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Confirm a cancellation without a retention pitch
Practice: Setting limits and rules. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
A customer asked to cancel their subscription. Reply under 70 words. The first sentence confirms the cancellation and the date access ends, then say whether they'll be charged again, and give the data export steps with the deadline. No retention offers, no 'sorry to see you go', and sign it 'Ana, Stackwise Support'. Write a prompt that gets that reply.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 70 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part: "3 sentences, each under 20 words."
- Burying the confirmation. AI replies open with "We're sorry to see you go!" before confirming anything. Try: Say it: "Sentence 1: your subscription is cancelled; access ends Dec 2."
- Old export window. The notes mention the old 30-day rule. Try: Add: "Export at Settings > Account > Export data by Dec 16. No more charges."
- Retention pitch. The AI may offer the 50% discount to someone closing their business. Try: Add: "No discount, no 'sorry to see you go'. Sign it Ana, Stackwise Support."
What a strong prompt includes
- Sets a word limit
- Confirms first
- Gives the export deadline
- Skips the retention pitch
- Says how to sign
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