14. Adjustments

14.1 the objective of an adjustment

Replies to complaint letters, often called letters of “adjustment” or “compensation letter”.The objective is to inform a customer of a corrective measure that will resolve an unsatisfactory situation. It also serves as a legal document notifying the recipient that the complaint has been received and is being properly handled.

14.2 the rules for writing adjustments

Coping with a complaint is one of the most difficult tasks facing the correspondent. First he must find out whether the complaint is justified or not. If that cannot be as­certained within a few days, he should write the customer immediately that he is investigating and will send a full reply soon. He should, however, avoid making rash pro­mises.Replies must always be courteous; even if the sellers think that the complaint is bottomless they should not say so until they have reliable grounds on which to repudiate the claim. If the complaint is justified, the sellers should at once apologize to the buyers and offer a suitable compensation or indemnification or suggest a solution.When the sellers are the first to discover that a mistake has been made they should not wait for a complaint, but should write, cable or telephone at once to let the buyers know, and either put the matter right or offer some compensation. If on making a claim the buyers have offered to keep the goods, the sellers will probably agree to this and to a price reduction. Yet, if the value of goods in question is high, it might be advantageous to have them returned, though in this case, the added risk of damage in reverse transport should be taken into account.

14.3 the parts of adjustments

Opening: Begin with a reference to the date of the original letter of complaint and to the purpose of your letter. Acknowledge that you have received the complaint, express your concern over the writer's troubles and your appreciation that he has written you.

Explaining the mistakeIf the complaint is justified, explain how the mistake occurred but do not blame your staff; you employed them, so you are responsible for their actions. There is no need for the suppliers to go into a long story of how the mistake was made; a short explanation will be enough. Explanations for why the situation occurred are of less importance than the solution.

Getting time to investigate the complaintSometimes you cannot deal with a complaint immediately, as the matter needs to be looked into. Do not leave your customer waiting, but tell him what you are doing straight away.

Solving the problemHaving acknowledged your responsibility and explained what went wrong, you must, of course, put matters right as soon as possible and tell your customer that you are doing so. If you grant the request, don't sound as if you are doing so in a begrudging way.

Rejecting a complaint .If you think the complaint is unjustified, you can be firm but polite in your answer. But even if you deny responsibility, you should always try to give an explanation of the problem.

ClosingIt is useful when closing your letter to mention that this mistake, error, or fault is an exception, and it either rarely or never happens, and of course you should apologize for the inconvenience your customer experienced. Conclude the letter cordially, perhaps expressing confidence that you and the writer will continue doing business, assure him that such a thing will never happen again. Finally, let your customer know how much you appreciate the business connection with him. If possible, point to a new line you are bringing out or make him a special offer.

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