'Sorry for the Inconvenience': Alternatives to Use in Email

4 Better Ways to Express 'Sorry for the Inconvenience' in Email · 1 “I understand your frustration.” · 2 “I realize this is disappointing.” · 3 “ ... Real-timesuggestions,whereveryouwrite.GetGrammarlyIt'sFreeReal-timesuggestions,whereveryouwrite.GetGrammarlyIt'sFree4BetterWaystoExpress‘SorryfortheInconvenience’inEmailMarieSalcidoUpdatedonJanuary29,2021WritingTipsNooneenjoysbeingthebearerofbadnews—especiallyinwriting.Whencommunicatingunfortunatenews,amistake,oradisappointingturnofevents,wetendtothrowinoneparticularphrasetosoftentheblow:“Sorryfortheinconvenience.”Thetemptationtousethissentenceisunderstandable.Butit’softenoverused,whetherwe’rereportingaslightnuisance,likechangingthetimeofameeting,orsomethingmoresignificant,suchascancelingamajorcontract.  Butevenwhenemployedinearnest,thistriteturnofphrasehasbecomesocommonthat,ironically,itcansoundinsincere.Especiallyifyourrecipientwillseetheinconvenienceasabigannoyance,thecannedapologycanconveylittleremorse;yourisksoundingdisingenuousorinsensitive.  Makeyouremailsshine Bethebestwriterintheoffice. WritewithGrammarly Therearebetteroptionsforsayingsorry.Sometimesthere’samoreappropriatewaytoexpressregretaboutasituation,especiallyifit’soutofyourcontrol.Othertimes—whenyoureallyareremorsefulandatfault—therearestrongerwaystosayit.Here,we’veroundedupahandfulofalternativesfordifferentsituationsyoumayfindyourselfin.  1 “Iunderstandyourfrustration.” Especiallyincustomer-facingrolesinprofessionalsettings,it’seasytouse“Sorryfortheinconvenience”foranumberofissues(e.g.,alostpackage,missedappointment,orfaultyservice).Inthesecases,thephrasecanlandasinvalidatingorunprofessionalinsteadofcaring.Thiscanescalatefrustration. It’simportanttocraftresponsestoshowyouunderstandyourrecipient’sperspectiveandwanttomakeupforwrongdoing.Ratherthandismissingtheircomplaintasamere“inconvenience,”acknowledgingtheirfeelingsandacceptingblameismorelikelytoleadtorepair.Using“Iunderstandyourfrustration”guidestheresponsewithempathy.It’sastrongerwaytohopefullydeescalateheightenedemotions—andreachasolutionbothpartiesfeelgoodabout. 2 “Irealizethisisdisappointing.”   Imaginethis:You’reexhaustedfromabusyworkweekandneedtocancelonadinnerdate...thirtyminutesbeforeitstarts.Sending“Sorryfortheinconvenience”feelslikeanimpersonalwaytodeliverthatnews.Eventhoughourcommunicationsareincreasinglydigital,wearenotrobots.Rememberingthatthereisapersonontheotherendofthecorrespondence.  Recognizingdisappointmentandtakingownershiparekeyhere.Showyou’rethinkingoftheirperspective.Instead,trystartingyourtextwithsomethingalongthelinesof,“Irealizethisisshortnotice,andthatwe’vebeenlookingforwardtomeetingatyourfavoriterestaurantallweek...”Withthis,youtakeaccountability.Includingpersonaldetailsalsocommunicatescaring.  Lettingyourrecipientknowthatyou’reawareofyourfaultsandaimtofixthingswillbuildtrustandconfidenceintherelationship,whetherpersonalorprofessional. 3 “Thanksforyourpatience.” Regretandremorsearenotthesamethings.Sometimes,thingshappenthatareunfortunateorregrettablebutarebeyondourcontrol.Thesecircumstancesdon’tactuallywarrantyourapology.Forexample:Imagineyou’reanairlinebookingattendantandawintersnowstormcausesanhours-longflightdelay.Youaren’tresponsiblefortheextremeweather.Inthiscase,using“I’msorryfortheinconvenience”canplaceblameonyourselfwhenthereisn’tany.  Inapologizing,youriskacceptingresponsibilityforsomethingbeyondyourcontrol.Instead,shifttheemotionathandfromremorsetogratitude.Expressingthanksforunderstandingflipsthescriptandislikelytosparkthatverysentimentintherecipient,too.Try:“Thankyousomuchforyourpatience.Wehopetheconditionswillbesafefortakeoffsoon.”Thisletstherecipientknowthatyouempathizewithandunderstandtheirexasperation. 4 “Letmehelp.” Insteadofofferinganapology,offerasolution.Peoplecomplainwhentheyaredisappointed—notbecausetheyliketowhine,butbecausetheywanttobeheard,orwanttheirproblemtobesolved.“I’msorryfortheinconvenienceofspillingredwineonyourwhitepants”won’tgetthestainout.Ontheotherhand,“Letmepayforyourdrycleaning”will.  Havingtheawarenesstobeproactiveintheproblem-solvingprocesswillprovetoyourrecipientthatyoustrivetobeamoreresponsibleperson.Thisapproachcansaveyoufromheadachesdowntheroad.Nexttimethere’saproblemthat’swithinyourpowertosolve,offertofixit. Yourwriting,atitsbest.GetGrammarlyforfreeWorksonallyourfavoritewebsitesRelatedArticlesWritingTipsOur8-StepGuideforHowtoWriteaProBlogPostWritingTipsWhatIsaDeclarativeSentence?WritingTipsAllAboutAlliterationWritingTipsHowtoWriteaHypothesisin6StepsWritingTipsHowtoUseTransitionSentencesforSmootherWritingWritingTipsFigurativeLanguage:HowtoUseThese5CommonTypesWriting,grammar,andcommunicationtipsforyourinbox.subscribeYouhavebeensuccessfullysubscribedtotheGrammarlyblog.Writewithconfidence.Getreal-timesuggestionswhereveryouwrite.GetGrammarlyIt'sFree“Grammarlyquicklyandeasilymakesyourwritingbetter.”—Forbes