Apology lettersEmails & Messages

Apology letter to customers after an incident

Usually ready in 15 minutesRevisions includedQuality check
Packages
Payment protectionDetails
  • Revisions within the package are free.
  • If you do not respond within 3 days of delivery, the work is accepted automatically.

The money is reserved when you pay and released only once you accept the work.

Apology letter to customers after an incident

Example result

Example for the Standard package

Business letter: payment reminder to a wholesale client

Version A: polite but clear

Subject: Invoices HOC-0412 and HOC-0419: payment now 34 days overdue

Dear Ms. [Surname],

Thank you again for featuring our autumn mugs in your window display. We have heard from several of your customers who found us through your shop, and we value the partnership.

I am writing about two invoices that remain open:

InvoiceDateAmountDue date
HOC-04122 September$1,240.0016 September
HOC-04199 September$865.5023 September
Total$2,105.50

We have not yet received payment for either of them, and our reminder of 1 October went unanswered. If payment has already been sent, please accept our thanks and let me know the date so we can match it.

Could you please settle the total of $2,105.50 by [date, 7 days from sending]? Bank details are at the bottom of both invoices. If a split payment would be easier, reply to this email with a date for each part and we will gladly agree it.

We would like to plan your winter order together, and we can confirm the new collection as soon as the account is up to date.

Kind regards, [Your name] Hollow Oak Ceramics | [phone]

Version B: firm (changed paragraphs)

Subject: Final reminder: $2,105.50 overdue since September

Despite our reminder of 1 October, invoices HOC-0412 and HOC-0419 remain unpaid, now 34 days past their due dates.

Please pay the full $2,105.50 by [date]. Until the account is settled, we are unable to dispatch new orders, including the winter collection reserved for you.

If we do not receive payment or a reply by that date, we will apply the late fee set out in our terms of trade (section 5) and pass the matter to our collections partner.

Notes for you

  • Use Version A first. If there is no reply within 7 days, send Version B.
  • Fill in the bracketed fields and check that the invoice amounts match your records.
  • Only mention the late fee if it really is in the terms the client signed.

Client: Hollow Oak Ceramics, a small pottery studio selling to gift shops Situation: a retail partner has not paid two invoices, now 34 days overdue. The studio wants the money, but also wants to keep the shop as a client. Delivered: one letter in two tones. Version A is below in full; Version B shows the paragraphs that change.

The client and all details are made up.

About this service

After an outage, a shipping delay or a billing error, customers judge you less on the incident than on how you explain it. We write an apology that says what happened in plain words, owns the mistake without corporate hedging, tells customers what it means for them and what you are changing so it does not happen again. If you offer compensation, it is stated clearly with how to claim it.

What is included

  • What you getA customer apology email with a subject line, a plain explanation, the fix and next steps; Standard and Premium add a short notice for your site or social pages. Delivered as text and as a file.
  • Plain explanationWhat happened, without jargon
  • A real apologyNo "we regret any inconvenience"
  • What it means for themOrders, data or accounts affected
  • Fix and preventionWhat changes from now on
  • Compensation detailsHow to claim it, if offered

How it works

  1. 1
    Incident factsYou share what happened and what is fixed
  2. 2
    DraftWe write the apology and subject line
  3. 3
    SendYou confirm the facts and send it to customers

What we need from you

What happened and when, who was affected, what customers saw, what you have fixed, any compensation, and anything you are not allowed to say yet.

We will ask you:

  • What went wrong and how many customers were affected?
  • Is anything still unresolved?
  • Are you offering a refund, credit or discount?
  • Is personal data involved?

Compare packages

PackagesBasicApology email$12StandardEmail and short notice$25PremiumApology, notice and follow-up$45
Deadline1 day2 days3 days
Revisions123
Emails112
Lengthup to 1 pageup to 1.5 pagesup to 1.5 pages each
Short notice for site or socialnoyesyes
Order BasicOrder StandardOrder Premium

Payment protection

You pay when you order, but the money is released only for accepted work.

  • Fixed priceThe package price does not change after you pay.
  • The money is reservedWhen you pay, the amount is only reserved. It is released to the service once you accept the work.
  • Checked before deliveryEvery result goes through a quality check before it reaches you, and you see it on the order page before accepting it.
  • Free revisionsAsk for changes within your brief as many times as the package allows.
  • Acceptance after 3 daysIf within 3 days of delivery you neither accept the work nor ask for changes, it is accepted automatically. If you write in the order chat after delivery, the order waits; once we answer, we may start the 3 days again and will say so in the chat.
  • Redo or a full refundIf the result does not match your brief and the revisions did not fix it, or the work takes more than twice its deadline, write in the order chat: we will redo the work or refund the payment in full.
How it works →

Questions and answers

Do you write data breach notifications?

We write the letter customers read. Breach notices often have content required by law, so have your legal team check it.

Should we say sorry outright?

Yes, clearly and once. We leave out any admissions your lawyer has asked you to avoid.

Can you write a status page update too?

Yes, Standard and Premium include a short version for your site or social pages.

Did not find your answer?

Packages