Sending a final reminder before an appeal

When this letter fits

• A request and a follow-up have gone, both deadlines have passed, and nothing has moved.
• You want a written trace establishing that everything was tried before the appeal.
• The case is about to be taken to a third party, and the organisation must have had one last chance to reply.

When it does not fit

• Only one letter has gone: a follow-up comes first, and a final reminder arriving too early loses its effect.
• You do not yet know what route of appeal exists: the right letter first asks for the routes and time limits for appeal.
• You want to announce a step you will not take: a reminder that bluffs is a reminder you do not write.

The questions to answer

• What the file is about
  In one line, in the same words as the earlier letters.
  Example: the refund of the sum of 84.90 euros taken after cancellation
• The date of the first request
• The date of the follow-up
• What you were told in reply, in total optional
  The summary fits in three lines: what was said, when, and by whom. Leave empty if nothing came.
• What you are asking for, in one sentence
  The same request as the first time, worded so that it can be carried out as it stands.
  Example: the refund of 84.90 euros by transfer to the account whose statement is enclosed
• The next step you are announcing
  Announce only what you will do. A reminder whose next step never comes teaches the organisation that it can wait.
  • Referral to an ombudsman or a dispute resolution service: The quickest route where it exists, and often free.
  • A report to the regulator for the sector: For a failing that goes beyond your own case.
  • Referral to the competent court: Only to be announced if you are ready to do it.
• The last date you are setting
  Eight to fifteen days. This is a final deadline, not a fresh period for looking at the case.

What to ask for, precisely

• The same thing as the first time, word for word: a final reminder that asks for something else puts the clock back to zero.
• A written reply, a refusal included: a written refusal opens the way to appeal, silence obliges you to prove the silence.
• The name and address of the ombudsman or dispute resolution service the organisation comes under, where it comes under one.

The documents to attach

• A copy of the first request and of the follow-up.
• The proofs of posting for both.
• Copies of the replies received, even those that missed the point.
• Whatever makes it possible to carry out the request straight away, where such a thing exists: a bank statement for a refund, an address for a delivery.

The deadline

Eight to fifteen days, no more. The length of the period is no longer the point: the file has already had two deadlines. What gives this letter its weight is the summary of dates, the constancy of the request and the fact that the announced next step really will be taken if the date passes.

After sending

• Date things and file them: at this stage the value of the case lies in the chronology, and a complete chronology can be read by a third party in a minute.
• Prepare the announced referral before the deadline, so that all that is left is to send it.
• If a reply arrives, answer it in writing, even to say that the matter is closed: that is what closes the chain.

The legal grounds

This template belongs to the universal core: it invokes no national law, so it has no legal reference to cite. Its strength lies elsewhere, in how precise the facts, the dates and the request are. If your country has a text that strengthens this step, it lives in a country module, separately and by name.