CHAPTER 13
Request letters
The letters in this chapter fall into the broad category of request letters. These are commonly written to request everything from information and assistance to reprints of articles.
Many of the letters in this chapter can be sent as emails or as attachments to emails. For those letters in this chapter that can be adapted to emails, it’s simple enough to copy the text of the sample letter into the text of your email.
Letter Requesting Information About Accommodations
Sample Letter 13.1 was written to request information about accommodations that were to be provided to a speaker. The speaker writes to request information about the room he will be speaking in and the equipment he has requested. He opens by saying that he is looking forward to the meeting, then asks a series of questions about the accommodations that will be provided. The letter is clear and to the point, and should get the letter writer the results he needs.
Sample Letter 13.1. Letter requesting information about accommodations.
[date]
Mr. James B. Dreyfus
Assistant Seminar Director
Business Writers Association
23 Floriador Street
Ausley, NY 10095
I am looking forward to speaking at your upcoming seminar. I’ve completed and enclosed the form you sent me. I’ve also checked off the audiovisual services I will need for my talk.
At your earliest convenience, please let me know how many people will attend my two seminar sessions, “Public Relations Primer.” There are a few other questions I hope you can answer for me as soon as possible:
1. Will I be able to see the room where I’ll be speaking before my first session on Tuesday at 9:00 A.M.?
2. Will I be able to check the handouts to ensure they are all there?
3. Will I be able to check the audiovisual equipment I requested?
4. Should I plan to meet you (or someone else) on Monday or should I just show up for my sessions?
Can you also correct the name of my company to Napier Public Relations, Inc., not Napier Communications, as you refer to it in your outline? I would also appreciate the initials APR (Accredited Public Relations) being used after my name. I’ve enclosed a business card for your reference. Thanks very much.
I look forward to speaking with you.
Best regards,
Max Napier, APR
mn/pb
Enclosures
Letter Requesting Information About Seminars
Sample Letter 13.2 was written to request information about seminars available in the letter writer’s area of interest. The writer wastes no time; he gets right to the point in the first paragraph, thanks the recipient in the second, and closes the letter.
Sample Letter 13.2. Letter requesting information on seminars offered.
[date]
Ms. Carla Moore
Wholesale Carpeters Association
One Park Avenue
Westport, NE 68032
Dear Ms. Moore:
Please advise me of any seminars you might have that focus on training wholesale carpet distributors on effective management skills.
Thanks for your assistance.
Best regards,
Lin O. Leehum
lol/jls
Letter Requesting Assistance
Sample Letter 13.3 was written to request the assistance of a former life insurance policy holder by asking him to fill out a questionnaire about the company’s services. The letter writer clearly states why she is asking the reader for the information, is cordial, and does not attempt to sell anything in the process. For companies asking customers to fill out online surveys, this letter could be easily adapted to serve that purpose and then could be sent as a letter or an email.
Sample Letter 13.3. Letter requesting assistance by filling out questionnaire.
[date]
Mr. Timothy Marshall
Dean, Haskell, Marshall & Quiksilber
65 Basil Place
Attic, MT 59035
Dear Mr. Marshall:
New Day Life Insurance Company is committed to providing the small employer with the best service and group insurance products. Although your group health insurance policy is no longer in effect, it is important to us that we obtain your feedback about the quality of our service and products.
By completing the enclosed questionnaire you will provide us with the ideas and suggestions necessary to better serve small employers like you. Your opinions and comments are especially important to us.
Please take a few minutes to complete the questionnaire as accurately and honestly as possible. It is important that the person in your company who has the most influence and decision-making authority over group insurance coverage fill out the survey, so if that is not you, please pass this letter and form to the appropriate party. All responses are for planning purposes and will be used only in combination with other responses.
We would appreciate your response by December 28, 20X7. Simply fold this questionnaire and place it in the postage-paid envelope provided. If you have any questions, please call Mr. Alan Suez, market research and product development administrator, at 534-555-0987.
Thanks for your consideration in this important matter.
Joanne Tufts
President
jt/mn
Enc.
Letters Requesting Return of Material
Sample Letters 13.4 and 13.5 request the return of materials of one sort or another.
