bad news letter
1.11 Bad News Messages
Example of a bad news letter
Your order for five Canon LPB-8 A1 Laser Printers arrived today. This lightweight, rapid-speed, letter quality printer is the leading machine in the field.
Our main function is to purchase office equipment in large quantities and then resell it to retailers. In order to do this most efficiently, we ask that all orders be for at least 12 units.
If you will call me at 551-5656 and increase your order to a dozen or more, your machines will be shipped within three days.
Should you feel that this order is too large, Harrison & Sons, Inc, a retailer in your area, should be able to provide you with excellent service.(Give a solution) Their price will be slightly higher than ours, but they have a fine reputation for sales and service. You can reach them at 227-0404.
The first paragraph, the buffer, discusses the quality of the machine, a fact with which both the buyer and the seller can agree. The reasons for the bad news and the bad news itself are presented in sequential order. The third paragraph offers a solution for the problem. The final close offers an alternative. In writing a bad news letter, every effort should be made to reduce the impact.
A well-written bad news letter will accomplish three objectives:
1. The reader will realise that the bad news decision is final.
2. The person will understand that the decision was both fair and reasonable. 3. The reader's attitude towards the writer and the company will remain positive. A bad news letter has four elements: buffer, reasons, decision and close.
They are discussed in detail on the next pages.
Buffer
A buffer is a neutral or non-controversial statement that is used to open a bad news letter. The most effective buffers have four characteristics:
1. they are pleasant;
2. they are relevant to the issue;
3. they are neutral in tone, saying neither yes nor no;
4. they provide a transition to the next part of the letter where
Example of a bad news letter
Your order for five Canon LPB-8 A1 Laser Printers arrived today. This lightweight, rapid-speed, letter quality printer is the leading machine in the field.
Our main function is to purchase office equipment in large quantities and then resell it to retailers. In order to do this most efficiently, we ask that all orders be for at least 12 units.
If you will call me at 551-5656 and increase your order to a dozen or more, your machines will be shipped within three days.
Should you feel that this order is too large, Harrison & Sons, Inc, a retailer in your area, should be able to provide you with excellent service.(Give a solution) Their price will be slightly higher than ours, but they have a fine reputation for sales and service. You can reach them at 227-0404.
The first paragraph, the buffer, discusses the quality of the machine, a fact with which both the buyer and the seller can agree. The reasons for the bad news and the bad news itself are presented in sequential order. The third paragraph offers a solution for the problem. The final close offers an alternative. In writing a bad news letter, every effort should be made to reduce the impact.
A well-written bad news letter will accomplish three objectives:
1. The reader will realise that the bad news decision is final.
2. The person will understand that the decision was both fair and reasonable. 3. The reader's attitude towards the writer and the company will remain positive. A bad news letter has four elements: buffer, reasons, decision and close.
They are discussed in detail on the next pages.
Buffer
A buffer is a neutral or non-controversial statement that is used to open a bad news letter. The most effective buffers have four characteristics:
1. they are pleasant;
2. they are relevant to the issue;
3. they are neutral in tone, saying neither yes nor no;
4. they provide a transition to the next part of the letter where