I got a cheque in the mail from the ANZ a little while back. It’s been quite a while since the last time I got a paper cheque, so it was quite exciting.

The letter that came with it said:

Dear Sir/Madam,

We’re writing to let you know that we’ve identified that we may not have correctly applied credit interest to the above amount. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

We’ve enclosed a cheque for $6.45. This amount is made up of $5.75 which reflects the relevant fees and/or interest, plus an additional amount of $0.70.

Yours sincerely,
ANZ Customer Remediation

It didn’t feel like a great apology or resolution. And to add insult to injury, it was sent to my accountant’s office. They forwarded it to me … so I’m pretty sure it cost me more than $6.45 just to get it.

It got me thinking about how to write a good apology letter.

I reckon:

Make it personal. (Dear Sir/Madam … not so much.)
Write it in simple English.
Take responsibility. (We may not have correctly applied credit??? You’re the bank … surely you know if you did or didn’t.)
Never, ever say “we apologise for any inconvenience caused.” (Or for that matter, “for any offence taken.”)

Here’s the email I would have loved to receive:

Dear Peter,

We stuffed up.

Turns out we didn’t apply enough interest to your account, and we've short-changed you $5.75. We're sorry about this.

To make this up to you we’re going to round that up to an even $20, and either deposit it into the account of your choice, send you a cheque, or donate it to one of the charities we support (your choice). Just click this link here to choose.

Our apologies once again, and thanks for being an ANZ customer.

Yours sincerely,
Someone’s actual name
ANZ Customer Remediation