Follow up · Works anywhere
Following up a letter that had no reply
The silence has gone on. This letter does not start the request again: it recalls its date, encloses the first letter and sets a new deadline, without a line of reproach.
This page gives the shape of a letter, the words that fit and the public references attached to it. It does not tell you what to do about a particular case, and it does not replace the opinion of a qualified professional. The blanks marked in the letter are for you to fill in.
When this letter fits
- A first letter went, the deadline it set has passed, and nothing has arrived.
- A reply arrived but it does not answer the question asked.
- The file has changed hands and you want the date of the original request to remain the one that counts.
When it does not fit
- The first letter never went, or you have neither a copy nor a date for it: write it again, a follow-up with no first letter has nothing to recall.
- The deadline you set has not run out yet: a premature follow-up costs the next one its weight.
- You have already followed up and you want to announce an appeal: that is the final reminder.
The letter, in full
The passages that are marked are the blanks to fill in. Paragraphs carrying a condition are written only in the case stated: the workshop does that sorting, or you do it by hand.
your town, the date
Subject: Follow-up: my letter of date of your first letter, still unanswered
Reference: your file number
Dear Sir or Madam,
I wrote to you on date of your first letter regarding what that letter asked for. To date, that letter has had no reply.
If “How the first letter went” is “With proof of posting or of receipt”It was sent with proof of posting, a copy of which is enclosed with this letter.
If “How the first letter went” is “By email”It was sent by email on that same date.
If “How the first letter went” is “By ordinary post, or I no longer remember”I enclose a copy of it with this letter.
If “What you were told in reply, if anything” is filled inThe reply received since does not address the request made: what you were told in reply, if anything
I therefore renew that request in the same terms, adding nothing and withdrawing nothing.
I should be grateful for a written reply before new date by which you expect a reply. If the file has been passed to another department, I am asking you to tell me which, and to confirm that the date of my original request remains date of your first letter.
This letter is being sent with proof of posting retained.
Yours faithfully,
your first name and surname
Enclosures
- A copy of the first letter, in full.
- Proof of its posting or receipt, if you have it.
- A copy of the reply that missed the point, if there was one.
The questions to answer
- The date of your first letter
The date written on the letter. If you have the proof of posting, keep it to hand. - What that letter asked for
In one line, in the same words as the first time: that is what makes the file findable.
Example: the refund of the sum of 84.90 euros taken after cancellation - How the first letter went
- With proof of posting or of receipt: The follow-up will cite that proof: it is what makes the silence beyond argument.
- By email: The follow-up will cite the date and the address it went to.
- By ordinary post, or I no longer remember: The follow-up will enclose a copy, which is enough to recall the request.
- What you were told in reply, if anything optional
A reply that misses the point is worth quoting: it shows the file was opened without being dealt with. Leave empty if the silence was total. - The new date by which you expect a reply
Two weeks is enough: the organisation has already had its time.
What to ask for, precisely
- A written reply, and the name of the department handling the file.
- Confirmation that the date of the original request remains the one that counts: it is often that date which starts a period running.
- The request renewed identically: a follow-up that rewords it suggests the request has changed, and sends the case back to the start.
The documents to attach
- A copy of the first letter, in full.
- Proof of its posting or receipt, if you have it.
- A copy of the reply that missed the point, if there was one.
The deadline
Two weeks. The organisation has already had the time set by the first letter, and a follow-up granting as long as the original request teaches that waiting is enough. You follow up once: beyond that, the right letter is the final reminder.
After sending
- File the first letter, the follow-up and both proofs of posting in the same folder, in date order.
- Note the new deadline in the same place as the first.
- With no reply by that date, the next step is the final reminder, which announces the route of appeal instead of threatening it.
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.