REQUEST FOR PAYMENT

a. First request

Dear Mr. …

I am writing to ask why you have not settled our invoice No. H931 for £919.63, a copy of
which is enclosed.

I know that since we began trading you have cleared your accounts regularly on the due
dates. That is why I wondered if any problems have arisen which I might be able to help
you with. Please let me know if I can be of assistance.

Yours sincerely
Comprehension questions

1. What is enclosed with the letter?

A copy of the invoice No. H931 for £919.63

2. Why is the writer so surprised when the buyer delayed in payment?

Because the buyer has cleared his/ her accounts regularly on due dates.

b. Reply to the first request

Dear Mr. ...

I was surprised to receive your letter of the 20th November in which you said you had not
received payment for invoice No. H931.

I instructed my bank, The Welsh Co-operative Bank, Swansea, to credit your account in
Barnley’s Bank, Cardiff, with the £919.63 some time ago.

As my bank statement showed the money had been debited to my account, I assumed that it
had been credited to your account as well. It is possible that your bank has not advised you
yet. Could you please check this with Barnley's, and if there are any problems let me know,
so that I can make enquiries here?

Yours sincerely
Comprehension questions

1. Why was the writer surprised to receive the supplier’s letter?

2. What may the problem be here?

The supplier’s bank has not advised the supplier of the payment yet.

3. What does he suggest the supplier should do?

The supplier should check the payment with the bank, Barley’s, and let him know if there
are any problems.

c. Second request

Dear Mr. ...

We wrote to you on 10 August and enclosed copy invoices which made up your June
statement, the balance of which still remains outstanding.

Having dealt with you for some time, we were disappointed in neither receiving your
remittance nor any explanation as to why the balance has not been cleared. Please would
you either send us a reply or cheque to clear the account within the next seven days? Thank
you.

Yours sincerely
Comprehension questions

1. How did the writer feel when writing this letter?

He felt disappointed.

2. What does the writer ask the buyer to do?

To send a cheque to clear the account or to send an explanation as to why the balance has
not been cleared.

d. Reply to the second request

Dear Mr. Costello

First let me apologize for not having cleared your June statement or replying to your letter
of 10 August. However, I am surprised that you did not receive our circular letter informing
all our suppliers that we were moving from Milano to Torino. I have checked our postbook,
and find that a letter was sent to you on June 30.

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As you will see from the copy enclosed, we warned suppliers that during the move, there
might be some delay in clearing accounts and replying to correspondence, as the move
would involve replacing more than half our staff with new people who needed time to get
used to our accounts and filing systems.

You will be pleased to hear that we have now settled into our new offices and will have a
fully trained staff by the end of next month. Meanwhile, I am enclosing a cheque for
$300,000 on account, and will send a full settlement of your June statement within the next
few days.

Could you please note our new address, which is on the heading of this letter, for future
reference?

Yours sincerely

(signed)

Accountant

Enc. Bank Draft No. 427322 for $300,000

Comprehension questions

1. Why hadn’t the writer’s company cleared their June statement?

Because they had to move from Milano to Torino.

2. What has the writer done about the outstanding account and what will he do in the near
future?

He has enclosed a cheque for $300,000 as part of payment and will send a full settlement of
the 43 June statement within the next few days

3. What is the value of the cheque enclosed?

$300,000

4. What has he asked Mr. Costello to do to ensure that letters get to him?

To note his new address.

e. Third request

Dear Mr. …
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 Account No. TY G 996 14

I wrote to you on two occasions, 21 October and 14 November, concerning the above
account which now has an outstanding balance of £1541.46 and is made up of the copy
invoices enclosed.

I have waited three months for either a reply to explain why the balance has not been
cleared, or a remittance, but have received neither.

Although I am reluctant to take legal action to recover the amount, you leave me no
alternative. Therefore, unless I receive your remittance within the next ten days, my
solicitors will be instructed to start proceedings to recover the debt.

Yours sincerely
(signed)

Accountant

Encl. invoice copies

1. What is enclosed with the letter?

The copy invoices

2. How long has the balance remained unpaid?

Three months

3. Does the writer plan to take legal action?

Yes

4. What phrase is used which has a similar meaning to “take legal action”?

To start proceedings

PART II. Exercises

I. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words in this letter requesting payment.

1.

Dear Sirs

Your invoice No. 527 dated 20 July for $1516 is due for (1) payment at the end of this
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month.

