BAZA ZNANJA

Kurs: -- English - Business English

Modul: Orders - Narudžbine

Autor: prof. Gordana Matorkić

Naziv jedinice: Orders and Replies to Orders

Orders

 
When the seller’s offer is accepted, an order is to follow. A vital thing in completing an order is accuracy. You can have trouble if an error in quoting a catalogue number appears, and it can sometimes be difficult to put it right later. Such errors can occasionally occur; so it is prudent to double check everything.
         
Clarity is also essential. The buyer should make clear to the seller exactly what he wants. In the export business another things are very important, like method of transport, packing or delivery. Then, the buyer may ask for some special documents to satisfy import regulations. You should tell that to the exporter because he does not always know what the buyer needs.
   
Large firms have a custom to use an export order form for ordering; they print the special requirements on this form, and also details of terms and conditions of purchase. Every order must have its order number (O/N).

When writing an order you should:

• acknowledge previous correspondent: 
  • Thank you for your letter of 30. September quoting prices and delivery terms for…
  • We thank you for the samples / price list / catalogue which you sent us.
• state your reactions to the prices, discount, samples, etc.:
  • We are satisfied that the quoted terms / discount are / is acceptable.
  • We have examined the samples and are satisfied with their quality.
• place the order: 
  • We are therefore ordering…
  • We therefore enclose our official order form, No 41, for…
• confirm terms of payment or suggest terms of payment: 
  • Our usual method of payment is by ……… and we trust that this will be acceptable to you. 
• set deadline for delivery (if appropriate):
  • Delivery before 15. June is a firm condition of the order.  
• close the letter: 
  • We look forward to receiving our order / the shipment and doing business with you in future.

Replies to Orders/Counter-Offers

When you receive the order, the most convenient response would be to send an order acknowledgement right away. When doing business with already regular customers, just a short letter of acknowledgement is enough.

However, if you send a letter in which you repeat the order you will also check the accuracy of the description of the goods ordered. In that way, the order becomes a contract. The letter sholud be closed with an assurance that the order will be promptly delivered.

• acknowledge receipt for the order:
  • We thank you for your order, No. 5029 for bathing robes, which we received yesterday. Thank you for your order of 12 November for...
• confirm that you are able to supply the goods:
  • We are glad to confirm that we can supply the above order.
• say what you are going to do next about the order:
  • We will dispatch the goods immediately we have received...
  • As there are no special instructions for forwarding, we are passing the order to our forwarding clerks in the standard way.
  • The goods are nearly ready for dispatch and we will be glad to have your instructions.
• assure the buyer that you can meet the conditions of the order:
  • You can rely on us to follow your instructions to the letter.
  • You may be sure that we will carry out your instructions in full.
• close the letter:
  • We look forward to to hearing that your order has arrived safely and to doing further business wtih you.
  • Sometimes, the supplier will not be able to meet the customer`s order but he still should not refuse him, what he should do is to make a counter-offer and suggest an alternative.

This is how a counter-offer should be written:

• thank the customer for the order:
  • Thank you for your order, No. 4751D, which we have received today.
• say that you cannot meet the order:
  • We very much regret that we cannot accept new orders at present.
  • We are sorry to tell you that we are unable to supply the goods you have requested.
• say why you cannot meet the order: 
  • Owing to heavy demand for these goods from our existing customers, we are unable to accept new orders at present.
  • This model has been discontinued and replaced by...
  • We are unable to offer as large a discount as you have requested.
• suggest an alternative:
  • If you are willing to wait for a short period, we can supply you in four weeks` time.
  • We expect to have this item in stock in July.
  • We can assure you that model No 458 will be suitable for your needs.

Example 1

Dear Mrs. Ferguson,
 
We would like to thank you for your letter of 4 June in which you enclosed your latest price list together with the catalogue.
 
We are satisfied that a 15% trade discount is acceptable.
 
We therefore enclose our official order form, No 3589, for eleven coffee tables.
 
We suggest that payment is made by Documentary Credit. We will instruct our bank in Zurich to open a Documentary Credit in your favour. The terms are CIF Zurich.
 
This order is subject to delivery before 21 August.
 
We look forward to receiving our order and doing further business with you in future.
 
Yours sincerely
 
Enc. Order form.

Example 2

Dear Mr Wolfgang,
 
Your order No. 2741 for coffee tables
 
We thank you for your order for 11 coffee tables, which we have received today.
 
We are glad to confirm that we can supply the above order and therefore, we enclose a pro-forma invoice for the goods, CIF Zurich.
 
The order will be dispatched as soon as we have received confirmation of your Documentary Credit from Thomas Bank in London. We have already arranged for the transportation of the goods, and we assure you that we can meet your delivery deadline of 31 July.
 
We look forward to hearing of the safe arrival of your order.

Yours sincerely
 
Enc. Pro-forma invoice

Example 3

Dear Mr Smith,
 
Your order No 930 for DVD players.
 
We thank you for the above order which we received today.
 
We are sorry to tell you that we are unable to supply the goods you have requested by the date specified.
We have already faced problems by trying to satisfy the heavy demand for this product, and it is unlikely that we will be able to meet your order for at least three months.
 
However, payment in advance will provide the priority for your order, and we would, in that case, deliver the goods according to your needs.
 
We are waiting for your further instructions.
 
Yours sincerely

Vocabulary

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