Need help from Native English speaker
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » EDS Lounge

Thu Feb 23, 2006 6:50 pm

Please help me if any of you could do me a favour. Sad

Though I've been in Canada for 10 years, or maybe I'm just not a native speaker... I had sent out an email which made my client angry. Confused

Just before the meeting, I had sent her a "friendly reminder" about our meeting for reconfirmation. Her reaction is so fierce and found my writings very offensive. She even said she wanna file in a complain to the director of my company. She claimed she had marked her calendar and the word "reminder" gave her an impression that I'm impolite. I should have used the word "reconfirm"... Girls, I really can't tell the difference. Is it truely my fault or its just her?

Supposingly, I need to reply her on the spot of her comments to stop her from escalating this issue to my bosses... how should I respond her? Question

Please help!

free skin care · Thu Feb 23, 2006 7:07 pm

I'd just explain that you in way meant to insult her or imply that she was irresponsible, that your intention was to confirm the appointment and that you're very sorry. Tell her English is a second language and that you will be more careful in the future...

free skin care · Thu Feb 23, 2006 7:08 pm

I think she's overeacting Bobosm. My boss sends "Friendly Reminder" emails all the time. However, she is your client and in this case, although you did nothing wrong, you'll have to grovel a bit. Sometimes the written word can sound different than it is intended to be, so instead of writing back to her, why not give her a call? Just say that your email was not intended to offend her and you're sorry that she took it the wrong way, but look forward to seeing her at the meeting.
Another thing, I'd let your boss know in advance that she's upset. That way if she brings it up, your boss will be prepared with a answer for her, rather than being caught off guard.
She sounds like a nasty person Sad

Anya

Thu Feb 23, 2006 7:42 pm

Many thanks to you both, lianne and anaya. Smile

I'm going to give her a call in a minute to clarify. And... I agree on the "nasty" one... Wink

I hope I'd be able to get thru this. You two are being very supportive and truly thank you for your advise.

free skin care · Thu Feb 23, 2006 10:54 pm

Hi bobosm - This client seems overly sensitive. I see nothing impolite about sending a "friendly reminder" email regarding a scheduled meeting, especially if it was set up well in advance of the date. But one must always cater to a client, and I think the advice you've gotten from anya and lianne is reasonable and should ameliorate the situation, unless the person is an absolute shrew.

Fri Feb 24, 2006 4:07 am

If all it was was her taking offence to the word "reminder" then she's way over-reacting. I get those all the time and I have never once thought they were rude. I also just sent out a bunch of emails for a research function the other day that had "REMINDER:" as the first start of the subject line.

I hope you have managed to sort things out. I think calling her up on the phone and just politely explaining that you meant no offence should be enough. Also, explain to your boss what happened (regardless of whether she escalates this or not) and I'm sure they will be objective enough to come to the conclusion that this may just be one of those difficult people to deal with and that it has nothing to do with you.

free skin care · Fri Feb 24, 2006 5:39 am

bobosm wrote:

I should have used the word "reconfirm"

Well, by now, you've probably already addressed the issue, but for future reference:

1. She's crazy.

2. She's having her own issue with the "English language" because "reconfirm" isn't what you would do... you'd "confirm" an appointment. "Reconfirming" is redundant.

3. "Reminders" are perfectly appropriate and, in my opinion, helpful, not rude.

4. To avoid this insanity in the future (although I doubt it will happen again because, as noted above, she's CRAZY), simply send emails "confirming" an appointment rather than "reminding" about an appointment.

Sorry you had to deal with this.

free skin care · Fri Feb 24, 2006 3:34 pm

Ditto the CRAZY!!!! And definately show this to your boss, as you explain how you handled it. hopefully he will see her as CRAZY too.

free skin care · Fri Feb 24, 2006 4:10 pm

so we all agree that she's crazy...but crazy or not she's the client/customer and her needs come first. Rolling Eyes

free skin care · Sat Feb 25, 2006 2:17 pm

I work with clients too. It sounds like you did nothing wrong. The advice you've received from others here sounds good.

Clients can act like they have no brain cells because they figure they're paying you so they can act how they want. It's ridiculous, but true. Plus, not to make excuses for her, but you never know what may've happened before that set her on edge and had nothing to do with you but made her overly sensitive.

They say "the client is always right," and largely it's true. We take a lot more from them than we might if we weren't getting paid. However, I've seen agencies drop their clients for their bad behavior. Hopefully, if you have a good boss, s/he'll also understand that your client is being unreasonable and step in on your behalf if needed.

Don't stress it. It happens sometimes to anyone who works with clients.

Best,

T

Mon Feb 27, 2006 7:18 pm

Thank you for all of you who had contributed... Smile

My story continues with a brief explanation to my boss and he thought maybe I should just stay away from contacting the client to let her cool down a bit. I found out she's known to be hard to deal with. Maybe she's just having a bad day or something. Luckily, on our meeting day, she seemed way nicer than she sounded in her email. I even caught her smile during the conversation, which my colleagues found that surprising (providing with her past history in meeting them) Wink

Lucky me... that's all I could say. Very Happy

Automatic Message

If this is your first visit to the EDS Forums please take the time to register. Registration is required for you to post on the forums. Registration will also give you the ability to track messages of interest, send private messages to other users, participate in Gift Certificates draws and enjoy automatic discounts for shopping at our online store. Registration is free and takes just a few seconds to complete.

Click Here to join our community.

If you are already a registered member on the forums, please login to gain full access to the site.