Unfortunately a fire broke out in our Despatch Department last week and (2) destroyed. a
large part of a valuable consignment due for (3) delivery to a cash customer. Our (4)
claim is now with the insurance company but it is unlikely to be met for another 3 or 4
weeks. Until then we are (5) faced with a difficult (6) financial problem.

I am therefore writing for (7) permission to defer payment of your invoice until the end of
September.

As you are aware, my accounts with you have always been (8) settled promptly, and it is
with (9) regret that I am now forced to make this (10) request. I hope that you will find it
possible to grant it.

Yours faithfully
2.

Dear Mr. Janssen

Account No. VS 3019

We wrote to you on 25 March concerning the above (1) account for $2,700.00 which has
now been (2) outstanding for three months. When we agreed to offer you credit (3) terms
we pointed out that it was essential to (4) clear accounts (5) on the exact date,
particularly as we generally do not (6) offer credit terms.

As you realized, delayed payment can create problems for us (7) with our own suppliers,
therefore we would appreciate it if you could either let us know why the (8) balance has
not been paid, or let us have a remittance (9) within the next ten days.

We would be grateful if this could receive your immediate (10) attention.

Yours sincerely
3.

Dear Sir

We are writing (1) concerning the February balance of $567 on your account, which is
(2) overdue for three months. We have written to you twice and did not receive a (3)
reply, which surprised us as you have been our regular customer for years.

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We would like to (4) remind you that the credit was given on the (5) understanding that
balance would be cleared on due (6) dates; failure to do so will create (7) difficulties for
us with our suppliers.

We are prepared to (8) offer you further ten days to clear the balance or explain why you
can not do so, (9) otherwise we will, reluctantly, have to take legal (10) action.

Yours faithfully
II. Translation

A. English – Vietnamese Translation

1. A warehouse flood destroyed the majority of the components that were to be fitted into
Zenith 900. We are waiting for our insurance company to settle our claim so that we can
renew our stock and pay our suppliers.

Trận lụt ở nhà kho đã phá hủy phần lớn các linh kiện để lắp ráp vào Zenith 900. Chúng
tôi đang chờ công ty bảo hiểm giải quyết khiếu nại đòi bồi thường của chúng tôi để có thể
phục hồi lại kho hàng và thanh toán cho các nhà cung cấp.

2. When we allowed open account terms, we emphasized this was only on the condition that
balances were cleared promptly on due dates as credit facilities put a strain on out own
cash low situation. Because of this we cannot extend the credit by another two months.

Khi chấp nhận điều kiện ghi sổ, chúng tôi đã nhấn mạnh điều này có thể được với điều
kiện các khoản nợ phải được thanh toán đúng hạn bởi vì điều kiện bán chịu này đã gây
căng thẳng cho lưu lượng tiền mặt của chúng tôi. Do vậy, chúng tôi không thể gia hạn
thêm 2 tháng nữa.

3. As you are usually prompt in settling your accounts, we wonder whether there is any
special reason why we have not received payment of this account, which is already a
month overdue.

Vì quý ngài thường thanh toán nợ rất đúng hạn nên chúng tôi thắc mắc liệu có nguyên
nhân gì đặc biệt cho việc chúng tôi không nhận được tiền thanh toán khoản nợ này, vốn
đã quá hạn 1 tháng rồi.

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4. To regular customers such as yourself our terms of payment are 3% one month, and we
hope you will not withhold payment any longer, otherwise it will be necessary for us to
revise these terms.

Đối với khách hàng quen như quý ngài, điều kiện thanh toán của chúng tôi là cho khách
hàng hưởng mức chiết khấu 3% nếu thanh toán trong vòng 1 tháng. Chúng tôi hy vọng
quý ngài sẽ không trì hoãn thanh toán lâu hơn nữa, nếu không chúng tôi cần phải xem xét
lại các điều kiện này.

5. We were disappointed that you did not bother to reply to either of our letters asking you
to clear your account, and you have left us no alternative but to take legal action.

Chúng tôi thất vọng vì quý ngài đã không bận tâm đến việc trả lời thư của chúng tôi yêu
cầu quý ngài thanh toán nợ và chúng tôi không còn cách nào khác là phải kiện quý ngài.

6. It is with the utmost regret that we have reached the stage when we must press for
immediate payment. Failing payment by 7 August you will leave us no choice but to put
the matter into the hand of our solicitor.

