Delivering Bad News

A letter from an insurance company to a policyholder denying a claim for reimbursement for a special medical procedure that is not covered under the terms of the customer’s policy

• Direct

• Indirect

A blog post to all employees notifying them that the company parking lot will be repaved during the first week of June and that the company will provide a shuttle service from a remote parking lot during that period

• Direct

• Indirect

An announcement to the repairs department listing parts that are on back order and will be three weeks late

• Direct

• Indirect

A form letter from a U.S. airline to a customer explaining that the company cannot extend the expiration date of the customer’s frequent flyer miles even though the customer was living overseas for the past three years and unable to use the miles during that time

• Direct

• Indirect

I’m sorry to tell you, we can’t supply the custom decorations you requested. We called every supplier, and none of them can do what you want on such short notice. You can, however, get a standard decorative package on the same theme in time. I found a supplier that stocks these. Of course, it won’t have quite the flair you originally requested.

We can’t refund your money for the malfunctioning MP3 player. You shouldn’t have immersed the unit in water while swimming; the users’ manual clearly states that the unit is not designed to be used in adverse environments.