Scenario:

Satisfaction Guaranteed: Letter from L. L. Bean granting a claim.

As a member of L. L. Beans Customer Service Department in Freeport, Maine, youve handled plenty of claims in your day. The famous mail-order sporting goods company processes thousands of orders every month, and inevitably, some items are returned. Your job is to respond to the customer, either by exchanging the merchandise or by refunding the persons money, regardless of why the item was returned. L. L. Bean guarantees satisfaction, no questions asked.

Today you have received a package from Arvin Bummel. When you open it, you find (1) one Maine guide shirt, stiff as a board and two sizes smaller than it ought to be; (2) one pair of whipcord trousers, also stiff and shrunken; and (3) a nasty letter from Mr. Bummel saying that he expects better from L. L. Bean. According to him, the clothes were ruined the first time he washed them. He wants L. L. Bean to replace the shirt and pants with new ones.

You are not surprised that the clothes are ruined because the label plainly says, Dry Clean Only. Regardless, $108.50 worth of clothing is now unwearable.

Your task: In the spirit of good customer relations, write to Mr. Bummel and grant his claim. You may want to suggest gently that he look for clothing that is washable.

Please follow the letter format for granting a claim:

Remember that the first thing the customer wants to see is their claim has been granted. That would be the main idea of your message. Then you can offer an explanation, but remember to not blame other companies or company policy (unless you can find that policy in writing), and close with a look to the future. Dont ever assume that this person will never be your customer again.