Email templates
Emails to businesses, written so you can send them as they are.
Quotes, price negotiations, bills you disagree with, companies that stopped replying. Each template is a complete email with the blanks marked, plus what to have ready before you send and what to expect after. If you'd rather not run the conversation yourself, every page has a button that hands the job to myagent@standinfor.me.
Cars and getting around
- Ask about a used car's historyThe questions to ask when buying a used car, in one email to the seller: history report, title, service records, known problems and an inspection.
- Ask a body shop for an estimateSend your photos with this email and get a written, itemized body shop estimate back, with parts, labor and paint broken out, insurance claim or not.
- Ask a dealer for the out-the-door priceWhat the out-the-door price covers, and a copy-and-paste email that gets a dealer to send it itemized and in writing before you set foot in the showroom.
- Ask a dealer to remove add-onsA polite email that lists each dealer add-on on your quote, from VIN etching to paint sealant, and asks for a revised total in writing without them.
- Ask for a lease buyout quoteHow a lease buyout works, plus an email that gets your leasing company or dealer to list the payoff, fees, tax and registration in writing, line by line.
- Ask if the diagnostic fee counts toward the repairBefore you drop the car off, ask what the mechanic's diagnostic fee is, whether it's credited toward the repair, and to call before going past your cap.
Housing
- Ask about ending your lease earlyThinking of breaking a lease early? This email gets your leasing office to put the buyout fee, notice period, sublet rules and deposit terms in writing.
- Ask a real estate agent about commissionReal estate agent commission often totals 5% to 6%, and it is negotiable. This email gets each agent's fee in dollars, what it covers, and how to cancel.
- Ask an apartment about availability and specialsEmail these to the leasing office before you tour: which units fit your move-in date, the rent with every monthly fee added, and any move-in specials.
- Ask a cleaner to redo missed workA copy-and-paste email that tells a house cleaning company exactly what was skipped or done poorly and asks them to come back and fix it at no charge.
- Ask a contractor about license and insuranceFind out if a contractor is licensed and insured before you sign. This email asks for the license number, a liability certificate and workers' comp proof.
- Ask a contractor for an itemized estimateAn itemized quote splits a contractor's total into labor, materials, permits and allowances. This email asks for one so you can compare bids line by line.
Health and personal care
- Ask a clinic if they take your insuranceFind out if your insurance covers therapy with one email to the clinic: in or out of network for your exact plan, the cost per session, and referral rules.
- Ask a dentist for the self-pay priceSeeing a dentist without insurance? This email asks an office for its cash price by procedure code, with the exam, X-rays and any pay-in-full discount.
- Ask a doctor's office for the self-pay pricePaying for a doctor visit without insurance? This email gets a practice's cash price by billing code, with lab and facility fees, before you book.
- Ask an agency about caregiver qualificationsChoosing a home care agency for a parent? Ask in writing how it screens, trains and supervises caregivers, and whether it is licensed and insured.
- Ask a hospital to explain billing codesAn email for understanding medical bills: it asks the hospital to explain each code on your itemized bill in plain words and fix any errors.
- Ask a pharmacy for the cash priceLearn a prescription's cost without insurance before you fill it: this email asks pharmacies for the cash price, the 90-day price and discount prices.
Money, law and government
- Ask about paying off a loan earlyBefore paying off a car or personal loan early, ask your lender about prepayment penalties, how extra payments hit principal, and the exact payoff amount.
- Ask about a permit application statusCheck your building permit status by email: where the application sits in review, what the reviewers still need from you, and a realistic decision date.
- Ask your accountant to explain feesAccountants charge hourly, per return or a mix. This email asks yours to itemize a bill, list their rates and billing increments, and price any new work.
- Ask a bank to reverse a feeBanks refund overdraft and other fees all the time, but only if you ask. This email requests a one-time courtesy refund, with the facts that get a yes.
- Ask insurance agents for quotesGet car, home or renters insurance quotes you can compare: one email gives every agent the same facts and asks for written quotes matching your coverage.
- Ask an insurer for claim statusWhen your adjuster goes quiet, this email asks what stage your claim is in, what is still missing, and when they will decide, and starts a paper trail.
Food, stays and events
- Ask a campground about facilitiesCheck campground facilities before you book with one email: site size, 30- or 50-amp hookups, hot showers, cell signal and pets, answered in writing.
- Ask caterers for quotesOne email with the questions to ask a wedding or event caterer: per-person price, staff, rentals, service charge and tax, itemized so quotes line up.
- Arrange a funeral service at a churchArranging a church funeral service or memorial? A short, factual email to the congregation that asks about dates, clergy, a reception in the hall and fees.
- Ask a church about a weddingHoping to get married in a church, or to rent one for your wedding? An email asking the congregation about open dates, what it asks of couples, and fees.
- Ask a hotel for late checkoutA short, polite email for a hotel late checkout: ask for a set time, give a reason, get it confirmed in writing, and know what to do if they say no.
- Ask a photographer about usage rightsAsk your photographer in writing what you may do with your photos: prints at your own lab (a print release), social media, vendors and business use.
Schools and children
- Appeal a financial aid decisionA financial aid appeal letter to email when your family's finances changed after the FAFSA tax year, with proof to attach and what to do if they say no.
- Ask a daycare about your waitlist spotOn a daycare waitlist and hearing nothing? This email asks where your child stands, when a spot may open, and what keeps your place from quietly lapsing.
- Ask a daycare about availability and tuitionThe first questions to ask a daycare, in one email: a spot for your child's age and start date, the waitlist, tuition and fees, hours, meals and diapers.
- Complain to a daycare in writingA daycare complaint email that puts what happened on record and asks the director for a written incident report and a fix, plus when to go to licensing.
- Complain to a school principalFile a complaint about a teacher, bullying or a school decision with the principal: a dated timeline, the policy at stake, one clear ask, a reply deadline.
- Dispute a college tuition chargeA copy-and-paste email that questions a specific charge on your college student account, says why it looks wrong, and asks the bursar to remove or explain it.
Everything else
- Ask a store to match a lower priceA ready-to-send price match request that quotes the store's own policy, attaches proof of the lower price, and asks for the difference back on your card.
- Ask for a retention offer before cancellingAn email that tells the company you're about to cancel, names a competing price, and asks what retention offer they can make, in writing, before you go.
- Ask for written confirmationA short email asking a business for written confirmation of what it agreed on the phone: the price, date or refund, restated and confirmed by a set date.
- Ask the maker about a product recallA product recall check by serial number: an email asking the maker whether your unit is included, what the free remedy is, and how to get it done.
- Ask a provider to lower your monthly billNegotiate your internet, phone or cable bill in writing: an email that cites your years as a customer and a competitor's price and asks for a lower rate.
- Ask where my order isOrder late, tracking stuck or package lost? This email asks the seller, not the carrier, for a firm delivery date, a replacement or a refund.