Escalating a Repeated Late Delivery Without Burning the Relationship
You are the operations coordinator at a medical-testing lab. Your supplier of sterile swabs has delivered late three times in six weeks: 2 days, 4 days, and 6 days late. The contract says a 2% credit per late delivery after a 24-hour grace period, capped at 10% per quarter. The latest delay forced you to courier emergency stock from a rival at £480 extra. Your lab manager wants a 'firm' email. The supplier's account manager, Alex, is helpful and has blamed a warehouse-system migration. You need the next delivery by Thursday 09:00 for a 300-sample batch. You have not yet claimed any credits. Write the email.
1. Write the subject line and first paragraph of the email. Explain why you chose that framing.
Read the worked answer
Subject: PO 8842 - late delivery 12 May and credit claim - action by 15:00 today First paragraph: 'Dear Alex, I'm writing about PO 8842, which arrived on 12 May, six days after the contracted date. This is the third late delivery in six weeks (2 days on 3 April, 4 days on 24 April, 6 days on 12 May). The delay forced us to courier emergency stock at a cost of £480 so we could run Monday's 300-sample batch.' Reasoning: the subject names the PO, the problem, and a deadline, so it is actionable and searchable. The first paragraph is chronological and factual, with dates and impact, not adjectives like 'unacceptable'. That keeps the record clean if the dispute escalates and gives Alex the information to investigate. It also separates the late delivery from the credit claim, so the email does not read as a threat.
2. How do you state the credit claim and the £480 without sounding threatening?
Read the worked answer
State the entitlement and the extra cost as separate items, then ask for confirmation. Write: 'Under clause 7.2, we are claiming the 2% credit for each late delivery after the 24-hour grace period. I've attached the delivery notes and the courier invoice for £480. Please confirm the credit note by Friday and let me know how you propose to handle the courier cost.' Reasoning: 'claiming' is contractual, not personal; 'please confirm' assumes a process rather than accusing. Separating the credit from the £480 keeps the contract claim clean - the £480 is a consequential cost that may not be covered by clause 7.2, so you ask rather than demand. Attaching evidence prevents a back-and-forth. Avoid 'we may escalate' at this stage; you have a helpful account manager and a stated cause (warehouse migration), so the first aim is a documented fix.
3. Close with a specific ask and a deadline. What do you include and what do you leave out?
Read the worked answer
Close with one operational ask, one written deadline, and a call offer. Write: 'For Thursday, we need the 300-sample batch by 09:00. Please confirm in writing by 15:00 today that the shipment has left your warehouse, and tell me who is monitoring it. I'm free at 14:00 if a call is easier.' Reasoning: Thursday 09:00 is the real constraint; 15:00 today gives you a working day to source alternatives if the answer is no. Asking for written confirmation creates a checkpoint before the deadline, not after. The call offer keeps the relationship open and is cheaper than another email chain. Leave out penalties beyond the contract and any mention of switching suppliers unless your lab manager has authorised that; an unauthorised ultimatum weakens your position if you later need to keep them.