LESSON 33: HOW TO ASK FOR A PAYMENT EXTENSION OR MORE FAVORABLE PAYMENT TERMS?
--怎样要求延期付款或要求更优惠的付款条件？


CONTENTS

I. USEFUL EXPRESSIONS 常用语

II. SAMPLE 范文

III. TIPS 掌握写作要领

IV. EXERCISE: WORDS, PHRASES AND SENTENCE PATTERNS 精通常用词组和句型

V. UPGRADING YOUR ENGLISH 英语升级

VI. GOODIES & GIFTS 实用小礼物

I. USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
常用语

1. How to begin your letter?

We received your bill for $_________ yesterday.

I am sorry to let you know that, despite all our efforts, we won't be able to clear your October statement.

I am sorry to tell you that I will not be able to meet my bill, No. _____, due on ______[date].

2. How to apologize and explain?

I am sorry we are not able to pay the total sum immediately.

We had intended to pay the statement as usual, but ...

I am sorry we are not able to pay the total sum immediately because we are having some temporary financial problems.

I regret that we cannot pay the entire amount due today and hope you understand our situation and the reason for the delay.

3. How to ask for an extension?

We would like to request an extended payment plan with your company.

We propose to pay to your company $_____ on ______[date] ...

Could you allow me a further 60 days to clear my account?

4. How to promise you will eventually make the payment?

I promise we will settle our account with you next month and hope you will understand our situation.

Our insurance company have promised us compensation within the next few weeks, and once we have received this the account will be paid in full.

5. How to end your letter?

Please let us know whether this arrangement is acceptable.

I would be most grateful if you could help me in this matter.

We hope you will appreciate the situation and bear with us until the matter is settled.




II. SAMPLE
范文

Dear __________:

I am sorry to let you know that, despite all our efforts, we won't be able to clear your October statement for $_________ by November 30. A fire that took place on November 5 destroyed most of the goods in our warehouse in Chesstown, our loss amounting to $__________.

Could you extend the payment deadline till the end of December? Our insurance company has promised us compensation within the next few weeks, and once we have received this we will pay the account in full.

We would be most grateful if you could help us in this matter.

Sincerely yours,



___________[name]
___________[title]




III. TIPS
掌握写作要领

1. Apologize for not being able to pay your bill promptly.
2. Make it clear what kind of extension or change in payment terms you want.
3. Explain why you need an extension. Give enough details to convince your supplier.
4. Promise that you will pay your bill by a specific date.
5. Thank the supplier for his/her understanding and help.




IV. EXERCISE: WORDS, PHRASES AND SENTENCE PATTERNS
精通常用词组和句型

1. Click on the word or phrase that fits the sentence:

  1. The chip maker is going to release its new 400 megahertz chips, aimed _____ the low-cost market that its rival has been trying to rule.
    (A) on
    (B) at
    (C) in
    (D) for

  2. In addition to setting the price of a product, business firms must decide ______ to offer special discounts and credit terms to their customers.
    (A) if
    (B) which
    (C) whether
    (D) whatever

  3. Airlines tend to charge customers _____ business at least twice the fares of customers who are paying for the flight themselves.
    (A) of
    (B) in
    (C) on
    (D) for

  4. Discounting can enable the retail store to attract consumers that are more price conscious, ______ charging higher prices to other consumers that are less price conscious.
    (A) while
    (B) also
    (C) in addition to
    (D) and

  5. Some suppliers encourage customers to pay _____ their credit by offering a discount.
    (A) out
    (B) up
    (C) in
    (D) off

  6. Our supplier offers credit terms "2/10 net 30." That means, a 2% discount can be taken if the bill is paid within 10 days, and the bill must be paid ______ full within 30 days.
    (A) to
    (B) on
    (C) as
    (D) in

  7. I've got to tell our supplier that, _____ all our efforts, we won't be able to clear their October statement.
    (A) in addition to
    (B) besides
    (C) despite
    (D) instead of

  8. After receiving our request for payment extension, our supplier agreed to draw a new bill _____ us, with interest of 5% added for the extension of time.
    (A) at
    (B) on
    (C) to
    (D) with

  9. As soon as you advise me _____ your acceptance of this proposal we will issue our purchase order.
    (A) of
    (B) over
    (C) in
    (D) for

  10. Could you allow me a _____ 30 days to clear my account?
    (A) more
    (B) further
    (C) additional
    (D) extra




2. Fill in the blanks with words chosen from the list below. (1):

written, written back, written down, written off, written up

1) Since nobody has come to buy a new house in this neighborhood, the unfortunate real-estate investment will be (1) .

2) He made his fortune in the local business boom, because most of his assets in this town were (2) .

3) The underwriter (保险业者) has (3) $1.5 million of insurance this month.

4) Most of the computers in our company are outdated and discontinued models and will be (4) in the company's books.

5) If you send your payment by the end of this month, your debt will be (5) .


NOTES

write: 承担保险
write back: 增记, 转回
write down: 减记, 降低
write off: 注销
write up: 抬高帐面价值

3. Fill in the blanks with words chosen from the list below. Add capitalization when necessary (2):

under, launching, crack down, number, gave up, broaden, came up with, check out, broke into, via, whose, into, who, finance

EasTech Inc. has invested $10 million in a (1) of computer networking software firms (2) products EasTech believes will help (3) the market for its own networking software.

The Society of Consumer Protection is (4) a campaign to encourage consumers (5) shop online to (6) Web sites' privacy policies.

The telecommunications giant will combine its four Internet service providers (7) a single group (8) a common brand name.

After banks refused to (9) his planned health club, the young man (10) that idea but (11) another one: a travel agency with services available (12) the Internet.

Computer experts have been invited to join the efforts to (13) on hackers who (14) military and bank computer systems.



V. UPGRADING YOUR ENGLISH
英语升级


This exercise allows you to practice with authentic "online" English. Match each highlighted phrase in the sentences with the number of an explanation listed below:

(1)do things in their own unique way
(2)buy part of a business or organization, especially because you want to control it
(3)ready to move or do sth.
(4)resist or oppose stubbornly
(5)organized in a way that is suitable for a particular purpose
(6)to understand
(7)join a cause or movement that appears to be gaining popular support or becoming successful

1) The CEO of PBN Inc. announced his purchase of a South Electronics subsidiary to create a new Internet-driven company geared toward small and medium-sized businesses.
2) After a three-year sales downturn, the semiconductor industry appears poised for recovery in late 1999.
3) Despite fierce competition in the cellular phone market, more companies are ready to jump on the bandwagon of mobile communication revolution.
4) While many search engines look exactly alike, there are a few who break away from the herd.
5) G-Net's decisions to provide instant messaging and around-the-clock web-call services buck a trend among ISPs to limit Net access.
6) The media giant announced that it would not rush to buy into the increasingly expensive cable television sector.
7) In a town mostly known for its folk dance festival, residents are able to catch on to the tech revolution. They are now planning high-speed network and data services, in a bid to get its next generation up to Net speed.



VI. SOMETHING FOR NOTHING
GOODIES & GIFTS （实惠小礼物）

1. New Words, New Meanings

cracker: n. a person who breaks into computer systems, using them without authorization, either maliciously or just to show off; hackers who try to gain illegal access to computers, usually malicious in their intentions.

Example:

The government is cracking down on crackers. Two men who broke into a bank computer network and stole $300,000 have been sentenced to 10-year imprisonment.