Sample Letter 13.4 requests the reader to fill out a form that the writer needs to have on file. The writer makes the request, briefly explains why she needs the form, and closes.
Sample Letter 13.5 is a short letter written to request that materials be returned. The writer is courteous and explains why she has to have the materials.
Sample Letter 13.4. Letter requesting completion of required form.
[date]
Mrs. Roberta Cupelman
Cupelman Contractors
139 Station Place
Rutineo, IL 60056
Dear Mrs. Cupelman:
The purpose of this letter is to request your organization to assist Coleridge Ship, Inc., in fulfilling its obligation to the Department of Defense by completing the enclosed Representation and Certification Form.
As prime contractor for the U. S. government, Coleridge Ship, Inc., requires that this information be obtained on an annual basis. Failure to respond may be detrimental to the future business between our companies.
Please forward the completed form to the above address. If you have any questions or desire additional information, please feel free to call me.
COLERIDGE SHIP, INC.
Roxane Trustman
Manager of Contracts
rt/mn
enc.
Sample Letter 13.5. Letter requesting that materials be returned since too much time has passed.
[date]
Mr. John Blank
Fortified Developers
45 Rineland Drive
Hasquath, NM 87056
Dear Mr. Blank:
Thank you for consenting to review the architectural plans for our downtown shopping mall project. Since there was a time element involved in having these plans reviewed, we have had to make other arrangements concerning the project.
Please return the material to us at your earliest convenience.
We appreciate your willingness to review this plan, Mr. Blank, and hope that we may call upon you for future critical reviews.
Sincerely,
Fran Lison
President
ls
Letter Requesting Material from Speaker
Sample Letter 13.6 was written to request material from a speaker. The letter writer explains that he needs the material, offers to help the speaker if he needs assistance filling out the forms requested, and stresses the importance of the reader sending in the information.
Sample Letter 13.6. Letter requesting that speaker supply material.
[date]
Mr. Larry C. Rebekkah
Emline Products, Inc.
34 Richardson Drive
Farnsworth, KY 40056
Dear Mr. Rebekkah:
I have been looking daily for the speaker’s suggestion form that was mailed to you on December 1, 20X3.
If you are having difficulty or if you have any questions about what information we want, please write to me or call me at the Boonton office. I will be glad to answer any questions that you might have.
It is important that we have this information. I would appreciate it if you would return the forms at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Mack Leges
Program Coordinator
ml/ms
Letter Requesting Correction on Charge Account
Sample Letter 13.7 was sent to a credit service asking that a correction be made on an account. The letter writer clearly states her case in the opening paragraph, mentioning that she is enclosing copies of documents to verify her claim. Rather than go off on a tirade, she clearly states her problem and asks for a solution.
Sample Letter 13.7. Letter requesting that correction be made on charge account.
[date]
Mr. Lawrence Brians
Customer Service Representative
Cabot Credit Company
56 Frithy Drive
Lanscome, ID 83256
Dear Mr. Brians:
Enclosed is a copy of my cancelled check #161 for $20.95. This amount was not credited to my account, and this month’s statement shows a past-due balance. I neglected to write my account number on the check. Whoever at Cabot Credit wrote the number on the check put the incorrect number on the face of the check.
I am enclosing a check for $44.93, which takes into account all new charges through November 1. I hope that this will settle the account balance.
Please let me know that this matter has been resolved.
Sincerely,
Lisa L. Long
encs.
Letter Requesting Reprint of Article
Sample Letter 13.8 was written to request a reprint of an article that was published in a magazine. The letter writer clearly states his request, leaving little doubt what he is after.
Sample Letter 13.8. Letter requesting reprint of article.
[date]
Mr. Marl Simons, Editor
Options Trading Review
312 West Main Street
Boonton, NJ 07005
Dear Mr. Simons:
I would like to purchase a reprint of the article you published on options trading on pages 23 through 30 in your March 20X6 issue. Please send the reprint and any invoice to me at: 456 Frunton Street, Denville, Pennsylvania 15021.
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Giles K. Julian
Vice President
gkj/jls
Letter Requesting Subscription Cancellation
Sample Letter 13.9 was written to restate the desire to cancel a subscription. The letter is short, direct, and clear. The letter writer is precise in what he asks the letter reader to do.
