The owner of New Century Interiors, Sue Ewerth, recently worked on the custom Chicago home of an NBA basketball player. He requested an oversized 12-foot mahogany entry door. Sue ordered by telephone the solid mahogany door (“Cape Cod”) from American Wood Products on May 17. When it arrived on June 28, her carpenter gave her the bad news. Magnificent as it was, the huge door was cut too small. Instead of measuring a total of 12 feet 2 inches, the door measured 11 feet 10 inches. In Sue’s carpenter’s words, “No way can I stretch that door to fit this opening!” Sue had waited four weeks for this hand-crafted custom door, and her client wanted it installed immediately. Sue’s carpenter said, “I can rebuild this opening for you, but I’m going to have to charge you for my time.” His extra charge came to $940.50.

Sue feels that the people at American Wood Products should reimburse her for this amount since it was their error. In fact, Sue actually saved them a bundle of money by not returning the door. She has decided to write to American Wood Products and enclose a copy of her carpenter’s bill. She wonders whether she should also include a copy of the invoice, even though it does not show the exact door measurements. New Century Interiors is a good customer of American Wood Products, having used its quality doors and windows on many other jobs. Sue is confident that the company will grant this claim.

Your Task. 

Draft a claim letter for Sue Ewerth’s signature. Address it to Bryan Mumm, Operations Manager, American Wood Products, 4230 North Superior Street, Lincoln, NE 68521. Ms. Ewerth may ask you to fax the letter. Or, if your instructor directs, write an e-mail instead and mention the scanned documents you are sending.