LESSON 39: HOW TO WRITE A FINAL-STAGE COLLECTION LETTER? -- 怎样写最後的催款信？

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. WRITING WORKSHOP 写作小作坊

VI. UPGRADING YOUR ENGLISH 英语升级

VII. GOODIES & GIFTS 实用小礼物


I. USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
常用语

1. How to start your letter?

You have not responded in any way to our recent letters about your past due account.

We remind you once more of your open account that is now _____ days beyond our _____-day terms.

Your account is still unpaid in spite of our continual reminders asking for payment or an explanation for your delay.

We urgently request that you immediately pay your balance of _____________, which has been outstanding since ___________[date] despite several notices from us.

2. How to warn the recipient against further delay?

You must realize that we cannot afford to carry this debt on our books any longer.

Any further delay in paying your balance due cannot be accepted.

You can no longer delay payment if you wish to keep your account open.

Our next step is to take legal action to collect the money due us.

This is unpleasant for both of us and is damaging to your credit rating.

3. How to specify your deadline or demand immediate payment?

We must now insist that you send you payment within the next five days.

Unless I receive your remittance within the next three days, our attorney will be instructed to start proceedings to recover the debt.

If we do not receive remittance within five days from the above date, we will have no choice but to pursue other collection procedures.

After April 30, we will have no choice but to cancel your credit and turn your account over to a collection agency.

4. How to end your letter?

We look forward to your prompt payment.

Your immediate response is necessary.

Whether or not we take legal action is now your decision.

Please make every effort to ensure that we are not forced to take this drastic action.

We must hear from you at once to avoid further action.



II. SAMPLE
范文


Dear __________:

I am afraid your failure to settle your account, which is over due for more than six months, will leave us with no alternative but resort to legal proceedings.

This is to notify you that unless we receive your check for $7,550.50 by June 30, we will place your account in the hands of our attorneys for collection.

Yours sincerely,



_____________[name]
_____________[title]



III. TIPS
掌握写作要领

1. Choose a firm tone for your letter.
2. Remind the recipient of your previous collection letters.
3. Remind the recipient of all the necessary details:

  1. The amount owed by the recipient

  2. The length of time the bill has been overdue

  3. The additional amount of late charge if there is any
4. Tell the recipient what kind of legal action will be taken if the final collection effort fails.


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. You can no longer put _______ your payment. We insist that you pay the bill by July 31.
    (A) out
    (B) off
    (C) away
    (D) down

  2. We have been happy to _______ you credit based on your promise to pay according to our terms.
    (A) expand
    (B) prolong
    (C) extend
    (D) lengthen

  3. As you might imagine, the choice of _______ an account with our collection agency is one which we weigh with a good deal of care.
    (A) whether to place
    (B) if to place
    (C) whether placing
    (D) if placing

  4. Our contract stipulates that you will be ______ collection and legal fees.
    (A) responsible to
    (B) responsive to
    (C) responsible for
    (D) responsive for

  5. At this time we must insist ______ hearing from you within the next 10 days.
    (A) in
    (B) over
    (C) on
    (D) to

  6. Since I am still hopeful that you will send us your check ______ full immediately, I am going to suspend further action until October 1.
    (A) for
    (B) in
    (C) as
    (D) by

  7. If you fail to clear your account within 10 days, you will leave us no alternative ______ to take legal action.
    (A) not
    (B) as
    (C) and
    (D) but

  8. We had hoped to avoid legal action ______ offering you flexible credit options to lessen the difficulty you face.
    (A) with
    (B) on
    (C) by
    (D) as

  9. It is important that I hear from you by April 30. ______, a decision must be made that I am sure neither of us wants.
    (A) Otherwise
    (B) Nevertheless
    (C) To the contrary
    (D) As a result

  10. Please send us your payment for the overdue bill within 10 days so that we do not have to turn your account ______ to a collection agency.
    (A) out
    (B) in
    (C) on
    (D) over




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


ignored, alternative, unless, unwillingness, impression, embarrassment, delinquent, forestall, previous, reluctant

We are sending this letter to you with regret that (1) efforts to obtain payment of your account have been unsuccessful.

