Apology Email for a Delay or Backorder (Template + What Not to Write)

When to send this

The moment you know it'll be late — not when the customer asks. A delay you disclose and a delay they had to chase are two completely different things in their mind, even if the number of days is identical.

The template (copy it)

The most common mistake

Variant: when the situation is different

If it's more than a week late, offer a refund option unprompted. It sounds like a loss, but most customers won't take it — and being *given the choice* defuses most of the frustration. An apology with no option attached reads as a notification, not an apology.

After you send it

Whatever new date you give, hold it. A second delay isn't twice as damaging as the first — it's a different category. At that point it stops looking like bad luck and starts looking like an unreliable business.