A few days ago
?

What is a gentle way to say “mistake”?

I have to draft an email and refuse to pay for a charge that was incurred due to another department’s mistake. I’d like to phrase it a little more gently than using the word mistake.

Just for reference, the person I am responding to said “So we punish the lab to meet a customer deadline?”

Top 10 Answers
A few days ago
merrybodner

Favorite Answer

Even more professional: oopsie.

Third person passive: An error was made. There was a misunderstanding, therefore…

And the customer has to be right, or you won’t have any customers.

2

A few days ago
Anonymous
Folly?

Blunder?

Bungle?

Flub?

Misstatement?

Misunderstanding?

Oversight?

Error?

Oopsies?

0

A few days ago
wizjp
Error
1

A few days ago
yowhatsup2day
I too agree with the first person in using the word error. You want to keep it neutral and professional. Good Luck!
1

A few days ago
old lady
Unavoidable confusion? Or just plain misunderstanding?
1

A few days ago
Anonymous
I agree with the first person. ERROR.
1

A few days ago
Who’s That Girl?
Oversight is good.

Or you could say that it was a result of a “miscommunication.”

1

A few days ago
Angiej1213
How about calling it an error or oversight?
5

A few days ago
spriege
a more gentle way would be ” to be in error” , carelessness, misunderstand; misinterpret
0

A few days ago
call the owls
error, misinterpretation, fault
0