Personal Finances
Letters

Sample Personal Finances Letters

As the name suggests, a personal finances letter concerns itself with financial matters of a personal nature: loans, purchases, offers/counteroffers, accounts, orders, reservations, subscriptions, memberships, invoices, and the like.

The personal finances letter may be addressed to a private individual or an individual representing an organization.

The personal finances letter may serve as a pro forma document or as a legally binding piece of communication.

In some cases, the personal finances letter may elicit a faster response from the recipient in comparison with an e-mail.

The personal finances letter must be brief but not brusque . . . comprehensive but not long-winded . . . and honest but not emotionally charged, especially if you are writing one to cancel an account, subscription or membership following a bad experience.

A personal finances letter must say what you would say if you could be there in person. Nothing more. Nothing less.

It must include all pertinent details of the transactional relationship that you have entered into or wish to enter into with an individual or organization.

Because a personal finances letter may be legally binding on both you and the recipient, it is in your own best interest to leave nothing to doubt. Mention dates, amounts, specifications, terms, and the like which may have a bearing on the response you expect from the recipient.

[Date]

[Name]
[Title]
[Department]
[Organization]

Dear [Ms./Mrs./Mr. Last name],

I am writing to inform you of my decision to close my credit card account [#] with your bank with immediate effect.

As your customer service records will tell you, I was billed twice for a purchase that I made through a payment gateway in March 2009.

I contacted your bank as soon as I noticed the double billing and was told to get in touch with the payment gateway to resolve the issue.

A representative of the payment gateway was prompt in replying to my query and informing me that the issue could only be resolved by your bank. She also asked me to mention [#] as the Payment Gateway Transaction Number (PGTN) to help the bank expedite the refund.

I then e-mailed the PGTN to your bank and was told that the issue would be resolved within 72 hours.

However, the response I received about 12 hours later from your executive was that there was nothing the bank could do to refund the amount.

I asked to be put in touch with a more senior executive, who in turn asked me to wait another 72 hours to allow the bank to resolve the issue.

A few hours later, his response was no different from the one before it.

I have written to your ombudsman but am still to receive a reply. It's been more than 3 months now.

I feel insulted, angry and taken advantage of, and no longer wish to have any sort of relationship with your bank.

Please cancel my credit card account with immediate effect.

As your records will tell you, I owe nothing to your bank at the time of writing this letter and have not used the card since the double-billing incident.