LETTERS OF APPROVAL,

REFUSAL, AND COMPLAINT

A. LETTER OF APPROVAL
How to write an approval letter
 It is generally appropriate to use a warm, cordial tone for letters
of approval.
 To begin your letter, specifically state what it is that you are
approving.
 Give the reasons for the approval, if desired.
 If appropriate, indicate the next steps the person should take or
what to expect next.
 Restate or announce important dates associated with the
approval (date promotion becomes effective, date the account will
be activated, dates of the event, etc.).
 Include any other important information (such as any
parameters, for example), if needed.
 If applicable, close your letter by reiterating your appreciation or
by offering best wishes for the new project, position, appointment,
etc.
CREDIT APPROVAL LATTER FOR A GRANT
 In the event that the profile of a debtor has
already been reviewed and has passed the
qualifications for a loan approval, a letter of
credit approval must be prepared in the
manner to be discussed.

 The sender must always start the letter with the

entire basic format then hit the first lines
straight to the point. A summary of the
agreement may be stated in the body of the letter.
If the terms and conditions are attached there
with, the letter need not be too lengthy unless
there are provisions not touched by the loan
terms and agreement.
CREDIT APPROVAL LETTER FOR A GRANT EXAMPLE:
Date

Sender’s Name
Office Position
Department

Sender’s Address
Addressee
Company Name
Company Address

Dear Mr..../ Mrs..../ Sir/ Madam,

This letter is to inform you that we have received and reviewed your application for loan. We are happy to inform you that your request has
been approved and is currently being processed.

Having a minimum tangible asset of (am ount) and a minimum owner’s equity of (percentage as per total asset), our com pany has decided to
grant you the loan. Under suitably executed security documents you shall provide us with the following collateral as security for the credit:
Accounts receivable amounting to (value), equipment with a carrying value of (amount), and (others that you wish to specify).

Your written expression of agreement must be secured, as we shall do business as bounded by the terms contained therein.

We are happy to be doing business with you. Thank you and God bless your dealings.

Sincerely,
Your name
REQUEST APPROVAL LETTER
 A letter approving a request is usually written
by a manager to an employee in response to a
particular request they are making. The letter is
intended to inform the recipient that their
request has been approved and what steps they
need to take next.
 It should be brief and to the point, and should be
formal and professional in tone. It must also
clearly state what else the recipient needs to do
in light of his request. Copies of the letter should
also be provided to other concerned parties such
as supervisors.
SAMPLE LETTER OF APPROVAL FOR A REQUEST
[Date]

[Name of recipient]
[Title/position if relevant]
[Address or company name]

Dear [name],
We are pleased to inform you that your request for [give
details of request] has been approved. However, [give
conditions attached to request]. If you have any questions or
other concerns, you may direct them to [name of contract
person/ contact information].

Respectfully yours,
[Name of sender]
[Position]
PROJECT PROPOSAL APPROVAL LETTER
 A project proposal approval letter is sent in reply to a
proposal submitted by a project proponent. It is intended to
inform the proponent that their proposal has been approved and
what, if any, further steps that they need to take, such as
meetings to finalize details of the project.
 The letter should begin with a statement informing the recipient
that their proposal has been approved. If the proposal is in
response to a solicitation or bidding, then the letter may begin by
thanking the proponent for their interest in the project before
informing them of their success.
 The letter could end with a reiteration of thanks for the
proponent’s interest in the project.
The approval letter should go straight to the point without
seeming brusque. It should clearly inform the recipient what is
being approved and state what are the important dates or other
vital information associated with the project, as well as other
special provisions.
SAMPLE OF AN APPROVAL LETTER FOR A PROJECT
PROPOSAL
[Date]

Dear [name of recipient]

Thank you for your interest in [project]. After thorough
evaluation of your proposal, we have decided to approve it,
effective [date]. Before you start work, please contact our
office to set an appointment by [date] so we can discuss the
details of the project. You can contact us at [contact number]
during office hours.
We hope to hear from you soon as we are hoping to
complete [project] by [date]. Thank you again for your
proposal and we look forward to working with you.

Respectfully yours,
[Name of sender]
[Title]
B. LETTER OF REFUSAL
A refusal letter can be written for several reasons. They are as
follows:

 Inability to deliver goods on time.

 Inability of a business to accept an order or invitation.
 Inability to grant credit or additional credit.
 Inability of a business to offer relevant information or provide jobs.
 Cancellation or decline a scheduled appointment.
 To decline a request for a donation.
 To decline to speak or perform.
 Refuse to accept an invitation to an event.
 To reject a bid or proposal.
 Decline to write a recommendation or referral letter.
 Decline to accept a gift.
 To decline a job offer, promotion or transfer.
 Refuse to join a community.
 To reply negatively to a suggestion.
 To reject or terminate a business relationship
REFUSAL LETTER EXAMPLES
(Name of the Receiver)
(Position)
(Address)

Dear (Name of the Receiver),

I am delighted to have received the offer to join as a (position) in

your company (company name). Although I found the position
very challenging, I will not be able to accept the offer because I
have already accepted a similar position in another company.

It was a pleasure to receive an opportunity to visit your company

and discuss the career possibilities. I wish you and the company
all the best for the future.

Sincerely,

(your name)
Ms. Jennifer Ricardo
President of Writer's Association
121, St. Park's Street
New York

Dear Ms. Jennifer Ricardo,

I am really honored to receive an invitation to become a member of your

prestigious Association. I am greatly thankful to you and the other
members of the Association to give me such an honorable offer.
I understand that being part of your Association would require me to put
in my quality time and effort which I am quite willing to. However, I am
already committed to various projects for more than a year and hence, I
will not be able to do justice as a member of the Association. I
respectfully request you to look for another person who is worthy to be a
member of your Association.

