What are ‘bad news’ letters’? What are the points to be kept in mind when such letters are drafted and sent?

 Bad news fetters are those which provide bad news about products and services, which decline requects for information or help; which decline invlttt~ons or requests for favour; or refuse a job application. In this section, we will discuss two kinds of bad news letters: making a complaint and declining a request.

Bad news Ietters are easier to write when you remember the two formulas for organizing the content of such correspondence. Although the formulas appear to be only slightly different, the reader is likely to respond to each format in a different way.

Usually, we can follow two approaches to giving someone bad news. Either state the bad news straightaway, without prefacing it, or prepare the reader first for the bad news, then give the bad news. The direct approaeh can be used as long as the complaint or the refusal doesn't sound abrupt harsh. The indirect approach is at times more appmpriate because it helps in preserving relationships under difficult circumstances for both writer and reader.

• 1)      Letters of complaint

We write letters of complaint when we ere dissatisfied with a product or service. When you make a complaint in writing it can sometimes be difficult to know what to say.

Study the sample letter given below carefully. In the letter some of the words are in bdd. Try to say why the highlighted words are inappropriate or ineMve. This will help you to avoid common mistakes in writing letters of complaint.

One of the reasons for writing a letter of complaint is that we wish the reader to do something about the complaint. The letter above expresses so much anger that is sure to upset ar irritate the reader. Let us find out what makes this letter ineffwtive and badly written.

'1 recently bought a sofa and it just was not right". This phrase 'just not right' is quite vague and does not tell the reader the actual problem with the product. It uppears to be the customer's personal =action to the product. It we said "the sofa is tm tow and it is painful to sit in it far a long period of time"", the complaint becomes objective.

Letters of complaint are likely to be more successful if we focus on positive wording rather than negative wording or direct criticism. Most people respond more favourably to positive ideas than negative ones.

As we see from the two letters above, a positive wording changes a letter of complaint to a letter of request (for inspection): one asking for information about the expected life of the hub. The creates goodwill with the reader and the company we are complaining to, rather than putting them on the defensive. We know that when we are directly accused of something, our first instinct is to resist, and defend ourselves. This is what happens when we make direct accusations in our letter of complaint. Therefore, though our purpose is that of complaining (about a product or a service) it should come through in a letter as a neutral statement of facts and a request for some action. This is a better way to get a favourable response.

• 2)      Answering Letters of Complnfnt

We know from experience that it is easier to write a letter of complaint than to answer one. The most important thing in answering letters of complaint is not to get defensive and fight back, but to give adequate explanations which will pacify the writer and which would help in straightening the company's or your relationship with the customer. How can this be done?

As readers we are most interested to know what the compagylwriter CAN DO and WILL DO, rather.than what it CANNOT. Compare the examples below. Which would be more likely to get a positive reader response?

• ·         We cannot ship in lots of less than 12. ( What the company CANNOT DO)
• ·         To keep down packaging costs and to help customers save on shipping costs we ship in lots of 12 or more.(What the company Does, or CAN DO)

In answering letters of complaint, it is also important that we do not project our company in :t bad light. For this, it is important to speak in a positive tone about our product, services or company. This will ensure that the customer comes back to us and does not go to other products in the market.

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