There will be unavoidable circumstances that cause a delay in shipping a customer’s order. If you learn it soon enough, apologize in advance for the shipping delay.

If the there is an error in the shipment a customer received you can do the same. Be honest and truthful of why it happened.

Here is a sample of a letter of apology for a shipping delay or error.

Example:

December 20, 2010

From:
Ray Greer
Shipping Supervisor
ACME Company
987 Business Center Circle
Juneau, Alaska 99876

To:
William Told
876 Glacier Drive
Humet, CA 92353

Dear Mr. Told,

We apologize for the delay in the delivery of your goods. We understand that the shipment should have been delivered two days ago but our ship only arrived today. During the voyage, the ship encountered strong winds and high tides. There were no reports of any storm or strong winds before the ship set on sail. The ship was given a go signal by the coast guard so it was really an unforeseeable event that had transpired.

The captain who managed the ship has been working with our company for the past ten years. The report showed that the ship captain and the ship engineer had no choice but to seek refuge in a nearby port in order to ensure the safety of the passengers as well as all the cargos. The crew had to wait for the sea to calm down before continuing the journey.

Your cargo was safely placed on one of our containers which is water proofed and it was placed below the deck so no water could sip in. The frames of our storage containers are made from 6’ to 8’ gauge steel, and our shipping containers are made of sturdy and very secure 14’ gauge steel. These portable storage containers also have approximately 1″-thick wood floors, which make them very durable. It can withstand water and heat pressure.

The cargo containers we provide are also refrigerated or insulated, which make them ideal as onsite storage units. You can be assured that our containers are of high quality and your cargos are in safe hands.

The crew immediately checked all the containers upon arrival at the port and the reports showed that all cargos are secured. It is our company policy to make sure that no delay would be incurred but in times like this, delay is inevitable.

On your next shipment, our company will be giving you a discount to compensate for the inconvenience that we may have caused. We assure you that we would try our best to avoid such delays. We trust that you will continue the same patronage with our shipping lines.

Ray Greer

Shipping Supervisor
ACME Company