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Text customers about a double charge without making it worse

  • For Small business owners
  • You practice Getting the tone right
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Beginner

About this exercise

Your booking system double-charged customers and you're texting everyone affected. Write one plain-text message under 60 words that says what happened and when the refund lands (use the latest date) in the first sentence, apologizes once, and doesn't guess at the cause or blame anyone. Start the message with exactly "Glow Yoga:" and end it with the phone number as the very last characters.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Burying the refund. The AI opens with a long apology and the refund date comes last. Try: Say: "First sentence: what happened and the refund date."
  • Using the first date. The AI uses Nov 10, which PayBridge already moved. Try: Add: "Refunds land by Wed Nov 12 (latest update)."
  • Guessing or blaming. The AI repeats the retry-bug theory or points at the processor. Try: Add: "Don't guess at the cause or blame anyone."
  • Over-apologizing. The AI says sorry three times, which reads as panic. Try: Add: "Apologize once."
  • No way to reach you. The AI forgets the contact line. Try: Add: "End with: reply here or call 555-0142."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each part instead: "each line under 15 words."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Puts the refund first
  • Uses the latest date
  • Stops the guessing
  • Sets a length

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