I have 4__________________ into the matter and I was 5________________ to find that our 6__________________ had sent us the wrong components and had also 7________________ them, so that our clerks did not realise the mistake. Of course we should have 8_________________, but I am 9__________________ to say that we did not do so.
The only thing I can do is to 10________________ that you return the faulty items (we will, of course, 11_________________ the shipping costs) and we will replace them with the correct items or 12__________________ you with their value. We apologise for the error and are taking steps to ensure that it is not repeated.
2.8 Silvina Pietragalli recently flew home to Argentina. She had a very unpleasant flight and she wrote to Alpha Airlines to complain about it.
These are the points she mentioned in her letter:
• a group of young people were behaving badly;
• they were drinking alcohol and being very noisy;
• they were moving around the plane disturbing other passengers;
• passengers were unable to relax or sleep;
• the cabin crew were unable to deal with the situation;
• the situation not only unpleasant but dangerous;
• Ms Pietragalli is unlikely to fly with Alpha Airlines again.
The following reply was sent to Ms Pietragalli by Alpha's Customer Relations Manager. Complete the letter with suitable words or phrases from below:
compensate concerned the difficulties you encountered in the future inconvenience looked into once again sincere apologies to my attention to offer you unfortunately
Ms. Silvina Pietragalli
Av Mansilla 15
08034 Buenos Aires
Argentina December 15
Dear Ms. Pietragalli:
Thank you for your letter of December 10. I was extremely .......................1 to learn about the unpleasant experience you had during your flight to Argentina. I would like to apologize on behalf of Alpha Airlines for the annoyance and ..........................................2 you suffered.
I have .......................................3 the matter and talked to the staff concerned. They agreed that the young people were noisy and some of them did drink too much. However, they said that these passengers seemed to be having a good time and the staff didn't want to 'spoil their fun'. I showed them your letter and explained how upset you were. They now regret that they did not take action to control the situation. They wish to offer you their ..........................................4 . I should add that the flight attendants in question had only recently finished their training and therefore were rather inexperienced. .........................................5, they were not used to dealing with this kind of situation. I am sure that they will learn from the incident and know how to deal with such behaviour in future.
I hope that the 'bad memories' of the flight will soon disappear. To..........................................6 for the inconvenience caused to you, I would like..........................................7 a gift from our catalogue. Please choose one of the items displayed in the catalogue on pages 6-10. Let us know your selection and we shall send you the gift without delay.
.........................................8, please accept our apologies for ..........................................9. Thank you very much for bringing this matter .........................................10. I very much hope that you will continue to use our airline when you travel .........................................11.
Yours sincerely,
Lisa Kaplan
Lisa Kaplan
Customer Relations Manager
Put the following points in order to show how Lisa Kaplan's letter is organized:
· offer some kind of compensation;
· apologise;
· refer to the letter received;
· show understanding and sympathy;
· apologise again.
2.9 Write a suitable letter to deal with one of these situations. Invent an address for the people and companies concerned. Use some of the expressions from the Useful language box.
1. An official of a national Health Authority is angry because deliveries of drugs from your company arrived a month late. The drugs were needed urgently.
2. A company buyer refuses to accept a shipment of personalised pens sent by your company because the company's name has been misspelt on each pen.
3. An accounts manager writes to you about errors in a sales invoice you sent to them concerning the sale of 20 tables and chairs. They were billed for $40,800. The correct amount is $4,800.
2.10 Complete this reply to the complaint about delivery in the exercise above.
BEEBOP FOOTWEAR
Wholesale & Retail
MrM.Hopkins
The Golden Boot 23
Birchington Road
Cheirnsford
Essex CM4 SFG 23 May
Dear Mr Hopkins,
We were very sorry to receive your letter complaining 1________________ a damaged and incomplete consignment, order ref 20G/FF/103.
Our staff has been 2___________________ great pressure recently to deal with an unusually large number of orders, and unfortunately mistakes have occurred. We have already arranged 3__________________ all replacements and missing items to be shipped to you.
You will also be pleased to hear that, under the circumstances, we have decided to offer you a 6% discount instead of the 4% formerly agreed.
Please accept our apologies 4_______________ the inconvenience caused, and rest assured that we will do our utmost to ensure that such mistakes do not occur again 5_________________ the future.
We look forward 6________________ doing business 7________________ you again.
Yours sincerely,
Fraus Vierstraete
Sales Director
An enquiry can be made by telephone, telegram (cable), fax, or postcard. If you use a postcard, it is not necessary to begin with a salutation (Dear Sir, etc.) nor end with a complimentary close (Yours faithfully, etc.) Your address, the date, and reference is sufficient.
If you need to give more information about yourself or ask the supplier for more information, you will need to write a letter. The contents of this will depend on three things: how well you know your supplier; whether your supplier is at home or abroad; and the type of goods you are enquiring about - there is a difference between asking IBM about the cost of installing a complex computer and asking a publisher how much a book would cost.
Tell your supplier what sort of firm you are.
Our company is a subsidiary of Universal Business Machines and we specialize in...
We are one of the main producers of industrial chemicals in Germany, and we are interested in...
How did you hear about the firm you are writing to? It might be useful to point out that you know a firm's associates, or that they were recommended to you by a consulate or Trade Association.
You were recommended to us by Mr John King, of Lasworn & Davies, Merchant Bankers.
We were advised by Spett. Marco Gennovisa of Milan that you were interested in supplying…
It is possible to use other references:
We were impressed by the selection of gardening tools that were displayed on your stand at this year's Gardening Exhibition held in Hamburg.
Our associates in the packaging industry speak highly of your Zeta packing machines and we would like to have more information about them. Could you send us…
It is not necessary to give a lot of information about yourself when asking for catalogues, brochures, booklets, etc. This can be done by postcard, but remember to supply your address, unless it is already printed, phone number, telex, and fax number if you have one. It would also be helpful if you could briefly point out any particular items you are interested in.
