GLASTON POTTBRIBS Ltd.

Clayfield, Burnley BB10 IRQ

Tel: 0315 46125 Registered No. 716481

Telex: 8801773 VAT Registered No. 133 5341 08

Fax: 0315 63182

MacKenzie Bros. Ltd. 14 July 20—

1-5 Whale Drive

Daw-son

Ontario

CANADA

Dear Sirs,

Order R1432

The above order has now been completed and sent to Liverpool Docks where it is awaiting loading onto the SS Manitoba which sails for Dawson, Canada on the 16 July and arrives on 30 July.

Once we have the necessary documents we will hand them to Burnley City Bank, your bank's agents here, and they will forward them to the Canadian Union Trust Bank.

We have taken special care to see that the goods have been packed as per your instructions, the six crates being marked with your name, and numbered 1-6. Each crate measures 6ft x 4ft x 3ft and weighs 5 cwt.

We managed to get all items from stock with the exception of Cat. No. G16 which we only had in red. But we included it in the consignment as it had the Willow pattern you asked for.

If there is any further information you require, please contact us. Thank you very much for your order, and we look forward to hearing from you again soon.

Yours faithfully,

J. Merton (Mr)

Sales Manager

5.4.6

Advice of despatch

Glaston Potteries have made up the MacKenzie order and now advise them. MacKenzie Bros. will already have opened a letter of credit (see 9.7) at their bank, The Canadian Union Trust Bank, in favour of their suppliers, Glaston Potteries. The Canadian bank will now wait until they have confirmation of shipment from their agents in England, Burnley City Bank, and will then transfer the money so that Glaston Potteries can be paid.

Questions

1 How will the consignment be sent?

2 What will happen to the documents once Glaston Potteries receive them?

3 How have the goods been packed and the crates marked?

4 What did Glaston do about the item they could not supply?

5 When will the consignment arrive in Canada?

6 Which words in the letter correspond to the following: made up; send; in accordance with; apart from; due in?

5.4.7

Advice note

At 5.4.6, Glaston Potteries advised MacKenzie Bros. of despatch in a letter. Here D & S Charcot use a form.

D & S Charcot S.A.R.L.Advicenote

place du 20 aout 79 B-4000 Liege

Tel: (32) 49-240886

Telecopie: (32)49-16592

The Chief Buyer The following consignment has been sent to you Caravela by rail today. Please confirm receipt and quote

Rua das Ameixoeiras 1291 consignment note No. 8817561 915.

P-1700 Lisboa

Your order No. D 163/9

5.5.

Delays in delivery

If goods are held up either before or after they are sent, you must keep your customer informed. Let him know what has happened how it happened and what you are doing to correct the situation.

I was surprised and sorry to hear that your consignment (Order No. В 145) had not reached you. On enquiry I found that it had been delayed by a local dispute on the cargo vessel SS Hamburg on which it had been loaded. I am now trying to get the goods transferred to the SS Samoa which should sail for Yokohama before the end of next week. However, I shall keep you informed.

I am writing to tell you that there will be a three-week delay in delivery. This is due to a fire at our Greenford works which destroyed most of the machinery.

Nevertheless, your order has been transferred to our Slough factory and is being processed there. I apologize for the delay which was due to circumstances beyond our control.

We regret to inform you that there will be a hold up in getting your consignment to you. This is due to the cut in supplies from Gara where civil war suddenly broke out last week. We have contacted a possible supplier in Lagos and he will let us know if he can help us. If you wish to cancel your order, you may, but I think you will find most manufacturers are experiencing the same difficulties at present.

5.6

Refusing an order

There are a number of reasons for a firm refusing an order, and some of the most common are given below. Whatever your reason, you must be polite: the words reject and refuse have a negative tone to them, therefore it is better to use decline or turn down instead.

5.6.1

Out of stock

You may be out of stock of the product ordered, or indeed you may no longer make it. Note that, in either case, you have an opportunity to sell an alternative product (see 4.1.4), but remember not to criticize the product you can no longer supply.

We are sorry to say that we are completely out of stock of this item and it will be at least six weeks before we get our next delivery, but please contact us then.

We no longer manufacture this product as demand over the past few years has declined.

Thank you for your order for hea vy-duty industrial overalls. Unfortunately we have run out of the strengthened denim style you asked for. As you have particularly requested only this material, we will not offer a substitute, but hope we will get delivery of a new consignment within the next two months. We hope you will contact us then.

We received your order for A CN dynamos today, but regret that due to a strike at the ACN factory we are unable to fulfil the order, and we realize that other models will not suit your requirements. Hopefully the dispute will be settled soon so that we will be able to supply you. You can rely on us to keep you informed of the developments.

5.6.2

Bad reputation

The customer may have a bad reputation for settling their accounts or, in the case of a retailer of, say, electrical or mechanical products, may have offered a poor after-sales service which could in turn affect your reputation. In these cases, it is better to indicate terms on which you would be prepared to accept his order, or, as in the last three examples, find a diplomatic way of saying 'no'.

We would only be prepared to supply on a cash basis.

We only supply on payment against pro-forma invoice.

As there is heavy demand we have very few of these products in stock, and are serving on a rota basis. It seems unlikely that we could deliver within the next four months.

As our plant is closing for the summer vacation we would not be able to process your order for the date you have given. Therefore, regretfully we have to decline it.

I am sorry to say that we must turn down your order as we have full order books at present and cannot give a definite date for delivery.

5.6.3

Unfavourable terms

The supplier may not like the terms the customer has asked for, either for delivery:

Delivery could not possibly be promised within the time given in your letter.

Two months must be allowed for delivery, as we ourselves have to get raw materials and rely on our own suppliers.

Or discount:

It would be uneconomical for us to offer our products at the discounts you suggest as we work on a fast turnover and low profit margins.

The usual trade discount is 15% in this country, which is 5% lower than the figure mentioned in your letter.

The discount you asked for is far more than we offer any of our customers.

Or payment:

We only accept payment by letter of credit.

We never offer quarterly terms on initial orders, even to customers who can provide references. However, we might consider this sort of credit once we have established a trading relationship.

Our company relies on quick sales, low profits, and a fast turnover, and therefore we cannot offer long-term credit facilities.

5.6.4

Size of order

The quantity required might be too large:

We are a small firm and could not possibly handle an order for 20,000 units.

Our factory does not have facilities to turn out 30,000 units a week.

The quantity required might be too small:

We only supply orders for ball pens by the gross, but suggest you try a stationery wholesaler rather than manufacturer.

The shirts we manufacture are sold in one colour and by the dozen. We never sell individual garments.

Our factory only sells material by 30-metre rolls which cannot be cut up.

Date: 2016-01-03; view: 1021