Which Is the Most Effective Statement in a Letter to a Customer

question 38

Multiple Choice

Which is the most effective statement in a letter to a customer denying a claim?

• A) If you had followed the instructions, you wouldn't have overheated the battery pack.
• B) You can purchase a replacement battery pack at a 20 percent discount.
• C) Per company policy, we are unable to replace battery packs that have been damaged due to customer misuse.
• D) We apologize, but, unfortunately, we cannot replace your battery pack at this time.

---

Definitions:

Correspondence Inference Theory

A psychological theory that explains how and why people draw inferences about the dispositional attributes of others based on observed behavior and its consequences.

Self-Serving Bias

Tendency to perceive our own behavior as more positive than others’ behavior.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Error that arises from attributing another person’s behavior to internal, controllable causes rather than to external, uncontrollable causes.

Stereotype

To place a person or group of persons into an inflexible, all-encompassing category.