The Sombey Talc Company
To Whom it May Concern:
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the talcum powder which I recently purchased from a traveling salesman representing your company.
On September 24, 1860, Mr. Hugo Fletcher came to the Pony Express station at which I am employed and sold to me, three bottles of talcum powder. During the course of his sales presentation, Mr. Fletcher made several claims regarding your product that have turned out to be untrue.
First, Mr. Fletcher claimed your talcum powder was the best smelling powder on the market. While it is true that the powder did have a pleasant odor upon first unsealing the bottle (an odor which appeared at first to compliment a man instead of having the floral scent which is most often found in powders but which only compliments a woman), within hour after my purchase the powder had developed the most foul and unpleasant smell I have ever smelled in my life. Unfortunately, I had already applied the powder to my skin, and the girls at the town dance would not come anywhere near me because of the odor, thus humiliating me in front of the entire town of Sweetwater.
Second, Mr. Fletcher claimed your talcum powder would keep my skin dry during those times of particularly hot weather. Instead, I found the powder became sticky and glue-like as a result of the sweat that formed on my body. This increased the humiliation which I suffered during the dance which was attended by the entire town.
Finally, Mr. Fletcher told me your powder was safe for all types of skin. As I have particularly sensitive skin, this was the feature of your powder which clinched the sale. However, after a couple hours, the powder caused my skin to itch so violently, I now have scars on my arm from trying to relieve the itching. Again, this happened at the town dance, causing me great humiliation.
In conclusion, your powder is nothing like the product Mr. Fletcher represented to me. Rather than providing me with a pleasant, clean scented, soothing powder which kept my skin dry during the rigorous festivities of a town dance, I ended up with an itchy, foul-smelling sticky mess on my skin, all of which caused me incredible humiliation in front of the entire town.
As a result of said humiliation, I hereby request that your company refund the money which I paid to Mr. Fletcher for your product, which is defective. I paid Mr. Fletcher $3 per bottle, for three bottles total, which means I am entitled to a $9 refund.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely yours,
Mr. William Frederick Cody
Sweetwater Pony Express Station
Sweetwater, Wyoming Territory
Dear Mr. Cody,
It is with sincerest regret that I apologize for the dissatisfaction you have experienced with our product. Unfortunately, while the representations made by Mr. Fletcher are true, certain skin types do cause a negative reaction. Mr. Fletcher should have warned you to test the powder on a small area of your skin first, to ensure there are no unpleasant side effects.
Also, while our product does come with a money back guarantee, this refund must be requested within three days of the purchase of our product. As your letter stated, you purchased the product on September 24. However, your letter was dated September 29, which is five days after your purchase.
As such, we must hereby deny your request for a refund. If you had written only two days sooner, we would have gladly refunded your nine dollars.
As a bit of advice to you, I urge you to keep in mind the old adage – a stitch in time saves nine.
Sincerely yours,
Mr. Orville Fitzgerald
President, The Sombey Talc Company
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