Because our many letters have remained unanswered, we get the (2) that you do not intend to pay the $4,050 balance in your account.

It is apparent that you have (3) our two previous reminders. Your account is now seriously (4) .

This is to notify you that (5) your check for $ 2,870 is received by May 15, your account will be placed in the hands of our attorneys for collection.

Although I am (6) to take legal action to recover the amount, you leave me no alternative.

Although we dislike the thought of going to court, your (7) to cooperate with our billing department has left us no choice.

We regret that your failure to settle your account by June 30 has left us with no (8) but to turn over your account to the collection agency.

Please send us your check for $6,480 before June 30 to avoid the (9) of legal action.

To (10) legal action and its effects on your credit standing, mail your check for $4,050 today.




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


justify, offering, in short, from, expand, onto, facing, expected, to, convergence

Leaders of the telephone industry are (1) a lot of technical challenges. In the next three years, communications devices, (2) computers and televisions (3) mobile phones, are (4) to converge, all of them (5) the same host of services. That (6) is behind the rash of massive takeovers in the phone industry. For many cell-phone companies to (7) their stock valuations, they must (8) from voice into the potentially rich data side of the market. Cellular phones, (9) , must push their way (10) the Internet.




VI. WRITING WORKSHOP
写作小作坊


A good letter should have a good logical order. Rearrange the sentences in the letter below and divide the body of the letter into three paragraphs:

Dear ___________:

Please call us now to discuss ways that we can work together to keep your account open. We look forward to your prompt payment or, at least, an explanation. You ought to be aware that any further delay of your payment will damage your credit rate. Do we have to remind you once more that your payment is now 60 days beyond our 30-day terms? It's time to act immediately if you wish to keep your account open. We hope you won't fail us this time. As we have told you more than once, we are willing to do what we can to help you.

Sincerely yours,

_________[name]



叁考答案

Dear ___________:

Do we have to remind you once more that your payment is now 60 days beyond our 30-day terms? You ought to be aware that any further delay of your payment will damage your credit rate. It's time to act immediately if you wish to keep your account open.

As we have told you more than once, we are willing to do what we can to help you. Please call us now to discuss ways that we can work together to keep your account open. We hope you won't fail us this time.

We look forward to your prompt payment or, at least, an explanation.

Sincerely yours,

_________[name]
_________[title]


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:

(01) tried to make the news seem less important than it really was
(02) repetition of the main points
(03) keep it from affecting you for a period of time
(04) necessary changes
(05) thinking about a problem or plan and consider it for a long time
(06) the basic facts about a particular subject
(07) dismissed
(08) newly developed business
(09) a complete change from a bad situation to a good situation
(10) a person who knows a lot about a particular subject

01) Following the trend of de-centralization, there will be an overhaul of National Telecom, which will split the state giant into four separate companies, each responsible for a different sector of the industry.
02) At a hi-tech conference, the president of the microchip company painted an upbeat picture for the semiconductor industry, saying that a major chip turnaround will be seen in the coming year.
03) When you called me this morning, I was listening to a recap of the parliamentary debate on BBC.
04) The company is regarded as representative of the Internet startup.
05) The new chief executive of the company is a marketing maven.
06) When he became the chief executive of the company, he immediately canned the old advertising agency and set about building a network of company stores in towns and villages throughout the country.
07) The company's initial public offering in 1990 raised funds to stave off a challenge from its rival.
08) The two companies were mulling over a merger last summer but could not reach agreement on a price.
09) Allen Smith, chief executive officer of NetworkCom, played down the acquisition rumors that have been swirling around the company lately. But people believe they're in talks with large media companies.
10) He knows a lot about the ABCs of the phone business.



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

A Ready-Made Final-Stage Collection Letter

Dear ____________:

You have not responded at all to our many attempts to collect the $ ______ you have owed us since ______[date]. Our next step is to take legal action to collect the money due us.

This is certainly unpleasant for both of us and is no doubt damaging to your credit rating. Therefore, we will delay any action for _____ days from the date of this letter. Please let us have your check on or before ______[date].

Whether or not we take legal action is now your decision.

Sincerely yours,



_________[name]
_________[title]