Chapter 26. Customer Service

Announcing delay in shipping

Phillip Avery, President

Avery Automotive Supply

Order 6SJ7-050909

Dear Mr. Avery,

In regards to the above order, we regret to inform you that due to problems at our overseas supplier there will be a delay of four to six weeks in delivery.

The rescheduled delivery date is August 19.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. As a gesture of good will, we will credit your account for 10 percent of the purchase price for future orders.

This particular part requires highly specialized manufacturing processes, and we have been unable to locate an acceptable alternative supplier who could deliver units of the quality we, and our customers, demand.

Please feel free to call me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Bruce Atwood

Customer Service

Offering discount program to customers

To Our Valued Customers,

We are very proud of our facilities and plan to upgrade much of the equipment in coming months. We will also expand our offerings of fitness classes and nutrition consultants.

As we enter the new year, we want to offer our valued members a pair of special offers.

All members who prepay for a one-year extension to their contract will be given two extra months for no additional charge.

In addition, any member who refers a friend or relative who joins the club will receive a two-month extension on his or her contract.

John Higgens

Adding customer loyalty card

To Our Valued Customers,

The staff and management of Caplan’s Kosher Chinese Restaurant would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your business and support this past year.

We are very aware that in this economy every family has to carefully watch how they spend their money. We have always tried to keep our prices low while maintaining the highest possible quality.

To show our appreciation for your continued patronage we are introducing a Customer Loyalty Card. With every $25 spent at our restaurant (before tax) we will place a $2 credit on your card; our computer system will keep track of your purchases and do all the math. The loyalty card balance can be applied to any future purchases; for full details please see the enclosed description of the plan.

Please use the enclosed card the next time you dine with us. All you need to do is give it to the cashier when you pay your bill.

We hope to see you again soon.

Sincerely,

David Caplan

Ending discount program

To Our Patrons,

For the past several years we have been pleased to be able to offer members of the local automobile club a 10 percent discount on merchandise in our gift shop.

Unfortunately, our budget for the coming year does not permit us to participate in this program. Effective January 1, we will no longer offer this discount.

We do promise to do whatever we can to offer the best possible value to patrons at our gift shop.

Sincerely,

Susan Hunter, Executive Director

Rolling Meadow Contemporary Art Museum

Canceling free craft classes

To Our Patrons,

It is with considerable regret that we announce the end of our Saturday afternoon children’s craft classes.

We have been happy to offer these free classes for the past five years. It has been a joy to get to know the young people of our community; we hope we have launched the career of a few great artists of the future.

In this economy, though, we could no longer afford the cost for an instructor and supplies. We considered charging a fee, but in calculating the actual cost of the classes we came to the realization that we would have to charge a fairly high rate for the class.

We are looking at ways to obtain sponsorship from some of our suppliers as well as from community organizations that would allow us to resume the classes; we want to be able to offer them for free to all children from all circumstances.

Again, our apologies. We would love to hear from any of our customers with ideas on how to resume these classes.

Beverly Higbee, President

Higbee’s Toy Store

Landscaping business raising prices

To Our Customers,

We have been proud to serve the residents of Rolling Meadow for more than a decade. We want to thank all of our valued customers for their support; many have been with us all that time.

We take pride in providing the best and most comprehensive gardening and landscaping services in the Rolling Meadow area. Our customers are very important to us, and we think we represent the best value in the lawn care business.

We know that this is a very difficult time financially for everyone, and we have always worked very hard to keep our costs stable; there have been no price increases since 2005.

Unfortunately, the rising cost of fuel has impacted our business in many ways. The cost of operating our trucks and power equipment has gone up considerably, but so has the cost of fertilizer, pest and weed control, and other products that are also directly or indirectly affected by oil prices.

Enclosed is our price sheet for the upcoming season. Although the cost of most services will remain the same, we have been forced to raise some prices.

As a courtesy to our long-standing customers, we have a special offer: if you prepay for lawnmowing services for the season we will offer a $100 credit that can be applied to any special landscaping services.

Please call to discuss your upcoming schedule. We hope to once again serve you for all your landscaping needs.

Sincerely,

Ron Nash

The Complete Gardener Landscaping and Lawn Care Service

Reducing offerings at store

To Our Valued Customers,

As owner and proprietor of Rolling Meadow’s only locally owned electronics and home entertainment store, I want to thank you for being a supportive customer of ours.

For the past twenty-two years we have dedicated ourselves to offering the best service as well as reasonable prices. We have managed to hold on even as our town has been surrounded by “big box” stores that seek to compete only on price.

I am writing to tell you that we have decided to make a change in our operations to concentrate on our strength: the ability to deliver custom service and support along with the highest-quality products. We intend to enhance the services we can deliver that the discount stores cannot: free consultation in your house, custom installation, and free lifetime support from our electronics specialists.

I hope you will visit our store soon so that we can show you our latest line of professional-grade high-definition televisions, home audio systems, and intercom systems. We intend to specialize on products that are not available at the discount stores because of the complexity required for training of technicians and installation.

And as a thank-you for your previous business, we have enclosed a coupon worth $100 off your next order.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Angelo Caruso, Owner

Caruso’s Home Entertainment Center

Adding charge for delivery

Dear Customers,

We want to thank all of our valued customers for their support during our first year of business.

We are proud to offer our special menu of organic vegetarian fare in Rolling Meadow. Our philosophy is to provide quality ingredients, good taste, and fair prices.

Effective June 1 we will be adding new menu items and a daily early bird special that offers a significant discount to our customers. Our existing regular menu will continue without any price increases.

At the same time, because of the rise in cost of fuel and insurance, we find it necessary to add a $5 fee to deliveries in the Rolling Meadow area. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Robin Carr, Owner

Adding fee for service

To All Members,

We are always seeking ways to keep our costs down so that membership fees can be kept as low as possible.

Effective December 14, we will be changing the policy regarding personal training offered to our members. In the past we have offered this service free of charge to all members, but we will now ask only those who use the counseling to pay an additional $25 per month.

At this time we do not expect to increase monthly membership rates.

Thank you for your support and patronage.

Jim Stricker, Manager

Discontinuing delivery

To Our Customers,

At Roma Pizza we are committed to providing the best quality at the most affordable price.

Because of high fuel costs and liability insurance expenses we have decided to discontinue delivery service of our pizzas and other menu offerings.

We apologize for any inconvenience to our valued customers.

As a special offer, enclosed please find four 10 percent discount coupons that can be used on any orders between now and December 1.

We look forward to seeing you again soon.

Anthony Roma

Apology for unavailability of product

Dear Valued Customer,

We apologize again for the delay in shipping the Hot Mama fleece-lined parka you ordered on September 12.

Our supplier has just notified us that this product will not be available this season. We have therefore canceled your order and your credit card will not be charged.

We apologize for any inconvenience. As a token of our good will, we would like to offer you a 10 percent discount on any other parka in our current catalog; please use coupon code 6SJ7 in any online order or give that code to the customer service representative if you place a telephone order. The coupon will be honored on any one purchase between now and January 1.

Sincerely,

Bruce Caplan