We are only human. Mistakes are always part of being human. We must learn from our mistakes and treat it as a precious life lesson that can only be learned the hard way. When mistakes are committed and another person’s feelings have been hurt, we must apologize.

In apologizing, we must show our sincerity and we must not blame the other person for what we have done. Taking responsibility for our own action is the right thing to do.

The purpose of making a personal apology is to make amends; to cure whatever wound was caused to another person.

Below is an example of a letter of a personal apology.

SAMPLE

September 14, 2010

Dear Michelle,

I deeply apologize for my actions last November 20, 2010. It was really unthinkable for me to have done such a thing. I knew at that moment that I had hurt your feelings. I should not have uttered harsh words to you especially in from of all our friends. I just want to tell you that I deeply regret what had happened. If only I could turn back the time, I would take back all the words. Believe me, I value your friendship. We have been friends and workmates for three years now. I do not want to make a gap in our relationship.

I am asking for your forgiveness and understanding. Please find in your heart to forgive me for what I have done. I have been contemplating on calling you or even meet you in person but I was ashamed of myself. I opted to write this letter. I believe that a letter is the least threatening method. I do not want to put pressure on you to respond or to react in the moment. I know that this situation needs time for reflection. I am asking you to forgive me for I know the gravity of the offense I have done. My mind was clouded during the incident. I had lots of problems with my work. My reports are already delayed that is why my I lost my temper.

My friend, I promise never to do that to you again. I am begging for your forgiveness.

Sincerely,

Anthony Grier

Time isn’t always an ally, but the proper use of it will make things better. When apologizing for missing a deadline, it is best to be truthful and contrite when expressing yourself.

Do not make excuses, take responsibility, and plead for mercy that you may receive a second chance.

Here is a sample of an apology letter for missing a deadline you promised to make.

Example:

December 8, 2010

From:
Anthony Pierce
987 Business Center Circle
Beaumont, Alaska 99876

To:
John Smythe
5673 Antler Way
Kronos, California 92050

Dear Mr. Smythe,

May I please request your good office to accept my apology for having missed the deadline which is on November 26, 2010. I am aware of the policy of the company that every deadline must be met on the set date but I was not able to submit my work on time because my Innova stopped on the highway. Smoke started to come out of the engine. I had to call the car shop for my car to be towed. It took them an hour to tow the car.

When we were at the car shop, the mechanic told me that I had a sludge damaged engine which is a usual problem with cars. He said the repairs would be extensive and it would take at least two mechanics to do all the repairs. Some parts should be replaced but they cannot attend to it because they have a lot of job orders for the day. They further told me that the repairs would be finished after two days. I had to go around town to look for the spare parts that would be used replace the damaged ones.

I am very sorry for the inconvenience that this delay might have caused you. I assure you that this will not happen again. I am asking your good office for a second chance. I hope you will give me another assignment and I promise to submit it on time. I will see to it that I will never wait for the deadline before submitting my work and I will endeavor to submit all my reports at least one day before the deadline.

I will consider it as my priority. I do my work on time as can be proven by my previous assignments with your company. I have been doing my reports for more than a year now and this is the first time I have incurred such delay in the submission of my reports. I am a professional person and I do my work seriously.

Thank you and hoping for your consideration regarding this matter.

Anthony Pierce

There may be times when expectation are not met when providing a service or product. To enhance goodwill, it is best to issue a letter of apology for poor or inadequate service.

It will always help to express your regret and give assurance of a better experience to the client in the future.

Here is an example of a letter of apology for poor service:

Example:

December 5, 2010

From:
Michelle Thompson
Guest Services Manager
Comeback Resorts
987 Business Center Circle
Beaumont, Alaska 99876

To:
John Smythe
5673 Antler Way
Kronos, California 92050

Dear Mr Smythe,

Please allow me to express my deep apology for the poor and inadequate service your staff received during the seminar they have conducted in our resort. I am so sorry we were not able to provide training facilities and other accomodation you needed during your stay with us. I was informed by management that the training facilities should be part of the contract but the shipment for our equipments arrived late so we were not able to provide your staff with training facilities.

