Why are we scared of sorry?

What makes it so hard for us to apologise?

Is it pride? Fear? Or as I have often heard, because it is an admission of guilt?

Perhaps a combination of all three.

The last reason one seems quite pervasive in customer service roles, where a I

suspect a reluctance to apologise stems from a desire to avoid compensation at all

costs*.

True, there is a risk of devaluing the word sorry if it is overused. It can lead to a feeling

of helplessness on one side and of annoyance on the other.

Last year we were travelling abroad and our train was delayed. We were kept waiting

for several hours. That was unacceptable so we complained.

The response, via email, arrived a couple of days later. After a formal salutation, the

first few words were:

“Thank you for your email.

I am very sorry…”

The remainder of the first paragraph summarised the cause of our problem (the

delay) and expressed an understanding of the impact that it had on our trip.

The next two paragraphs explained that we would have our ticket refunded in full and

a voucher that we can use on a subsequent booking.

Only then was there an explanation of the cause of the delay. It was detailed enough

to provide the multiple factors and the steps taken to rectify the problem.

The structure:

Gratitude

Apology

Empathy

Solution

Explanation

The result? We remain happy customers and will continue to use the service.

The company? https://www.eurotunnel.com/uk/home/

*I remain open to anyone who can provide documented evidence of situations that

have been made worse by a sincere and genuine apology.