Rất tiếc là chúng tôi đã đi đến bước hối thúc quý ngài phải thanh toán ngay. Nếu quý ngài
không thanh toán trước ngày 7/8, chúng tôi không còn cách nào khác là để luật sư chúng
tôi giải quyết vấn đề này.

7. It was in consideration of the present economic climate that we allowed you a two-month
period to settle, and while we would like to offer you more time to clear the balance, our
own financial position makes this impossible. Therefore we must ask you to settle the
account within the next fortnight.

Khi xem xét tình hình kinh tế hiện nay, chúng tôi đã cho quý ngài thời hạn 2 tháng để
thanh toán, và mặc dù chúng tôi muốn cho quý ngài thêm thời gian để thanh toán khoản
nợ còn lại nhưng tình hình tài chính của chúng tôi không cho phép. Vì thế chúng tôi yêu
cầu quý ngài thanh toán nợ trong vòng 2 tuần tới.

8. When we arranged payment terms we offered you payment against monthly statements,
yet it has been three months since you promised the account would be cleared.

Khi thu xếp điều khoản thành toán, chúng tôi đã cho phép quý ngài thanh toán hàng
tháng, nhưng đã 3 tháng trôi qua kể từ khi quý ngài hứa thanh toán số nợ.

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9. As we have traded for some time, we have not pressed for payment. However, we must
now insist that either you settle the account or offer a reasonable explanation for not
doing so.

Bởi vì chúng ta từng kinh doanh với nhau nên chúng tôi đã không hối thúc quý ngài thanh
toán. Tuy nhiên, bây giờ chúng tôi yêu cầu hoặc quý ngài thanh toán số nợ hoặc giải thích
hợp lý lý do tại sao không thanh toán.

10. The failure either to clear your account or even to offer an explanation is all
disappointing because of our past satisfactory dealings over many years.

Thật đáng thất vọng vì quý ngài không thanh toán nợ hay thậm chí không đưa ra lời giải
thích nào, bởi vì chúng ta đã từng kinh doanh với nhau rất tốt đẹp hơn nhiều năm qua.
B. Vietnamese – English Translation

1. Chúng tôi muốn nhắc quý ngài rằng chúng tôi đã chào bán cho quý ngài giá thấp trên cơ
sở thanh toán tiền sớm.

We would like to remind you that we offered you low prices on the understanding that an
early settlement.

2. Chúng tôi rất mong quý ngài không cho rằng việc chúng tôi không thanh toán nợ đúng
hạn là cố ý.

We would not like you to think that our failure to settle the account on time was in
anyway intentional.

3. Chúng tôi rất thông cảm với vấn đề quý ngài gặp phải trong việc thanh toán số nợ còn lại
và sẵn sàng gia hạn nợ thêm 6 tuần nữa.

We sympathize with the problem you have had in clearing the balance and are willing to
extend the credit for another 6 weeks.

4. Từ khi chúng tôi viết thư cho quý ngài ngày... về khoản nợ còn lại chưa được thanh toán
trị giá ..., chúng tôi vẫn chưa nhận được thư trả lời. Xét thấy quý ngài đã ủng hộ chúng tôi
trong thời gian qua, nên trước đây, chúng tôi đã không hối thúc quý ngài thanh toán.

Since we wrote to you on... about the outstanding balance of... we have not received a
reply. In view of your past custom, we have not previously pressed for a settlement.

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5. Cảm ơn quý ngài đã viết thư và giải thích cho chúng tôi biết tại sao số nợ trong tháng 5
vẫn chưa được thanh toán. Tuy nhiên, chúng tôi không thể gia hạn nợ thêm nữa vì chúng
tôi cho hưởng mức chiết khấu cao đổi lại việc thanh toán đúng hạn.

Thank you for writing and letting us know why the May account is still outstanding.
Unfortunately, we cannot extend the credit any longer as we allowed considerable
discounts in return for a prompt payment.

6. Chúng tôi sẽ cho quý ngài thêm 7 ngày nữa để gửi tiền cho chúng tôi, sau thời gian này
vấn đề sẽ được chuyển cho luật sư chúng tôi giải quyết.

We are giving you a further seven days to send your remittance after which the matter
will be dealt with by our solicitors.