Could you please send your current catalogue and price-list for exhibition stands? We are particularly interested in 'furniture display' stands.
Would you let us have your summer brochure for holidays to Greece and the Greek Islands, and supply details of any low fares and tariffs for the month of September?
When asking for goods or services you must be specific and state exactly what you want. If replying to an advertisement you should mention the journal or newspaper, the date, and quote any box number or department number given, e.g. Box No. 341; Dept. 4/12B. And if referring to, or ordering from a catalogue, brochure, leaflet, or prospectus, always quote the reference, e.g. Cat. No. A149; Holiday No. J/M/3; Item No. 351; Course BL 362.
I am replying to your advertisement in the June edition of 'Tailor and Cutter'. I would like to know more about the 'steam pressers' which you offered at cost price.
Could you please give me more information about course BL 362 which appears in the language learning section of your summer prospectus?
You might want to see what a material or item looks like before placing an order. Most suppliers are willing to provide samples or patterns so that you can make a selection. However, few would send a complex piece of machinery for you to look at. In that case you would be invited to visit a showroom, or the supplier would offer to send a representative. Nevertheless, if it is practical, ask to see an example of the article you want to buy.
We would also appreciate it if you could send some samples of the material so that we can examine the texture and quality.
I would like to discuss the problem of maintenance before deciding which model to install in my factory. I would be grateful if you could arrange for one of your representatives to call on me within the next two weeks.
Firms sometimes state prices and conditions in their advertisements or literature and may not like prospective customers making additional demands. However, even if conditions are quoted, it is possible to mention that you usually expect certain concessions. Although it is true that once a supplier has quoted a price and stated terms, he may be unwilling to change them, by suggesting your terms you indicate that certain conditions may persuade you to place an order.
We usually deal on a 30% trade discount basis with an additional quantity discount for orders over 1,000 units.
Could you let us know if you allow cash or trade discounts?
We intend to place a substantial order, and would therefore like to know what quantity discounts you allow.
Usually a simple 'thank you' is sufficient to close an enquiry. However, you could mention that a prompt reply would be appreciated, or as the examples show, that certain terms or guarantees would be necessary.
Thank you for your attention. We hope to hear from you in the near future.
We would be grateful for an early reply.
If the concessions we have asked for could be met, we would place a substantial order.
You can also indicate further business, or other lines you would be interested in if you think they could be supplied. If a supplier thinks that you may become a regular customer, rather than someone who has placed the odd order, he would be more inclined to quote competitive terms and offer concessions.
If the prices quoted are competitive, and the quality up to standard, we will order on a regular basis.
Provided you can offer favourable quotations, and guarantee delivery within four weeks from receipt of order, we will place regular orders with you.
In this letter the customer is replying to an advertisement for cassettes which he saw in a trade journal. The advertiser gave little information, so the writer will have to ask for details.
Disc SA
251 rue des Raimonires F-86000 Poitiers Cedex
Tel: (33) 99681031 Telecopie: (33) 102163
Ref: PG/AL 12 May 19-
The Sales Dept.
R.G. Electronics AG
Havmart 601
D-5000 Koln
Dear Sirs,
We are a large record store in the centre of Poitiers and would like to know more about the tapes and cassettes you advertised in this month's edition of 'Hi Fi News'.
Could you tell us if the cassettes are leading brand names, or made by small independent companies, and whether they would be suitable for recording classical music or only dictations and messages? It would also be helpful if you could send us some samples and if they are of the standard we require, we will place a substantial order. We would also like to know if you are offering any trade discounts. Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
P. Gerard
P. Gerard
Questions:
1. Why does M. Gerard say they are a large' record store?
2. Is he interested in high-quality cassettes or low-quality cassettes?
3. What two things does he require before he places an order?
4. How did he hear about the advert?
5. If the letter began Dear Mr… what would the complimentary close be?
6. Is M. Gerard asking about any special concessions?
7. Which words in the letter correspond to the following: publication, product's name, vocal instructions, examples, large?
This letter is from a Birmingham chain of retail shops to an Italian manufacturer. Here the retailer explains how he got to know about the manufacturer, and suggests that a quantity discount and acceptance of his method of payment would persuade him to place an order. He is staling his terms in his enquiry because he feels that as a bulk buyer he can stipulate conditions. But you will see from the reply that although the Italian manufacturer wants the order, he does not like the terms, and suggests conditions that are more suitable to him.
F. Lynch & Co. Ltd.
(Head Office), Nesson House, Newell Street, Birmingham B3 3EL
Telephone No.: 021 236 6571 Fax: 021 236 8592 Telex: 341641
Satex S.p.A Your ref:
Via di Pietra Papa Our ref: Inq. C351
00146 Roma
ITALY 6 February 200-
Dear Sirs,
We were impressed by the selection of sweaters that were displayed on your stand at the 'Menswear Exhibition' that was held in Hamburg last month.
We are a large chain of retailers and are looking for a manufacturer who could supply us with a wide range of sweaters for the teenage market.
As we usually place very large orders, we would expect a quantity discount in addition to a 20% trade discount off net list prices, and our terms of payment are normally 30-day bill of exchange, documents against acceptance.
If these conditions interest you, and you can meet orders of over 500 garments at one time, please send us your current catalogue and price-list. We hope to hear from you soon.
Yours faithfully,
L. Crane
L. Crane
Chief Buyer
Questions:
1. How did Lynch & Co. get to know about Satex?
2. What market are Lynch & Co. interested in?
3. How many sweaters are they likely to order?
4. What discounts are they asking for?
5. How will payment be made?
6. What expression does Mr Crane use to show Lynch is a large firm?