How to Write Apology Letters

Have you ever tried to apologize to someone and realized that your apology made things worse? It happens. Apologies are difficult because you're already dealing with a negative situation: The other person hears you from a negative state of mind.

Your challenge with an apology letter is to disarm the other person quickly so you can start to turn the situation around.

  • Acknowledging the error, problem, or insensitivity immediately: insensitive or inappropriate situation, behavior, actions, words, circumstances, procedures, or policies.
    Examples:
    "I am so sorry that I failed to include you on the guest list."
    "Can you ever forgive me for being so careless with your furniture?"
    "I don't know what Ms. Caine must have been thinking when she said such an insensitive thing."
    "My actions at the reception were totally inappropriate and thoughtless."
    "The policy no longer serves our customer base well and is totally inappropriate in your situation."
    "The equipment should have been in good working order when rented to you."
    "We should have been more careful in our investigation."
    "It was our responsibility to inform all parties involved, and we failed to do so."
  • Be specific with your phrasing. Avoid vague generalities.
    Examples (to avoid):
    "I'm sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused."
    "We apologize for this oversight."
    "I owe you an apology for not responding sooner."
  • Make an empathetic statement to let readers know that you understand the issue and any difficulty, damage, pain, or embarrassment caused.
    Examples:
    "I know you must have been embarrassed when your account was arbitrarily closed with no explanation and through no fault of your own."
    "We understand that you had to make two trips across town to talk to handle the repairs."
    "You have every right to be upset with the way this was handled."
  • Keep your tone consistent with the circumstances. Profuse apologies over minor issues sound patronizing. And flippant apologies over major issues sound uncaring and insincere.
  • Explain how a mistake happened if that will add assurance that the problem will not recur in the future. But avoid statements that sound as though you're making excuses.
  • Offer to make things right. Focus on how you plan to resolve the problem or issue. If there is no resolution for the current situation, at least convey your intention to change things for the future.
  • End with a goodwill statement. Let the person know that you value the relationship.
    Examples:
    "You're a dear friend, and I'm so lucky to have you in my corner."
    "The next time you're in our restaurant, please ask for me. I'd like to give you a personal welcome—and make sure you get the service you deserve."
    "Ms. Rawles, we're looking forward to removing all policy barriers that might discourage you, and encouraging you to call us at 555-1212, a special line for our Platinum Plus customers."
    "Don, please know how much I value our partnership. I want nothing to stand in the way of that 20-year friendship and business association!"

If you'd like to make the apology letter process even easier, we can help even more. If you still can't find the right words to apologize and improve the situation quickly, try our professionally written package of sample apology letters and notes.

You'll find apology letters for both personal and business situations:

Personal Apology Letters For...

  • Making an Insensitive Remark
  • Argument with a Friend
  • Behaving Inappropriately
  • Disturbing Neighbors
  • Friend Behaving Inappropriately
  • Pet's Behavior
  • Bouncing Check
  • Failing to Invite A Friend to a Party
  • Failing to Provide Information
  • Damaging Property
  • Missing Events
  • Change of Plans
  • Being Unable to Attend an Event
  • Missing a Deadline
  • Not Having Written
  • Forgetting Someone's Name

Business Apology Letters For...

  • Defective Products—Not Your Fault
  • Defective Products—Your Fault
  • Service Issues—Not Your Fault
  • Service Issues—Your Fault

How to Use This Sample Apology Letter Package

You have two choices. Either...

PDF package

1. Download the PDF package and select the apology letter you need. Then copy and paste it into Microsoft Word or any other word processor. Send it out.

Read sample

2. Read samples to "get the flavor" of what the apology letter or note should say. Then pick and choose" sentences you like to use in composing your own apology letter or note.

14-Day, No-Risk Guarantee!

Total Number of Sample Apology Letters: 57
Total Number of Situations/Topics: 25

For help with other letter writing tasks, check out these packages:

How to Write Sympathy Letters and Notes How to Write Sympathy Letters and Notes
How to Write Reference Letters and Recoomendation Letters How to Write Reference Letters and Recommendation Letters
How to Write Thank You Letters and Notes How to Write Thank You Letters and Notes
Successful Sales and Marketing Letters Successful Sales and Marketing Letters

Special Bonus!

Bonus eBook

Bonus eBook: Write to the Point by Dianna Booher

This 48-page eBook contains 44 tips to help you write clear, concise, complete documents quickly—and get the action you intend.

 

If you need an apology letter to show someone that you want to make amends and keep the relationship in tact—and yet you don't have the time or the skill to find exactly the right words—let us help.

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