Thinking about how to write a cancellation letter? Not finding the right words? Then read on.
Cancellation letters, as their name suggests, are written to convey that you are canceling something that was supposed to take place. It could be about canceling a rental agreement, an appointment, a meeting or any other legal contract. Or it could be for canceling a subscription, an account, a reservation or an order placed – all require a letter of cancellation. Cancellation is like the ending of a contract. And to convey it to the concerned parties, you require to draft a letter of cancellation.
Tips on Writing a Cancellation Letter
What is a Letter of Cancellation?
Before we look at how to write a cancellation letter, let’s understand the concept of cancellation. Now, your letter of cancellation might be intended at canceling a subscription; it may seem trivial but the procedure for canceling does require a letter conveying the same. A letter may have to be written with the purpose of canceling an already announced engagement. Though the subject in both the cases is cancellation, the two need to be dealt with in different ways. Thus you will see that the way a cancellation letter is drafted depends on what is to be canceled. A cancellation should be conveyed in the written form. Verbal communication is not the right way to do it. Here are the dos and don’ts for writing a letter of cancellation.
While Canceling a Purchase Order or a Subscription
In case of canceling your subscription or canceling an order placed, mention the stipulated period within which you want the cancellation procedure to be completed. You can choose to mention the reason for cancellation in case the ordered product or service does not meet your expectations. In case you had placed the order looking at an advertisement of the product, and if you have found that it does not meet the claims made in advertisements, you can mention this in the letter of cancellation. You can give other reasons (if any) for the cancellation if you wish to.
Order Cancellation Letter
Supplier Name and Address
Subject: Cancellation of order order id for item name
Dear Supplier name,
On date of order, I had placed an order for item ordered with your company. The product was delivered to me on date. I have found that the product is faulty. details of the fault I wish to cancel the order and request you to refund the amount paid (amount). I would appreciate if you could complete the procedure in 10 days. Please notify me about having accepted my request for cancellation.
Sincerely,
your name, date and signature
While Canceling an Appointment or Meeting
There are instances when you are caught up in something because of which you are unable to make it to a meeting already scheduled or an appointment you had fixed. Now if you wish to cancel it, you need to write a cancellation letter for the same. In such a situation, you should express apology in your letter and your reason behind the cancellation. Be precise and ensure that you don’t sound rude. Canceling an appointment or a meeting may appear as though you are disregarding someone else’s time, it might disturb the other person’s schedule. So state the reason, appear genuine, and be polite.
Appointment Cancellation Letter
Your/Your Company’s Name and Address
Receiver’s Name and Address
Dear Receiver’s name,
Due to a medical emergency in my family, I will have to cancel my appointment with you. We were going to meet in your office on date and time. But I will not be able to make it this time. I would like to reschedule the appointment next week. Sorry for the inconvenience caused.
Faithfully,
your name, date and signature
While Canceling an Account
Is the letter for cancellation of a bank or credit card account any different? Not much but a little yes, because money transactions may be involved in an account cancellation procedure. If you want to cancel your account, request the concerned authorities to carry out the procedure within the notice period, tell them that they should no longer continue any activity with the account. Remember to transfer your funds from the account to some other active account. In case the cancellation procedure needs you to pay a certain fee, keep that much balance in the account to be canceled. Discontinue the ongoing transactions involving that account.
Account Cancellation Letter
Your Name and Address
Customer Service Bank or Company Name and Address
Subject: Request to close my account account number and details
Dear Executive’s name,
This is to inform you that I wish to close my account with your company. I request you to make the cancellation effective within a notice period of 15 days. Please send me a written confirmation that my account has been closed. I would like to thank you in advance for considering my request.
Sincerely,
your name, date and signature
Writing a cancellation letter has a dual benefit. One, it makes the communication more formal. Two, it helps you maintain a record of the communication between you and the concerned party. It serves as a written proof of your communication about the cancellation. The communication can be called complete only when the opposite party responds with a confirmation or acceptance in some form. Do not forget to ask the opposite party for a written confirmation of the cancellation.
Before closing the article, I would like to mention a few other important points you should remember while writing a cancellation letter.
- Use a readable font.
- End the letter by thanking the concerned authorities for considering your cancellation request.
- If you are writing the letter on your company/organization’s behalf, print it on the company letterhead.
- Remember to sign the letter.
State your/your company’s details on top, address it to the concerned company officials/individual(s) with their details following yours and end it with your name, date and signature.