introduction
Following the email memo to Evan Crisp, students were given another opportunity to utilize the writing with you-attitude by creating emails in the setting of a conflict resolution. We were tasked with writing two different types of emails in a professional manner – one in the form of a complaint, from the perspective of a customer, and another in the form of a response, from the perspective of a manger aiming to resolve the conflict.
complaint letter + Response letter
Letter #1: Complaint Letter
Johnathan Tam
123 XYZ Road
Vancouver, BC 123 XYZ
Telephone: (604)-123-4567
tamjohn@student.ubc.ca
November 12, 2021
FedEx Ship Centre
3151 Aylmer Road
Richmond, BC V7B 1L5
Telephone: 1-(800)-463-3339
Dear FedEx Management,
I am writing due to a recent unsatisfactory experience with a delivery managed by your company. My chief complaint is that a delivery was not attempted by your drivers. Furthermore, the FedEx team’s response to the delay was unprofessional and exhibited a lack of care.
On October 15th, 2021, I purchased a duffel bag from SportChek and was told it would arrive within 5 business days (end of day October 22nd) via FedEx. I provided my shipping information, including a buzzer number for my condo, and was given a tracking order for my purchase (FX123456789101112). Unfortunately, by October 26th, my order had still not arrived and there was also no update on the tracking number. I was a bit worried that my order was lost but I remained patient as I know orders can be delayed at times. It was what happened next that was disappointing and showed a lack of professionalism from the FedEx team.
To my surprise, on October 28th, I returned to my condo with a note on the lobby door saying that FedEx had tried to contact me but failed so now I had to go in-person to pick-up the package. This was extremely shocking to me because my buzzer number is connected to my phone; yet, my phone never rang that day. I had even left my phone number on the delivery details to provide further options for the delivery. To make matters worse, when I called the customer service to voice my dissatisfaction with the driver not attempting a delivery, the representative was apathetic and simply stated “nothing can be done.”
I was very understanding when the order was delayed because I know circumstances can arise that are beyond our control. However, I find the FedEx team’s response, from the driver who did not attempt a delivery to the customer service representative who showed a complete lack of interest in my concerns, to be unacceptable. It is the duty of the driver to contact the recipient using the options available and only leave the pick-up notice when they have exhausted all options. The customer service representative should also show more care when handling these issues and offer some solutions rather than say “nothing can be done.”
As the FedEx pickup location is quite far from my home and inconvenient to access, I would hope that FedEx can arrange for another delivery attempt to be made. I hope that you are able to assist me in resolving this issue.
Thank you,
Johnathan
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Letter #2 – Bad News Adjustment Letter
John Doe, FedEx Branch Manager
FedEx Richmond Ship Centre
3151 Aylmer Rd
Richmond, BC V7B 1L5
November 15, 2021
Johnathan Tam
123 XYZ Road
Vancouver, BC 123 XYZ
Telephone: (604)-123-4567
tamjohn@student.ubc.ca
Dear Mr. Johnathan Tam,
I hope this email finds you well.
I wanted to offer my sincere apologies for your most recent experience with our delivery service. At FedEx, we pride ourselves for our on-time deliveries and customer satisfaction. Clearly, we have not lived up to our promises in this instance and I take full responsibility for all the inconvenience caused.
I will be speaking personally to our delivery and customer service team about this instance. Please rest assured that we will improve to ensure that our drivers attempt deliveries at condominiums and that our customer service team should be more understanding. I promise that we will improve in both these aspects. In addition, I will work with our delivery team to ensure that the package is properly delivered to your residence this time. Please give us 1-3 business days to arrange this additional delivery and I promise that our driver will attempt a delivery this time.
Thank you for reaching out and bringing this matter to my attention. I hope that you will continue to trust FedEx as a delivery service in the future. We aim to bring quality delivery service to all our customers. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again.
Warm regards,
John Doe
Manager FedEx Richmond Ship Centre