LETTERS THAT ADJUST (letters of apology)
Letters that we write in response to claims may be called adjustments. These letters are among the most difficult to write as they require, under all circumstances, patience, tact and diplomacy. You will not lose your customer if you react to his claim promptly, if you show understanding of the situation and express your willingness to adjust it. Say exactly what steps you are going to take – this will convince your partner that you are really interested in maintaining goodwill. When writing a letter of adjustment try to avoid negative statements or (even worse) accusations, never forget that your customer is the one who keeps you in business.
There are two types of adjustment letters:
1) When your partner is right in sending you a letter of complaint, i.e. you have made a mistake and the claim is justified.
2) When the customer is wrong in sending you a claim, because it is not your fault. It may be the fault of:
a) the letter writer, and his claim is unreasonable and unjustified;
b) a third party, often the carrier.
Even when you write your partner a letter rejecting his claim try to give a logical reason for the refusal. It will help you to retain goodwill.
When you write an adjustment letter admitting your fault, follow this plan:
- acknowledge and probably thank your partner for some previous contacts written or oral;
- admit your fault or error and apologize for the inconvenience caused and/or damage done (you may also offer explanation why it happened);
- explain what exactly you are going to do (what steps you are going to take to improve the situation);
- finish your letter with a goodwill-building statement.
This type of adjustments may be called letters of apology.
(1) Study the functions:
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Expressing apology |
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1 |
We are sorry for the inconvenience we caused you, and you can be sure we will make every effort to prevent it from happening again. |
Мы извиняемся за неудобство, которое причинили Вам, но Вы можете быть уверены, что мы приложим все усилия, чтобы не дать этому случиться снова (чтобы этого впредь не произошло). |
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2 |
We are sorry for the trouble we caused you and hope you will accept our sincere apologies. |
Мы сожалеем по поводу беспокойства, которое причинили Вам, и надеемся, что Вы примите наши искренние извинения. |
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3 |
Please accept our apologies. |
Пожалуйста, примите наши извинения. |
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4 |
We are sorry for causing you inconvenience. |
Мы извиняемся за доставляемое неудобство (приносим извинения, что причиняем Вам неудобство). |
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5 |
The mistake was obviously ours. We misunderstood your complaint. We have taken steps to correct the situation and hope to get in touch with you in a few days. |
Ошибка, безусловна, была наша. Мы неверно поняли Вашу претензию. Мы предприняли шаги, чтобы исправить ситуацию и надеемся связаться с Вами через несколько дней. |
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Expressing appreciation to the partner for his understanding |
Выражение признательности партнеру за понимание. |
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6 |
We shall always appreciate your confidence in us. |
Мы всегда будем признательны за доверие нам. |
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7 |
Thank you for giving us an opportunity to be of service to you. |
Спасибо за предоставление нам возможности быть Вам полезными. |
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8 |
We appreciate your telling us all about this problem and giving us an opportunity to correct it. |
Мы признательны за то, что Вы рассказали нам все об этой проблеме и дали нам возможность исправить ситуацию. |
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9 |
We appreciate your patience and will continue to do our best to earn your confidence. |
Мы признательны за Ваше терпение и будем продолжать делать все, что в наших силах, чтобы завоевать Ваше доверие. |
(2) Translate the texts of the letters into Russian
p. 133 – Admitting fault (A) – Признаниевины
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English: |
Russian: |
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Dear Sirs |
Уважаемые господа, |
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Thanking for previous contacts |
Thank you for your letter of 22 June informing us of the error in our Invoice No. 35-187 of 10 June. |
Благодарим за ваше письмо от 22 июня с указанием на допущенную нами |
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