Request letters
what are the different reasons for
writing request letters ?
1 - To obtain information.
2 - To receive printed matter.
3 - To receive sample products.
4 - To order goods.
5 - To engage service
6 - To make reservations..
7 - To seek special favors.
How should all request letters look
like?
All requests should:
1 - Be specific and complete.
2 - Be reasonable.
3 - Provide complete, accurate information.
What are the major types request
letter?
• the major types request letter are :
• Inquiries
• Order
LETTER OF INQUIRY
A letter to request
information of
product and (or)
services.
What should an inquiry contain ?
It should contain :
1. Exactly what you want
2. The course of action you would like your
reader to take
Sample Inquiry Letter
Request for Samples.
Dear Sir,
We have received a number of inquiries for false ceiling
for the our new building.
It would be helpful if you could send us samples showing
your range of suitable ceilings and if one is available, a
pattern-card of the designs in which they are supplied.
Yours faithfully,
Responding to the Inquiries.
Reply to the request for samples.
Dear Mr….
Thank you for your enquiry for samples and a pattern-card of our false ceiling
fittings.
We have sent to you today by rail a range of samples specially selected for their
hard-wearing qualities but regret that we have no pattern card to send
You. For the purpose you mentioned, we recommend a42356, which is specially
recommended for the departmental stores.
We encourage you to test the samples provided. Once you have tested and if
you feel it would help your intended purpose, we will arrange for our
technical representative to call you for an appointment. In the meantime,
our price list is enclosed which also shows details of our conditions and
terms of trading. We hope these will be of use when you wish to place an
order.
Yours truly,
BRAMASTYA DEVI & CO LTD
10 Ansari Road, New Delhi 110022
Our Ref JC/BC
7 June, 2004
Good Equipment, Ltd
About the
writer’s
company
Jln. Tembaan Barat 107
Surabaya 60382
INDONESIA
How the writer knows the
information about the
supplier
Dear Sirs,
Your advertisement in the “Indonesian Times” interests us greatly.
We are a selling agent for ceramic wares in India. As the company develops greatly, we need to open a
branch office in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. Therefore, we need to order some office equipment
soon. Could you please send us a brochure, catalogue and price list of the office equipment you
produce?
Please ensure that the catalogue and the price list are sent by air mail, not surface mail.
We are looking forward to receiving your reply shortly.
Yours faithfully,
John Cain
John Cain
Purchasing Manager
Closing
The Information
requested
OPENING
1. How did you hear about the company you are contacting?
Advertisement, Trade fair/Exhibition, Embassy, etc.
 We were given your name by the Hoteliers’ Association in Paris.
 You were recommended to us by Mr John King, of Lawsom &
Davies, Merchant Bankers.
 We were advised by Spett Marco Gennovisa of Milan that you are
interested in supplying……..
The British Consulate in Madrid has told us that you are looking
for an agent in Spain to represent you…
2. Tell the supplier about your company.
 We are one of the main producers of industrials chemicals in
Middle East a, and we are interested in……………..
MIDDLE
Asking for catalogues, Price list .1
Could you please send your current catalogue and 
price list for exhibition stands? We are particularly
interested in stands suitable for displaying
furniture…
I am planning to come and study in London next 
autumn and would be grateful if you could send
me a prospectus and details of your fees. I am
particularly interested in courses in computing.
Please would you send me an up-to-date price list 
for your building materials?
MIDDLE
2. Asking for details
Could you please give me more information about 
course BL362, which appears in the language
learning section of your summer prospectus?
MIDDLE
3. Asking for samples, demonstrations, patterns.
When replying, could you please enclose a pattern 
card?
We would also appreciate it if you could send some 
samples of the materials so that we can examine
the texture and quality.
Before selling toys we prefer to test them for safety. 
Could you therefore sends us at least two examples
of the “Sprite” range?
MIDDLE
4. Suggesting terms, methods of payments and
discounts
We usually deal on a 30% trade discount basis with 
an additional quantity discount for orders over
1,000 units.
 Could you let us know if you allow cash discount?
CLOSING
• We hope to hear from you in the near future
• We would be grateful for an early reply
• Finally, we would like to point out that delivery
before Christmas is essential and hope that you can
offer us that guarantee
• We should be pleased to receive your prompt reply.
• We look forward to receiving your reply.
• We should appreciate your prompt reply.
• We look forward to receiving your reply
immediately.
• We hope you will be able to send us reply by return.
Order letter
Many companies use special forms for ordering
goods or service. They may use their own,
called a purchase order, or one provided by the
seller, called an order form. These forms have
blank spaces to ensure the inclusion of all
necessary information. Their advantage is that
they enable a company to number and track all
expenditures
Order :
• Nevertheless, there will be times when an order
must be put into letter format. At such times,
you must be sure to include complete, accurate
information because incomplete orders result in
delayed deliveries, and inaccurate facts result in
receipt of the wrong merchandise
WRITING PLAN
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Begin directly with definite action verbs, such as please send or please ship
us rater than indefinite phrase such as I am interested in or I am looking
for….
Describe the items accurately following these categories:
1. Quantity desired
2. Product or catalogue number
3. Product name or description
4. Size and colour if applicable
5. Unit price
6. Total price
State your method of payment. When using a credit card including the
number and expiry date.
State how you want the merchandise shipped
Give the shipping address if it is different from the inside address.
Indicate the date you need the product if applicable.
What should be included in every
order ?
1. The name of the item being ordered
2. The item's number
3. Quantity desired
4. Description
5. Unit price
6. Applicable discounts
7. Applicable sales tax
8. Total price
9. Method of payment
10. Desired delivery date
11. Method of shipment
12.delivery address
13. Authorized signature.
ORDER LETTER
Dear Sir,
We are greatly obliged for the quotations of----- for the supply of computer systems. We find your
terms and conditions satisfactory and will appreciate if you send us the following by train:
NO QTY Description
Model no
Rate/ Rs
Total Rs
45,000
900,000
1
20
Super speed
MC413
2
5
Pioneer
124
3
5
Compaq Electra DC 451
25,000
125,000
10,000
50,000
Please pack the consignment in strong wooden cases with adequate protection for shipping. Make
sure that the consignment reaches us before -------------. The docking receipt may be sent through
our bank The National Bank------ The payment will be made through our bank after the goods have
been received intact.
Sincerely yours,
HOMEWORK
Write a letter of inquiry based on the following
situation:
You are a Purchasing manager of a computers store: DISC
SA ( Jl. Cempaka Putih No. 544 Jakarta Pusat 10510, Telp.
O21 436783).
You write to CLEARCALM Ltd. (275-277 Einek H, Istanbul,
Turkey) to ask for:
- Details about the re-writeable and recordable CDs
- Samples
- Discount
You got the information from an advertisement in this
month’s edition of “Lectron”.