Bad News Messages: 1) Refusing an Idea-Oversized Dressing Rooms You are Rebecca Chavez (see Exercise 6 of Chapter 7 ), and you certainly appreciate Robert Kilclines's memo recommending oversized dressing rooms for your new store in Fashion Square mall. Robert has always been very customersconscious, a trait you try to instill and nurture in all your employees. After checking with the facility planner for the new store, you find that the Fashion Square Mall management has only a certain amount of space available for your store. Thus, any space taken up by the dressing rooms would have to be at the expense of the public store areas. Write a memo to Robert, giving him this information. Perhaps he can suggest other ways to enhance customer service. 2) Refusing a Claim-Azaleas You are a customer service representative for Jackson & Perkins Nurseries and have received the letter written by Vera Malcolm (see Exercise 11 of Chapter 7). Jackson & Perkins goes to great expense to use only the highest-quality patented stock and to pack each order in dampened sphagnum moss. However, there is no way that any nursery can control the care that plants receive on reaching their destination. Your obligation in this matter clearly ended when Ms. Malcolm did not notify you of the problem immediately. If she had, you would have cheerfully refunded her money. But evidently the azaleas are now thriving where they were planted, and you believe you have no further obligation. Tell this to Ms. Malcolm in a letter (Public Service Company of Arkansas, 189 Blackwood Lane, Little Rock, AR 72207). 3) Chinaberry, Inc. Revisited being upfront with customers has been part of Chinaberry, Inc.'s philosophy since its founding in 1982, when the owner would include handwritten notes to customers with each order. Communicating with customers and educating them on making conscious buying decisions has long been part of the way Chinaberry, Inc. does business. This openness with customers allows the Company to minimize the possibility of a negative reaction to bad news. PROBLEM Currently, more than 3.5 million customers receive the Chinaberry catalog of children's and family products three times each year. Suppose that increased printing and mailing costs for the catalog are forcing the company to consider raising merchandise prices. Instead of raising prices, however, the company to consider raising merchandise prices. Instead of raising prices, however, the company has decided to save money by reducing the number of customers who receive the catalog. Beginning with the next catalog, only customers who have placed an order within a 12month period will continue to receive all three yearly issues; other customers will receive only the holiday catalog that is sent out in December. Customers who place an order will automatically receive the next three issues of the catalog. As a copywriter for the Chinaberry Catalog, your job is to communicate this new policy to customers in a column in the next issue of the catalog. PROCESS a. Describe your audience. (Hint: You may wish to visit the chinaberry website at http://www.chinaberry .com to learn more about the Company's customer demographics. The Dear Friends and Musings links will provide examples of the style of writing that appears in the catalogs.) b. Will you use the direct or indirect form of organization for your message? Why? c. Write your buffer opening, remembering the need to retain customer goodwill. d. What points should you make in discussing the reason for this decision? e. Write the closing of your message, striving for a positive, supportive tone. PRODUCT Using your knowledge of bad-news messages, write the column for publication in the Chinaberry Catalog