There is no shame in apologizing to a customer if you have obviously been responsible for a problem that may or could have affected his or her work. An official apology letter can be written under many circumstances, including delay in orders. In such incidences when an error at your end has delayed a customer’s order, the best thing to do is to apologize through a letter.
Whether you are running an online store or a physical outlet, delays are neither appreciated nor understood. If you have promised that an order will be delivered on a certain day, it should be. In the event it isn’t, your reputation as a businessperson can be tainted. Word gets around easily nowadays (thanks to technology) and it is often quite a horror trying to explain to a customer why you weren’t able to live up to his or her expectations.
An apology letter in the event of an order delay may pave the way for future deals. You’ll be amazed to know that many customers are actually quite understanding when it comes to genuine problems. Some may not be too happy with you though, so it’s best to write an apology letter to the customer – just in case.
Here is an example:
Apology Letter to Customer for Delay
Duke Manning
Customer Service Manager
Cringenot Services
556 Dale Street
Blawnox, PA 44021
Tel: (000) 590-3719
November 22, 2016
Mr. Harold Baton
5580 Pheasant Street
Blawnox, PA 15963
Dear Mr. Baton:
This is with reference to your order # 109R77 which was placed online on our website cringenot . com. We regret to inform you that despite our best efforts to deliver your order to you at the promised time, unforeseen circumstances have forced us into a rather unfortunate delay.
As you are aware, the holiday season is here and the amount of orders that we received this year were overwhelming. So much so, that we had to refuse service to over 50 customers, knowing that the rush would not let us deliver their orders on time. Since you have been our valued customer for over 4 years, it will be a pleasure to serve you under any circumstances, which is why we are doing our best to have your order shipped out immediately.
While we promised to have your order delivered by Tuesday, November 22, 2016, the aforementioned constraints have stopped us from doing so. However, you will definitely receive it no later than Thursday, November 24, 2016.
Please accept our sincerest apologies for this delay. We are taking measures to ensure that a similar issue does not limit us in our deliveries in the future.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Duke Manning