Refusal Letters

Sample Refusal Letters

The refusal letter lets the person or organization to whom it is addressed know that their application for a job, credit card, loan . . . has been unsuccessful. It usually also provides a reason why the application was not successful.

The refusal letter can come from and be addressed to an organization or a private individual. Examples of a refusal letter include the letter a business would get from a bank letting them know their recent application for a line of credit has been refused . . . a letter you might write a company regretting your inability to accept their job offer . . . and a letter an individual might receive letting them know their job application has been unsuccessful.

Whether you are a private individual or an organization, writing a refusal letter may be a matter of routine or a chore you reluctantly have to take care of.

If writing a refusal letter is a matter of routine (e.g. if you are a bank), chances are you utilize boilerplate letters that need to be merely personalized and mailed to the recipient.

Regardless, it is always best to ensure the refusal is handled with sensitivity, respect and words of encouragement . . . without insulting the reader's intelligence or coming across as being patronizing.

[Date]

[Name]
[Designation]
[Organization]

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

It is with regret we inform you of the investors' decision to not underwrite your business plan, which you presented to us on [Month, Date, Year].

However, we may still be very much interested in financing your business plan provided the Financial Analysis section is reworked to reflect more objective, well-researched and realistic figures concerning your 10-year North American and European sales projections.

Your business plan, otherwise, is one of the best we have seen so far this year. Almost all the investors are impressed with the comprehensive nature of the Market Analysis section.

Like you, we still think what you have come up with is a killer product, and that it will rewrite the tablet PC category for good. We especially like the way you have paid equal attention to both its design and practical application.

The prototype itself seems to be virtually perfect, with the exception of some bugs.

You certainly have brought together an enviable team of researchers, designers, software engineers . . . and we hope we will soon have the pleasure of writing you your first check!

Please contact the undersigned if you have any questions or you feel you are ready to present your reworked business plan.