Commercial
correspondence

Vũ Thị Diễm Phúc
Khoa Tiếng Anh Thương Mại


7

COMPLAINTS AND
ADJUSTMENTS


When things go wrong

COMPLAINING


General tips
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Make sure your letter is sent to the right person or
department.
Be polite as sarcasm or rudeness will not help your
cause! Do not be rude or personal

Keep your letter short, clearly present your problem.
Say what you want for your complaint to be
resolved.
Give a reasonable timetable for action to be taken
before you consider other options.
Keep a copy of letters you write.
Clearly print or type your name, address and phone
number. Keep a copy of all letters you send and
receive. If the first letter does not bring a response,
send a second.


Opening
Complain as soon as you realize a
mistake
Do not apologize
▶ We would like to inform you…
▶ I am writing to complain about…


Explaining the problem
Politely point out a mistake if you know it
Never blame
▶Could you tell your despatch department to take
special care when addressing consignments?
▶Could you ask your accounts department to check
my code carefully in future? My account number is
246-642, but they have been sending me
statements coded 642-246.
▶I think the reason that wrong sizes have been sent

to me is because I am ordering in metric sizes, and
you are sending me sizes measured in feet and


Suggesting a solution
Suggest how the matter should be put
right
▶If I send you a debit note for $984 and
deduct it from my next statement, that
should put the matter right. The best
solution would be for me to return the wrong
articles, charging your P&P.
▶Rather than send a credit note you could
send six replacements, which would
probably be easier than adjusting our


Suggesting a solution
▶Debit note is a document used by a buyer to inform a vendor of
the quantity and dollar amount of goods being returned, and
requesting that the dollar amount be returned to the purchaser.
A debit note is often used to return goods on credit. The vendor
then issues a credit note to the purchaser indicating that the
goods have been received, and that the purchaser will not have
to pay for them.
▶Credit note is a letter sent by a seller to a buyer, stating that a
certain amount has been credited to the buyer's account.
A credit note is issued in various situations to correct a mistake,
such as when (1) an invoice amount is overstated, (2) correct
discount rate is not applied, (3) goods spoil within guaranty

period, or (4) they do not meet the buyer's specifications and are
returned. Also called credit memo.


Replying to

LETTERS
OF
COMPLAINT


Opening
Acknowledge
complaint

your

receipt

of

the

Thank the customer for informing you
▶Thank you for your letter of 26 November
informing us that…
▶We would like to thank you for informing us
of our accounting error in your letter of 26
November.
▶We are replying to your letter of 24



Body
Asking for time to deal with the complaint, but
tell your customer you are doing something
about it.
▶While we cannot give you an explanation at
present, we are looking into the problem and will
contact you again shortly.
▶As we are sending out orders promptly, I think
these delays may be occurring during transit. I shall
get in touch with the haulage contractors.
▶Would you please return samples of the items you
are dissatisfied with, and I will send them to our


Body
Explaining the mistake,
blame your staff

but

don’t

▶The mistake was due to a fault in one of
our machines, which has now been
corrected.
▶There appears to have been some
confusion in our addressing system, but
this has been sorted out.

▶It is unusual for this type of error to arise,
but the problem has now been dealt with.


Body
Tell your customer that you are going to put
things right as soon as possible
▶We have now checked our accounts and find that
we have been sending you the wrong statement
due to a confusion in names and addresses. The
database has been adjusted and there should be
no more difficulties. Please contact us again if a
similar situation arises, and thank you again for
pointing out the error.
▶The fabric you complained about has now been
withdrawn. The fault was in the weave of the
cloth, which was due to a programming error in
the weaving machines. This has now been


Body
Be firm when denying your responsibility, but
be polite and try to give an explanation
▶We have closely compared the articles you returned
with our samples and can see no difference
between them. Therefore, in this case we are not
willing either to substitute the articles or to offer a
credit.
▶Our factory has now inspected the unit you
returned last week, and they inform us that the

circuits were overloaded. We can repair the
machine, but it will be necessary to charge you as
incorrect use of the unit is not covered by our