This experience will serve as an eye-opener for us. The management will have to make abrupt changes in our training rooms and after this, I will request you to come and experience the new service. It is our policy to keep our customers happy. Your comments regarding the service you received at our resort are very important to us. We want customers to enjoy their stay with us. You deserve only the best service especially when you come to visit the resort. We understand that a resort is for relaxation.

The blue waters is ideally suited for those in need of just lounging by the pool, sipping cocktails on the beach or relaxing with a good book under the shade of swaying palm trees. It is a nice and quiet place, away from the pollution. Our resort is situated in the heart of the Island, in an artistic tradition with a combination of modernity and simplicity, but still classic and at the same time native. It is a beachfront resort. It also provides a veritable oasis of calm and understated luxury with its wonderfully modern ambience, perfect for seaside-casual living.

We are asking you to visit us again so you could see the changes made in the resort. We would like to redeem ourselves, give you the best service ever. On your next visit, we will give some discounts on our training areas and cottages. We really want you to enjoy staying here, to enjoy the ambiance. We want to keep the general impression that our resort is a complete get-away from the city life.

Please visit us again soon.

Michelle Thompson
Guest Services Manager

APOLOGIZE FOR OFFENSIVE BEHAVIOR

This is every business establishment’s worst nightmare, bad behavior by their employees.

It is important, upon learning of such rude encounters by guests or customers for a supervisor or manager to issue a letter of apology for offensive behavior.

There is no excuse; the customer is who pays your bills.

Here is a sample letter of apology for offensive behavior:

Example:

December 5, 2010

From:
Annika Frust
Customer Service Manager
Comeback Industries
987 Business Center Circle
Beaumont, Alaska 99876

To:
Anthony Pierce
5673 Antler Way
Kronos, California 92050

Dear Mr. Pierce,

I want to express my heartfelt apology for the way I treated you yesterday. I was having trouble with my boss because he rejected all the report I have made and I was cursing on my way to the cafeteria. You came to my table and you said you wanted to join me for dinner and those words blurted out of my mouth. I am very sorry for saying, “get lost!” I did not really mean it. I saw the tears in your eyes and I felt sorry instantly. I tried to run after you but my feet seemed to be glued to the floor. I am expressing my sincere and honest apology due to my offensive behavior, with the end and view of asking your forgiveness and kind understanding on the matter.

I know that my act was one done in an ungentlemanly way for which reason I am now asking for your kind consideration and forgiveness. Please understand that it was not you I was mad at and I am really ashamed of the way I treated you. You did not deserve what I did. You are a kind and generous person. You always had a smile for everyone.

I assure you that your acceptance on my apology will surely change my ways in dealing with others. I am willing to correct this offensive behavior in any way I can especially if you could help me with your piece of advice. I will cherish it in my heart if you could extend that advice as you are the one who felt the blunt of that misbehavior I made.

Allow me, therefore, to express my sincere apology with the hope that this letter will help ease the hurt that I have caused. I have learned my lesson the hard way and I can assure you that I will no longer commit any offensive behavior towards you in the future. I promise to be sensitive and kind in dealing and talking with others. I hope you will forgive me and I also hope to have lunch with you one of these days.

Annika Frust
Customer Service Manager

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APOLOGIZE FOR HURT FEELINGS

Friends are rare to find, true friends that is. When you find yourself offending a close friend, it is wise to write a letter of apology for hurting their feelings.

Here is an example:

Sample

December 25, 2010

From:
Betty Gray
123 Mockingbird Lane
Canoga, PA 12242

To:
Beatrice Schultz
876 Glacier Drive
Humet, CA 92353

Dear Beatrice,

I know I hurt your feelings when I failed to attend your wedding. I received the wedding invitation you sent but I decided not to come. You have been a good friend to me all those years and I really felt so selfish for not granting your wish, that is for me to be there when you say your “I do”. My conscience kept bothering me.

Please accept my sincere apology. I had no intention of causing you pain and I really regret not having attended the happiest moment in your life. I still remember the vow me made in high school to witness each other’s wedding but I was really busy with my new business. We recently put up a restaurant and as co-owner I have to be there to manage the business.

