WELL-STRUCTURED, WELL-WORDED, WELL-MANNERED= WELL_COMMUNICATED

TEACHER’S COPY / STUDENT’S SAMPLE

Final Task for Formal Letter Writing Revision:

You are the Manager (Mr Michael Ker) of the Crystal Ruby at Parkway Parade and you are
to write a letter of reply to Mr Ima Conman’s letter of complaint.

In the letter you are to address his concerns:

• quality of the food
• staff
• cost
• compensation

REPLY BY MANAGER, MR. MICHAEL KER

Mr Michael Ker
The Manager
Ruby Crystal Restaurant
B01-26 Parkway Parade
Marine Parade
Singapore 433244

27 March 2009

Ima Conman
32 Middle Road
Singapore 423576
Email: imaconman@hotmail.com
HP: 99228833

Dear Mr Conman

Complaint about dinner on Sunday 22 March 2009

I am writing this letter in response to your complaint about the horrible dining experience you
had at your restaurant on 22 March 2009.

Firstly, on behalf of the Management of Ruby Crystal Restaurant, I would like to apologise for
your unfortunate experience and offer you two complimentary dinner vouchers worth a total of
$50.00 as a token of our sincerest apologies and offer of goodwill to you as our valued
customer.

Secondly, I would like to address the concerns you raised about the quality of food, staff and
cost of the food served at our restaurant. As to the soggy prawns served that night, I must
apologise that our chef now has a new assistant and being inexperienced, he inadvertently
added too much mayonnaise to the ‘prawn salad’. We also received further complaints that the
dressing for the ‘prawn salad’ was rather dilute as he did not add enough salad cream to thicken
the dressing.
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In addition to that, the lettuce seemed dead because the air-conditioner broke down that
evening and we only got it running half an hour before the restaurant opened for business at 7
p.m. Hence the lettuce’s freshness was somewhat ruined by then. As to the overcooked rice,
that may be because we have been having feedback that the rice served in our restaurant is too
soft and the cook might have accidentally added too little water in the rice-cooker this time.

In addressing your concerns about the elderly serving staff being forgetful, clumsy and
unpleasant, may I first apologise for their lack of experience and explain the situation. 2009 has
been designated the ‘Year of the Elderly’ and the Ministry of Community Development has
recently started a programme to promote the employment of the Elderly beyond retirement by
partnering businesses in providing employment to Senior Citizens. Ruby Crystal Restaurant is
proud to be part of this community project through the employment of six elderly individuals as
waiters and waitresses. Furthermore, as the older serving staff have been with us for only a
week, I appeal to your generosity and graciousness to be more patient with them and give
them more time to level up to the service that we provide that you are used to. As to the
employment of younger and more attractive female staff, as suggested by you and your wife,
we will certainly keep that in mind.

In considering our charges for our buffet dinner, may I first assure you that it is not exorbitant
given that we provide a comprehensive buffet dinner comprising two soups, three types of
salads, five starters, fried as well as white rice, noodles, spaghetti, two fish, two chicken and
four different kinds of vegetable dishes, cooked in different ways as well as dessert comprising
watermelon, papaya, pineapple, ice-cream and jelly. In addition we also provide a free flow of
tea, coffee and /or orange juice with our meals. To top it call, you are even dining in air-condition
comfort , all for the affordable price of $10 ( inclusive of GST ). As for children below 12, we
offer the children’s buffet of their favourite food at only $5 ( inclusive of GST ).

Finally, I hope that through this letter of apology and explanation, you will be convinced, beyond
any shadow of doubt as to our sincerity in considering you to be our valued customer to whom
we do not hesitate to offer the enclosed dining vouchers as a token of goodwill towards your
continued patronage of our restaurant as a favourite place of dining.

I continue to look forward to your patronage of our restaurant as a VALUED DINER.

Yours sincerely

Michael Ker

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