Closing
Mention that the mistake, error, or fault is an
exception.
Apologize for the inconvenience
▶Finally, may we say that this was an exceptional
mistake and is unlikely to occur again. Please
accept our apologies for the inconvenience.
▶Replacement for the faulty articles are on their way
to you, and you should receive them tomorrow. We
are sure that you will be satisfied with them and
there will be no repetition of the faults. Thank you
for your patience in this matter, and we look


Example


Attn. Sig. Daniele Causio
Dear Sig. Causio
Our Order No. 14478
I am writing to you to complain about the shipment of sweaters
we received yesterday against the above order.
The boxes in which the sweaters were packed were damaged,
and looked as if they had been broken open in transit. From
your invoice No.18871 we estimate that thirty garments have

been stolen, to the value of £550.00. Because of the rummaging
in the boxes, quite a few other garments were crushed or
stained and cannot be sold as new articles in our shops.
As the sale was on a CIF basis and the forwarding company
were your agents, we suggest you contact them with regard to
compensation.
You will find a list of the damaged and missing articles enclosed,
and the consignment will be put to one side until we receive
your instructions.
Yours sincerely

Peter Crane
Peter Crane
Chief Buyer


Dear Mr. Crane
Thank you for informing us about the damage to our consignment
(Inv. No 18871).
From our previous transactions you will realize that this sort of
problem is quite unusual. Nevertheless, we are sorry about the
inconvenience it has caused you.
Please would you return the whole consignment to us, postage and
packing forward, and we will ask the shipping company to inspect
the damage so that they can arrange compensation. It is unlikely that
our insurance company needs to be troubled with this case.
If you want us to send you another shipment as per your order No.
14478, please let us know. We have the garments in stock and it
would be no trouble to send them within the next fortnight.
Yours sincerely

Daniele Causio
Sales Director




Thưa oong Green,
Chúng tôi xin cám ơn thư của các ngài đề ngày 26 tháng 5
hỏi về các loại thảm của chúng tôi và điều kiện cho một
đơn đặt hàng mua số lượng lớn. Chúng tôi đã gửi bằng
bưu kiện hàng loạt mẫu thảm thuộc các đề tài và bằng
các nguyên liệu khác nhau kể cả bằng sợi tổng hợp.
Chúng tôi xin gửi kèm theo đây bảng giá, cùng với chi tiết
các điều kiện cho một đơn mua hàng với số lượng lớn.
Chúng tôi mong được tin và ý kiến của các ngài về các loại
thảm của chúng tôi.
Kính chào,
21


Thưa quý ngài,
Chúng tôi xin cám ơn thư của quý ngài đề ngày 26 tháng 5 trong
đó quý ngài hỏi mua xi măng nhãn hiệu con Rồng đỏ của
chúng tôi.
Chúng tôi rất tiếc báo cho các ngài rõ là mặt hàng này hiện nay
đã hết nhưng chúng tôi có thể bán cho quý ngài loại xi măng
nhãn hiệu con Rồng xanh chất lượng tương tự và cùng giá
như loại quý ngài hỏi mua. Loại xi măng này được nhiều khách
hàng ưa chuộng nên bán rất chạy.
Chúng tôi xin gửi kèm thư này bảng giá theo điều kiện FOB Hải

Phòng và hy vọng các ngài sẽ đặt hàng sớm.
Kính chào,
22


• Thank you for your letter dated/of .... Inquiring/enquiring about/
concerning (our range of carpets and the terms for an order for large
quantity/ a large/ substantial order; our Red Dragon brand cement)
• We regret to inform you/ We very much regret / It is our great regret
that... Is unavailable from stock. As a substitute we can supply/offer
you with Blue Dragon brand one of similar quality and at the same
price. This brand is of great demand at the moment and it sells well in
the market/enjoys a ready sale/can find a good market in...
• We have sent you by parcel post our full collection ò patterns/designs
of different materials including synthetic fibre.
• Please find enclosed our price list/ our FOB Hai Phong price list, with
full details of our terms and conditions for a substantial order.
• We look forward to hearing from you/ your reply and comments on
our products/ receiving your early/prompt order.

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