Apology letter template
A business apology letter that says what went wrong, takes responsibility and tells the reader what happens next.
- ๐บ๐ธ US format ยท Letter size
- Free
Fill in what you need. The preview updates as you type.
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You decide what to admit
The template gives the structure only. How much responsibility to accept and what to offer is your call, and if the matter could end up in a claim or a lawsuit, have a lawyer read the wording before you send it.
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Apology Letter
Jordan Lee
Customer Operations Manager
800 Brazos St, Suite 300
Austin, TX 78701
October 7, 2026
Taylor Kim
1200 Market St, Apt 8
San Francisco, CA 94103
Dear Taylor Kim:
I am writing to apologize for duplicate charge on order 88213.
On October 3 a configuration error during a server update caused some orders placed between 2 pm and 7 pm Central to be charged twice. Your order 88213 was one of them, and your card was charged $184.50 a second time.
This was our mistake. The update was not tested against the payment step before it went live, and the extra charge should never have reached your card.
We refunded the duplicate $184.50 on October 5. Depending on your bank it can take three to five business days to show on your statement. We have also added a $20.00 credit to your account for the trouble.
We have added a payment check to every release and an alert that flags duplicate charges within minutes. If the refund is not on your statement by October 14, reply to this letter or call the number below and we will handle it the same day.
If you have any questions, you can reach me at (555) 010-0000, support@northwind.example, weekdays 8 am to 6 pm Central.
Sincerely,
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ย
Jordan Lee
Customer Operations Manager
Northwind Commerce
How to use it
Fill in your details and the reader's, then write one short paragraph in each box. What happened: the facts with dates and amounts. Responsibility: a plain sentence that says it was your mistake, if it was. What we have done: the refund, replacement or fix, with the date. What happens next: what changed so it does not happen again, and what the reader should do if the fix has not reached them.
The one-line subject becomes the opening sentence, so write it as the end of I am writing to apologize for. Add a phone or email so the reader can follow up with a person.
Things to watch
Say sorry once, clearly, and spend the rest of the letter on facts and the fix. Do not blame the customer, a vendor or the weather, and do not promise a remedy you have not decided on yet. Send it from a named person, not a department.
Calculators that go with this
Frequently asked questions
Should it come from the CEO?
From whoever owns the fix. For a single customer, the manager of the team that made the mistake is right. For an outage that affected many people, a senior name carries more weight.
Email or printed letter?
Email reaches people faster. Paste the same paragraphs into an email and keep the printed version for a formal complaint, a business customer or when your contract asks for written notice.
What if the cause is still under investigation?
Say so. Write what you know, say the cause is being investigated, and give a date by which you will follow up. Do not guess at a cause in writing.
Is what I type saved anywhere?
No. Everything stays in your browser and nothing is sent to our server. If you refresh the page it is gone, so print, save a PDF or download the DOCX when you are done.