By the way, I have sent you a wedding gift. It is a trip for two to Vegas. It comes with three nights and two days stay at the Casino Royale. I hope it will ease the hurt you are feeling right now. As your best friend, I wish you all the happiness and love money cannot buy. My advice for you would be the following: That which you seek in a relationship, you must be willing to first give it, be it love, compassion, understanding or anything else.

I remember my sister’s wedding. It was the only wedding I cried at. You could feel the emotion charged behind the words; it wasn’t simply a recitation. It was very emotional. It struck me as one of the most powerful moments in the service; power in frailty.

It truly was a beautiful thing. All our friends and relatives were there to share the happiness with us. My sister was so beautiful in her white wedding gown and her groom is so attractive in his tuxedo. I am sure your wedding is as beautiful as that one. I am really sad I was not there during your wedding. I hope you could find in your heart to forgive me.

Sincerely,

Betty

APOLOGIZE FOR DAMAGED PROPERTY

Causing damage to someone else’s property can mean one of two things, intentional and accidental. Whichever the case, it is best to write a letter of apology for the damaged property you caused. Express remorse and find a way to make reparations.

Here is a sample of a letter of apology for damaged property.

Example:

December 20, 2010

From:
Scott Glean
123 Mockingbird Lane
Canoga, PA 12242

To:
William Told
876 Glacier Drive
Humet, CA 92353

Dear William,

Please allow me to express my sincere apology for the wrongful act I have done last November 25, 2010 which caused damage to your fence. I just came from work before the accident. I worked for twelve hours and I was really very sleepy during that time. The truth of the matter is that I had no such intention of damaging your property but it was done purely by accident. My mind was focused on going home as fast as I can, have a hot shower, nice dinner and going to bed. It kept bothering me that I failed to notice that I am already driving too fast. I tried to swerve away from the fence but it was too late. The newly painted fence fell and it was my entire fault. I know that you have just put up that fence a week ago and it made me feel really bad about the situation.

I am good in doing carpentry work and if you want to, I am willing to do the repairs on your fence. I am a full service General Contractor specializing in Residential Renovations including; Kitchens, Bathrooms, Master Suites, Basements, Attic Additions, Media Rooms, Furniture, and Custom Cabinetry. I can finish all the repairs in one day.

But if you do not want me to do the repairs, I am very willing to pay for the cost of the carpentry works as a gesture of my sincere apology. We have been neighbors for quite some time although I don’t regularly join our community cook-out so I don’t really want us to be hostile with each other. We could be good friends, too. I am really ashamed of what I have done and the wrongful act I made will make me guiltier and will further bother my conscience if this letter of apology will not warrant your forgiveness. I really hope you would forgive me.

I promise that this incident will not happen again. I promise to be really careful in driving so as not to cause damages such as this. I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Scott Glean

Dear

When I received your letter of [date] with my check
attached marked “insufficient funds”, I called my bank
immediately.

The gentleman I spoke with, [name] , discovered
that the bank had failed to credit my account with a
substantial deposit I had made several days prior.

The bank has assured me that they will be sending you a
formal letter of apology for their error. Attached is my
check in the amount of $ to replace the dishonored
one you have returned.

Dear

Thank you for your recent correspondence regarding your
account number ____________. We were able to track down
the error and have credited your account accordingly. A
report to this effect has also been sent to our credit
reporting company.

As of this date, your account balance is $_____________.

You are a valued customer and we apologize for any
inconvenience this mix-up may have caused. If we may be
of further assistance please contact this office at your
convenience.

Dear

Thank you for taking the time to fill out our questionnaire
during your stay with us. We do appreciate hearing from
our customers, as their comments are vital for us to
continue improving our accommodations.

The problems that you mentioned have been brought to the
attention of our housekeeping department. While the lack
of service you experienced is unusual and not the standard
of our motel, there is no excuse for a lackadaisical attitude
on the part of any of our employees. We are sorry for the
inconvenience and annoyance this incident caused.

Thank you again for your comments. We hope that you will
give us another chance to serve you.

Dear

Please accept our apology for having shipped merchandise
in excess of your purchase order.

We have made an adjustment in your account to reflect this
error and have arranged for [delivery service] to pick up
the excess merchandise on [date] .

We are sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you and
are most appreciative of your cooperation and understanding
in this matter. Thank you for your recent order.