7. Chúng tôi cảm thấy đã đủ kiên nhẫn và đã xem xét rất kỹ lưỡng. Tuy nhiên, bây giờ
chúng tôi rất tiếc phải thực hiện các biện pháp để thu hồi nợ theo luật.

We feel we have shown reasonable patience and every consideration. However, we must
now regretfully take steps to recover payment at law.

8. Xét thấy quý ngài đã ủng hộ chúng tôi trong thời gian qua, chúng tôi sẵn sàng cho phép
quý ngài thanh toán một nửa số nợ bằng cách gửi chúng tôi hối phiếu trả ngay và thanh
toán phần còn lại bằng cách chấp nhận hối phiếu đính kèm ký phát thời hạn 30 ngày.

In view of your previous custom with us we are quite willing to allow you to clear half
the balance by sending us a sight draft and clear the outstanding amount by accepting the
enclosed draft drawn at 30 days.

9. Bởi vì chính sách của chúng tôi là kinh doanh dựa trên lợi nhuận thấp nên chúng tôi tiếc
là chúng tôi không thể cho quý ngài hưởng điều kiện tín dụng dài hạn được.

As our policy is to work on small profit margins, we regret that we cannot offer you long-
term credit facilities.

10. Chúng tôi rất ngạc nhiên và thất vọng vì không nhận được thư trả lời của quý ngài cho 2
lá thư của chúng tôi ngày... nhắc quý ngài về khoản nợ còn lại trị giá...

We are surprised and disappointed not to have received your reply to our two letters
of...reminding you of the outstanding balance of ...

III. Letter-writing

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1. Công ty anh/chị đã nhận được lô hàng từ công ty Glaston Potteries cùng với hóa đơn đề
ngày... Tuy nhiên, công ty không thể thanh toán như thời hạn ghi trong hóa đơn. Anh/ chị
hãy viết thư gửi ông John Merton, giám đốc kinh doanh của Glaston để xin lỗi và yêu cầu
cho thêm thời gian để thanh toán với những gợi ý sau:

- Kho hàng bị lụt, nhiều hàng hóa bị hư hỏng

- Chúng ta chỉ có thể thanh toán khi công ty bảo hiểm bồi thường cho chúng ta trong
vòng 4 tuần tới.

- Cam kết chúng ta sẽ thanh toán đầy đủ khi nhận được bồi thường và mong đối tác
thông cảm.

Anh/ chị có thể thêm bớt bất kỳ thông tin nào để thư được hoàn thiện.

Bắt đầu thư bằng “Dear Mr. …”

Dear Mr…,
Your invoice No. 234 dated 18th December 2021 for $5000 is due for payment on 30th
December 2021. 
Unfortunately, our warehouse was flooded yesterday, leading to the fact that our goods are
now in serious damage. Our claim is now with the insurance company but it is unlikely to
be met for another 3 or 4 weeks. Until then we are faced with a difficult financial problem.
I am therefore writing for permission to defer payment of your invoice until the end of
January 2021. 
As you are aware, my accounts with you have always been settled promptly, and it is with
regret that I am now forced to make this request. I hope that you will find it possible to grant
it.
Yours Sincerely

2. Your company has received a letter dated 28 April from UK Cycles Ltd concerning your
outstanding account for $2,700.00 for three months, in which they asked you to pay within
the next ten days. Write a reply to this letter, using the following prompts:

- Thank them for their letter (please quote dates)

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 - Explain about the fire at Head Office. Say that it destroyed a lot of computer data
which has disrupted all correspondence with suppliers and customers, and we need
time to get back to our normal routine.

- Request a further 30 days to settle as politely as possible.

- Say your insurer will release compensation with the coming month, so we can pay the
outstanding account in full.

- Start with “Dear Mr. …”

Dear Mr. …
Thank you for your letter dated 28 April in which you remind us of our outstanding account
for USD 2,700.00 for three months.
First, let us apologize for not being able to clear the outstanding balance. Though we had
intended to pay the statement as usual, unfortunately there was a fire at our Head Office that
destroyed almost all of our computer data. This problem has disrupted all correspondence
with our suppliers and customers, so that we need time to get to our normal routine.
Due to this unintended circumstance, we would be grateful if you could extend the credit for
another 30 days for us to settle the payment.
Our insurance company has promised us compensation within the coming month. Therefore,
once we have received this, the account will be paid in full.
We know you will appreciate the situation and hope you can bear with us until the matter is
settled.
Yours sincerely

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