Essentials of Business Communication 8th Edition by Mary Ellen Guffey

Exercise 24

Claim Denial: Saying No to Free Repair
Following is a letter to a customer who demanded that a burned-out clothes dryer motor be replaced at no charge.
Your Task. Analyze the message. List its weaknesses and then outline an appropriate writing plan. If your instructor directs, revise the message. A copy of this message is provided at www.meguftey.com for revision online.
Current date
Ms. Kadence Larios
3591 Allen Avenue
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
Dear Ms. Larios:
This letter is being sent to you to inform you that warranty repairs are not available for damage caused by operator error. The motor on your clothes dryer burned out because the lint filter was full, thus clogging and overheating the motor.
After you called in your complaint, we had our service technician, Bryce Grindell, make an inspection. That's when he made the discovery that your lint filter was not being taken care of properly. Mr. Grindell said he had never seen such a clogged lint filter, and that without a doubt it caused the motor circuitry to overheat and then burn out. You are lucky it did not cause a house fire.
NewDay Harmony dryers get rave reviews from users. They talk about its large capacity, fast drying times, and antibacterial cycle. However, the warranty on your NewDay Harmony clothes dryer covers only these things: manufacturing defects or improper installation by us. As far as we can tell, the dryer had no defects and we know it was installed properly. We can't replace the motor at no charge. But we could install a reconditioned motor, at a cost of $99. Or we could bring you a new motor at $189. If you decide to go this route, we would only charge you as a continuing service call at $65 instead of the full rate of $130.
Let us know what you want to do.
Sincerely,
1. List at least five weaknesses in this letter.
2. Outline a plan for writing a refusal to a request.
Buffer:
Reasons:
Bad news:
Closing: