. Than you %ery much for your understanding and cooperation. "f we can be of further ser%ice$ please let us now. &he replacement of the faulty $acuum cleaner is on the way and should be in your possession within one week. Please$ accept our apologies for the incon%enience. We will correct the discount error on your pro+forma in%oice immediately. "t is unusual for this type of error to arise and we apologi!e for any incon%enience this may ha%e caused you.