Delivering Unfavorable News (Bad News Or Trouble Letters) ✓ Solved

Delivering Unfavourable News (bad news or trouble letters)

Delivering unfavourable news (bad news or trouble letters). Examples of letter delivering unfavourable news? BUSINESS MESSAGES: Indirect Writing Plan. Using the Indirect Strategy traditional way of delivering bad news. Allows you greater tact and diplomacy. When to use the “Indirect” strategy when delivering bad news, when you don’t know the reader well, when the bad news isn’t anticipated by the reader, and when you anticipate a strong negative reaction from the reader. Emotional reaction…. The Indirect Strategy: Begin with a bad news buffer, provide a solid, reasonable explanation, state (reveal) the bad news, and offer suggestion/compromise, close with a goodwill statement. Begin with a “buffer.” This is a short statement that grabs attention, cushions the bad news, and guides the reader to the explanation. Buffers are usually a statement of appreciation, good or neutral news, general principle or fact, chronology of past communications, statement of agreement or common ground, apology (when necessary) or statement of understanding, compliment. Examples of “buffers”: “Thank you for allowing us to review your application for the position of accounts executive at IBM Computers Inc.” “Our company has shown a long tradition of support for employees in their fundraising activities for local charities.” “When we last spoke in October, I agreed to review our shipping procedures for perishable goods.”

Provide a solid, reasonable explanation. An explanation that establishes background and reasons to help the reader understand, adjust to, and accept the bad news. State the bad news. Make sure the message is clear. Offer an alternative/recommendation/option. Remember: Offer Suggestions/Alternatives. What could they be?

Close with a goodwill statement. End the message pleasantly, showing consideration for the reader. Your task is to choose one of the scenarios and write the letter. Please adhere to business letter layout as per your text and samples. You may need to do research on these scenarios if you are unfamiliar with the information surrounding them so feel free to research away and/or make up other information you think will be helpful to achieve your purpose! Your letter will be marked according to proper formatting, grammar, purpose, audience, context, and content. The length of your correspondence is two pages maximum. Ensure you use your own name and sign the letter. Save as a PDF when you submit your work. Whichever scenario you choose, keep in mind the trouble letter techniques discussed in class; the effective application of these techniques will be the most heavily weighted element of your document.

Scenario #1: You are the owner of a new restaurant called The Hungry Chef; your company address is: 5432 Homer Street in Vancouver, BC V4R 7P9. You must write a letter to respond to the following complaint and demand: Bob and Allie Kim have demanded that you offer them free meals for the next month. They learned of a promotional offer for your restaurant where if a customer’s experience at your restaurant was less than satisfactory, you would offer a customer a complimentary meal at their next visit. However, last Valentine’s Day, you were short-staffed and the Kim’s experiences were less than satisfactory; they made a reservation for their romantic night out, but they were late, so you had to give up their seats during the busy holiday. When the Kims were finally seated, the food they received was not to their liking. Under these circumstances, however, you do not feel justified in giving them free meals for a month because it would cost too much money. You would like to retain the goodwill of the new customers, since this is an affluent neighborhood and you hope to attract a great reputation. On the other hand, you cannot afford to accommodate their needs since the budget will not allow you to do so. Your task: write to Mr. and Mrs. Kim, 3333 Clearview Drive, Vancouver, BC T2N 3E4 refusing their claim, but you would be happy to provide alternatives.

Scenario #2: You are the Events Coordinator of the company Tourism Go Go! You are located at: 1653 Adventure Street, North Vancouver, BC R6Y 1J9. After contacting many venues, you have decided to hold your sales meeting at The Luxury Sleeper downtown at 5830 Pender Street, Vancouver, BC N8J 8T9. You were quoted a price for the room booking and services for $5,800 for the day which includes: a meeting room from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., a cold buffet lunch served at 12:30 p.m., and coffee/tea service at 3 p.m. You also need an LCD projector and screen. One of your sales team has a severe allergy to nuts and you need the venue to be aware of this. However, there was a miscommunication and the original quote you were priced is no longer an option and you are quoted more than you bargained for. Since you already placed the deposit, you cannot cancel the room booking and services without penalties and there is not enough money in the budget to pay more for the services since you are working with a very limited budget for this event. Your task: send a letter to the Event Manager at the hotel which resolves this problem.

Paper For Above Instructions

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Kim,

Thank you for your feedback regarding your recent visit to The Hungry Chef on Valentine's Day. We appreciate the time and effort you took to share your experience, and we value all our customers' opinions as they help us improve our service.

We sincerely apologize that your dining experience did not meet your expectations. As the owner of The Hungry Chef, I take pride in the quality of our food and the dedication of our staff. Unfortunately, that evening, we experienced an unexpected staffing shortage, which impacted our ability to provide the level of service we strive for. I understand that your reservation was compromised due to your late arrival and I regret that this caused you inconvenience.

While we have a policy for offering complimentary meals to customers who are dissatisfied with their experience, I must clarify that our resources are limited, and extending a month of free meals is beyond our capacity at this time. This policy is designed to assist those whose experience was affected by circumstances beyond their control, and, regrettably, your late arrival contributed to the challenges faced that evening.

However, I would like to offer a compromise that may address your concerns. I would be happy to provide you with a complimentary meal for your next visit to The Hungry Chef. This way, we can ensure that you have a chance to enjoy our menu the way it was intended. Additionally, I would also like to offer you a discount on your next visit as a gesture of goodwill.

We pride ourselves on providing excellent service and a delightful dining experience, which is why we are committed to making it right. I hope you understand our position and the constraints we face as a new establishment. We are continually working on improving and your feedback plays an essential role in that process.

Thank you for your understanding. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again and restore your faith in our restaurant.

Best regards,

[Your Name]

Owner, The Hungry Chef

References

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