Is it me or does everyone here just always forget to reply to those e-mails and text messages, which you remembered the whole day, and the second you had time to reply, you forgot! And right before sleeping you remembered, and now you say: Oh, No! I’ll do it first thing tomorrow morning!” And you just keep on forgetting. And before you know it you realize a month has passed, now it’ll be just too rude to reply and you feel bad, but it’s okay, everyone’s been there once or twice, probably even more. It’s better late than never! Everything’s going to be alright, maybe not today, but eventually!
Things have already gone too far for a text or a call back, even for apology emails. Time for a more formal and traditional apology to prevent further damage, time to send an apology letter! Address them formally, and by name, showing empathy yet giving the appropriate reason that saves face for the company. Keep it plain and simple; less flowery words, less jargon, more empathy, more humility.
Show them your willingness to make concessions; doing whatever is in your power to improve the relationship, and show gratitude for their feedback. Tell them how important, significant, and helpful it is to you. In such letters, it’s important to end on a grateful note, and hope they’ll continue being your customer.
Here’s a sample apology letter to a customer for a delay in response:
Apology Letter to Customer for Delay in Response
Trisha A. Connelly
CEO
Fit Shoes
58 West Ave
Chester, SC 52441
(000) 989-6754
t.connelly @ fitshoes . com
December 18, 2016
Mr. Robert C. Snider,
2339 Emily Drive
Chester, SC 29706
Dear Mr. Snider:
It has come to my attention that it’s been a month now since you sent us an email and you still haven’t received a reply from us! I want you to know that this is unacceptable, we don’t treat our customer like this! On behalf of Fit Shoes, please accept our sincere apologies. We feel bad and are terribly sorry for the delay in responding to your email and the disappointment this has caused you.
We try our best to timely respond to every communication from our visitors and customers as soon as we possibly can, and strive to give you a better experience every time you visit or shop with us. As you know, we had a big sale this last Cyber Monday, and the response has been overwhelming, which means we have in store more exciting offers and discounts coming up! While we’re thrilled to receive over a million inquiries, and while our aim is to respond to each one as promptly as possible, we’re sad that sometimes it’s not technically possible. We’re working on enabling our sales department to reply as many people as possible in the shortest possible time, as we speak; all this is good news but in no way an excuse for your bad experience.
With this letter, we’re sending you a 15% off coupon for your next order. We are grateful for your correspondence, and hope you will forgive this delay in responding on our part, and that your future experiences with Fit Shoes will be to your satisfaction. If there is anything else I can assist you with, Mr. Snider, please don’t hesitate to contact me at (000) 989-6754.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Trisha A. Connelly
CEO
Fit Shoes