A good apology email to a customer does five things: thanks them for telling you, says sorry for the specific problem, takes responsibility, says exactly what you will do and by when, and leaves the door open. Written well, it turns an unhappy customer into a loyal one. Below are the five parts, what to avoid, and six examples for an online store you can copy and adjust.
Updated 1 October 2026
Subject: Sorry your order is late. Hi [Name], thank you for letting us know, and I am sorry your order [#number] has not arrived when we said it would. That is on us. I have checked with [courier] and it is now due on [date]; here is the tracking link: [link]. I will keep an eye on it, and if it is not with you by then I will send a replacement straight away. [Your name]
Subject: Sorry your [product] arrived damaged. Hi [Name], I am really sorry your [product] arrived damaged. That is not how it should have reached you. Could you reply with a quick photo? As soon as I see it I will send a replacement or refund, whichever you prefer, and you do not need to send the damaged one back. [Your name]
Subject: We sent the wrong item, sorry. Hi [Name], you are right, we sent [wrong item] instead of [correct item], and I am sorry for the mix-up. The correct one is going out today by express post and should arrive by [date]. Please keep the other one, or pass it on to a friend. [Your name]
Subject: Sorry, your [product] is out of stock. Hi [Name], I am sorry, the [product] you ordered sold out before we could pack your order, and our stock count was wrong. I have refunded [amount] in full; it will show in [X] business days. If you would still like one, we expect more on [date] and I can hold one for you. [Your name]
Subject: Sorry we kept you waiting. Hi [Name], I am sorry it took us [X days] to reply to you. That is not the service we want to give. To answer your question: [answer]. Thank you for your patience, and if there is anything else I can help with, reply here and I will get back to you today. [Your name]
Subject: Thank you for telling us. Hi [Name], thank you for taking the time to tell us about [the problem], and I am sorry. You are right that [acknowledge what went wrong]. Here is what I am going to do: [action] by [date]. We are also [change you are making so it does not happen again]. If there is anything else that would make this right, please let me know. [Your name]
Fix the actual problem first: replace, refund or deliver. A small extra, like free shipping on the next order or a discount code, is a nice touch for a real mistake, but it does not replace the fix and should not be offered in place of a refund someone is entitled to.
Under Australian Consumer Law and New Zealand's Consumer Guarantees Act, customers are entitled to a repair, replacement or refund for faulty items. An apology should never suggest otherwise.
When the complaint is a public comment, reply publicly with a short, genuine apology so other shoppers see you care, then move the details to a DM or email. For example: 'So sorry about this, [Name]. We have sent you a DM to sort it out today.'
Paperflower flags complaints the moment they land in your comments, DMs or email and sends them to you rather than answering on its own. It drafts a calm, specific reply with the customer's order details from Shopify for you to check. For email and DMs you press Send. For public comments it copies the reply and opens the comment so you paste it yourself, and it never puts order details in public. See how it works.
Most tools treat comments as noise. Paperflower reads every one, spots buying questions like “do you ship to NZ?” and makes sure they get answered before the customer moves on.
Every conversation gets a score so the people ready to buy come first. You see who to reply to now, and who can wait.
Order status, shipping and product details are pulled in automatically, so drafts are right the first time and private order details never go out in public.
AI drafts are on and auto-send is off by default. Complaints are escalated to you. Refunds and cancellations always need a human.
Paperflower starts free with 100 customer interactions a month, no card needed: every message in one list, and you write the replies. AI sorting, reply drafts and spam hiding come with Standard, which is A$47 a month for 3,000 customer interactions, with a 7-day free trial. Human replies are always free. See all plans.
Local time zones, local shipping questions, and support from people who know the market.
Thank them for telling you, say sorry for the specific problem, take responsibility, say exactly what you will do and by when, and invite them to reply. Keep it short and send it the same day.
Reply quickly, acknowledge exactly what went wrong without making excuses, fix it with a clear action and date, and explain what you are changing so it does not happen again. Examples 1 to 6 above follow that shape.
It is better to name the actual problem. 'I am sorry your order arrived damaged' shows you have read their message; 'sorry for any inconvenience' sounds like a form letter.
Not unless you turn that on. By default it drafts a reply and you approve it. You can switch on auto-send for simple, safe questions once you trust the drafts.
Instagram, Facebook and TikTok comments and DMs, support email through Gmail or Google Workspace, and Shopify for order details.
Yes. The Free plan is the basics: 100 customer interactions a month in one list, no card needed, and you write each reply. Standard adds AI sorting, reply drafts and spam hiding, and comes with a 7-day free trial. You can cancel any time. Compare plans.
Connect Instagram, Facebook, email and Shopify in a few minutes. On Standard, AI sorts every message and drafts every reply, you stay in control, and nothing is sent without your say-so unless you switch that on. Free puts every message in one list for you to answer.