An apology letter is written to someone, when an inconvenience or offense is caused to that person. You should write such a letter only when the occasion calls for it. The following article, with an apology letter sample, will prove to be useful if you ever need to write one.
An apology letter is way of saying sorry and showing how much you value your relation with the offended party. Though it is never too late to realize a mistake, it is always better to write one as soon as possible to maintain good ties. Such letters can be written in either a friendly tone or it may follow a business letter format.
Apology Letter Format
In case of a friendly or personal letter, you need to begin with a sorry. You should then admit your mistake and take full responsibility of your actions. Then you should offer some help to solve the problem you have created and take corrective measures. Next, you need to explain it to the recipient that you will not make the same mistake again. You need to apologize again in the closing paragraph. Remember, a personal apology letter should be sincere and have a personal touch. The following sample letter of apology will help you draft a personal sorry letter.
| Sample of a Friendly Apology Letter |
| Date: ______ Dear Anne, I have done a lot of thinking over the past few days about what happened last week. Before I begin, I just want you to know that whatever that I am about to say are sincere thoughts from the bottom of my heart. I know after what happened, it will be difficult for you to accept my apology. But I want you to forgive me and think about our friendship. What prompted me to write this apology letter was our friendship, that is really valuable to me. I cannot even think of ending our friendship over a silly misunderstanding that took place between us. I feel that I acted in a bash way, but you never gave me a chance to speak. I hope this letter gives our friendship a chance to understand each other better. I agree that I should have trusted you and should not have been influenced by others. But the reason for this was you were very elusive with me for the past few days. I want you to know that I am sorry and I hope this letter compiles you to give our friendship a second chance. I think that I have made the right choice in choosing friendship over petty issues. I hope to get a positive reply from you. Love, Jenna. |
Business Apology Letter Format
In case of a business apology letter, you need to begin the letter with a sorry to the offended party. You need to explain your side in a sincere tone and help the recipient understand what went wrong with your service. You should offer to rectify the problem or compensate for the recipient’s loss. You need to close the letter with another sincere apology. But, before you shoot off a business apology letter make sure you understand the gravity of the situation. If the shortcomings from your company are subject to legal action by the recipient, it is better to speak to your lawyer or advocate, before you write an apology to your customer/client.
| Sample of a Business Apology Letter |
| Date: ______
Your Company Name Recipient Name Dear Recipient Name, I apologize for the mix-up in your high-speed Internet service connection. We have just implemented a new Internet connection plan for your account. It will take about 3 days for the new connection to activate. However, we have rectified our mistake and asked our installation team to contact you. They will contact you by the end of this week and set up a time to come over for the final adjustments. For our serious goof-up, we have decided not to charge you for any Internet usage (including downloads) for the next three months. Once again I would like to apologize for the mix-up in your order, and any inconveniences this may have caused you. (Recipient Name), let me sure you that whatever happened is one of the rare instances where a customer of Net-Speed is dissatisfied. We are committed to providing the best service and speed for all our Internet customers. If you have any further queries please be free to contact me on xxx-xxx-xxxx. Once again, I would like to apologize for our mix-up and the inconvenience that it has caused you. Sincerely, |
These are two different forms of apology letters. You need to keep your apology short and sweet. Avoid playing the blame game and just explain your side in a sincere manner in your letter. An apology letter is written after one realities their mistake. Therefore, you need to reflect that realization in your letter.