Sample Letter 13.9. Letter sent to cancel a subscription.
[date]
Ms. Deborah Klein
Subscription Manager
Incorporated Magazine
44 Advertising Way
New Rochelle, CA 90009
Subject: Subscription Cancellation
Dear Ms. Klein:
I wrote you back in June and asked that you cancel my subscription to Incorporated Magazine and refund whatever was left on the subscription. It is now September and I am still receiving the magazine. The October issue just arrived in today’s mail.
I am sending you the mailing label from this issue in hopes that it will help you expedite the cancellation of my subscription. I also trust that you will refund my money for the four months of issues that I’ve received since my initial cancellation request.
Thank you very much for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Simon MacIntyre
enc.
Letter Requesting Free Products
Sample Letter 13.10 was written to a contact who had been able to get the letter writer free samples in past years for a conference he planned every year. The writer lays out the specifics and graciously asks the contact if he might be able to provide goods for the conference.
Sample Letter 13.10. Letter requesting free products.
[date]
Mr. Forrest Kirk
Marketing Director
Fritter Potato Chip Company, Inc.
345 Avenue Road
Bristol, CA 90990
Dear Mr. Kirk:
Every year Incorporated Magazine stages a conference for owners and founders of companies that have recently gone public. This year the conference is to be held in Bristol County. In addition to the wonderful program we have planned for attendees, the conference is also a perfect opportunity for the host community to attract business to its area by showcasing the products manufactured by area businesses.
Traditionally we have contacted area companies, asking them to contribute products that will be placed in the hotel rooms of conference attendees as part of a welcome basket. Would you consider providing us with 900 bags of Fritter Potato Chips that we can include in the welcome basket? Of course, we will also include literature on your business and your line of products.
The conference will be held at the Bristol Hotel and Convention Center starting November 5. The product samples can be sent to me at the convention center, where we will assemble the welcome baskets. Or, if it is easier for you, we will send a pickup van to get the samples just before the conference.
I will give your office a call sometime over the next couple of weeks to follow up on this letter. Please feel free to call me at 888-456-7890 if you have any questions. Thank you in advance for participating in the conference.
Alan Satin
Conference Coordinator
Letter Requesting Information About a New Product
Sample Letter 13.11 was written by a retail store owner to a company that makes a product her customers had requested. She also takes the opportunity to ask the recipient to send any other relevant material.
Sample Letter 13.11. Letter requesting information about a new product.
[date]
Ms. Jane Coleman
Regional Sales Director
Amherst School Products
34 School Street
Lesley, MA 02334
Dear Ms. Coleman:
We have been receiving a handful of requests for the sock puppet assembly kit that your company manufactures. While we are primarily a bookstore catering to children, we have begun to expand our offerings to include products that are complementary to our books.
Please send me some information on your product as well as any additional material that will help us decide if it’s the type of product that will interest children who generally range in age from pre-school to 12 years old. Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Jeri Corridor
Letter Requesting Pricing Information
The writer of Sample Letter 13.12 has written to a company to see if he could get bulk price discounts on a product he wanted to buy a lot of. The letter writer clearly states his needs and asks the recipient for prices on specific products and for specific-size orders.
Sample Letter 13.12. Letter requesting pricing information.
[date]
Mr. Edward Coleson
Special Sales Director
Prestige Clipboards and Folders, Inc.
P.O. Box 3542
Jonesboro, NJ 07007
Dear Mr. Coleson:
Every summer we run a series of soccer clinics at our college for coaches of high school soccer teams. When they arrive we like to give each attendee a clipboard or folder that contains the week’s agenda and a pad on which to take notes and provides pockets in which to store handouts they receive during the week.
A colleague showed me a catalog featuring your Abundant Series of folders that also act as clipboards. The catalog price was $12 for each clipboard. We would be ordering at least 75 of these at once. Do you offer a volume discount for bulk orders? I’d also be interested in how much the unit price would be on additional orders of 10 or more clipboards.
Please send me the pricing information and any other relevant material.
Sincerely,
Paul Caldor
Program Director