Best Wishes for the Future.

Sincerely,

Isabella Courtier
C. LETTER OF COMPLAINT
Letters of complaint usually include the following
stages:

 Backgraound
 Problem (Cause and Effect)

 Solution

 Warning (optional)

 Closing
1. BACKGROUND
This section describes the situation:

• I am writing to inform you that the goods we ordered from your

company have not been supplied correctly.
• I attended your exhibition Sound Systems 2011 at the Fortune
Hotel (22-25 January) and found it informative and interesting.
Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the event was spoiled by a
number of organizational problems.
• I am a shareholder of Sunshine Bank and I am very concerned
regarding recent newspaper reports on the financial situation of
the bank. Your company is listed as the auditor in the latest
annual report of the bank, so I am writing to you to ask for an
explanation of the following issues.
• I am writing to inform you of my dissatisfaction with the food and
drinks at the 'European Restaurant' on 18 January this year.
2. PROBLEM
Cause:
• On 15 July 2011 we placed an order with your firm for 12,000 ultra super long-
life batteries. The consignment arrived yesterday but contained only 1,200
batteries.
• Firstly, I had difficulty in registering to attend the event. You set up an on-line
registration facility, but I found the facility totally unworkable.
• You sent us an invoice for $10,532, but did not deduct our usual 10% discount.
• We have found 16 spelling errors and 2 mis-labelled diagrams in the sample
book.

Effect:
• This error put our firm in a difficult position, as we had to make some
emergency purchases to fulfill our commitments to all our customers. This
caused us considerable inconvenience.
• Even after spending several wasted hours trying to register in this way, the
computer would not accept my application.
• I am therefore returning the invoice to you for correction.
• This large number of errors is unacceptable to our customers, and we are
therefore unable to sell these books.
3. SOLUTION
• I am writing to ask you to please make up the
shortfall immediately and to ensure that such
errors do not happen again.
• Could I please ask you to look into these matters.
• Please send us a corrected invoice for $9,479
• I enclose a copy of the book with the errors
highlighted. Please re-print the book and send it
to us by next Friday.
4. WARNING (OPTIONAL)
• Otherwise, we may have to look elsewhere
for our supplies.
• I'm afraid that if these conditions are not
met, we may be forced to take legal action.
• If the outstanding fees are not paid by
Monday, 1 August 2011, you will incur a
10% late payment fee.
5. CLOSING
•I look forward to receiving your
explanation of these matters.
•I look forward to receiving your payment.
•I look forward to hearing from you shortly.
PLEASE NOTE:
 Politeness
The tone of complaint letters should not be aggressive or
insulting, as this would annoy the reader and not
encourage them to solve the problem. In addition, questions
such as 'Why can't you get this right?' should not be
included.

 Content
 The content should contain enough details so that the
receiver does not have to write back requesting more.
 Legal action is not normally threatened in the first letter
of complaint, unless the situation is very serious.
 Fortune Goods
317 Orchard Road
Singapore
22 July 2012

Attn: Mr David Choi

Sales Manager
Everlong Batteries
171 Choi Hung Road
Hung Hom
Hong Kong

Dear Mr Choi

Re. Order No. 768197

I am writing to inform you that the goods we ordered from your company have not been supplied correctly.

On 15 July 2012 we placed an order with your firm for 12,000 ultra super long-life batteries. The
consignment arrived yesterday but contained only 1,200 batteries.

This error put our firm in a difficult position, as we had to make some emergency purchases to fulfill our
commitments to all our customers. This caused us considerable inconvenience.

I am writing to ask you to please make up the shortfall immediately and to ensure that such errors do not
happen again. Otherwise, we may have to look elsewhere for our supplies.

I look forward to hearing from you by return.

Yours sincerely
J. Wong
J. Wong
Purchasing Officer
Flat 303 Lucky Mansions
856 Cheung Sha Wan Road
Cheung Sha Wan
Kowloon
2 July 2012
The Administrative Officer
Exhibition Services
Exhibitions International
33 Kadoorie Avenue
Kowloon
Dear Sir/Madam
I attended your exhibition Sound Systems 2012 at the Fortune Hotel from 12 - 15 July and found it informative and
interesting. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the event was spoiled by a number of organizational problems. I explain
each of the problems below.
Firstly, I had difficulty in registering to attend the event. You set up an on-line registration facility, but I found the
facility totally unworkable. Even after spending several wasted hours trying to register in this way, the computer would
not accept my application. I eventually succeeded in registering by faxing you.
Secondly, the exhibition was held at one of Hong Kong's most prestigious hotels, but frankly the venue was better suited
to a medium-sized business conference than to a large exhibition open by registration to the public. The lack of space led
to serious overcrowding in the venue, particularly at peak visiting times (i.e. lunch times and early evening). On one or
two occasions I was also seriously concerned about the physical safety of attendees.
The final point I want to make concerns product information. It is very enjoyable to see and test a range of excellent
sound systems, but it is also important to be able to take away leaflets on interesting products, so that more research
can be done before deciding which system to buy. However, by the time I attended the exhibition all the leaflets had
been taken.
Could I please ask you to look into these matters - not only on my behalf but also on behalf of other attendees, and in
fact on behalf of your company, too.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully
Michael Leung
Michael Leung