| name | email-customer |
| description | Draft a polite-but-firm reply to a tricky customer email — refund request, scope creep, complaint, billing dispute. Use when the user pastes a customer email and asks for a reply, mentions "how do I respond", "user is asking for a refund", "they want a discount", or any awkward customer-facing communication. |
Email Customer / 客户邮件回复
When to use
- The dev is replying to a real customer (paying or potential).
- The reply needs to be polite, firm, and short — not corporate, not groveling.
- The situation is awkward: refund, dispute, scope creep, deadline push, complaint.
When NOT to use
- A routine inquiry ("what's the price?") — answer directly, no skill needed.
- An abusive or harassing message — those need a moderation policy, not a charming reply. Suggest: don't engage; if needed, refund and ban.
- A legal threat — stop. Don't reply via skill. Suggest the user consult a lawyer first.
Principles
A good solo-founder reply has four properties:
- Acknowledge the specific concern (not "I understand your frustration").
- State the decision plainly in one sentence, near the top.
- Give one reason, no more. (Listing reasons reads as defensive.)
- Offer a concrete next step — a workaround, a partial refund, a deadline, a closing line.
Avoid:
- "I'm sorry you feel that way" — not an apology, reads as dismissive.
- "Per our policy" — bureaucratic, hides the human behind procedure.
- Hedging multiple times in one email ("we might be able to possibly consider…").
- More than ~120 words. If it needs more, it's a phone call or a doc.
Output format
Always produce:
- Subject: (one short line, no "Re: Re:")
- Body: (≤120 words, plain text, no signature)
- Internal note: (one line for the dev — what they should do operationally after sending, e.g. "issue partial refund of $19", "add to email block list")
Worked examples
Example 1: Refund request after 60 days, policy is 30
Customer:
"I bought the annual plan 60 days ago and barely used it. Can I get a refund?"
Output:
Subject: Refund on your annual plan
Body:
Hi ,
Refunds on annual plans are limited to the first 30 days, so a full refund isn't something I can offer here.
What I can do: switch you to month-to-month and refund the unused months as account credit, or process a 50% refund on the remaining time. Either is fine — let me know which you'd prefer.
—
Internal note: If they pick option 2, refund $X via Stripe. If option 1, downgrade plan in admin and credit their balance.
Example 2: Scope creep on a fixed-price contract
Customer:
"Now that the dashboard is built, can you also add a CSV export and email reports? Should be quick."
Output:
Subject: Scope on the dashboard work
Body:
Hi ,
CSV export and scheduled email reports are both straightforward, but they're outside the original scope. Two paths:
- Add them as a small follow-up at $X (≈Y days of work).
- Hand off the codebase as-is and your team adds them later — happy to do a 30-min walkthrough either way.
Let me know which fits better.
—
Internal note: If they pick option 1, send a 1-page change order before starting.
Anti-patterns
- Don't apologize for things that aren't your fault. "Sorry the API was down" is fine; "Sorry you don't like our pricing" is not.
- Don't promise a fix without a timeline. Either commit ("by Friday") or say "I don't have an ETA yet."
- Don't BCC yourself for "records." Use a CRM or a notes file. BCC reads weird if the customer ever sees it.
中文版
何时使用
- 在回复真实客户（付费的或潜在的）。
- 回复需要礼貌、坚定、简短——不官腔，也不卑躬屈膝。
- 场景棘手：退款、争执、范围蔓延、延期、投诉。
何时不使用
- 日常咨询（"多少钱？"）——直接回答，不需要这个技能。
- 辱骂或骚扰邮件——需要的是封禁政策，不是回复技巧。建议：不回应；必要时退款 + 拉黑。
- 法律威胁——停。先咨询律师，再考虑回复。
原则
好的回复有四个特征：
- 承认具体的问题（不是泛泛的"我理解您的沮丧"）。
- 靠前一句说清决定。
- 给一个理由，不要列三个（列多反而显得心虚）。
- 给一个具体的下一步——补偿方案、截止时间、收尾语。
避免：
- "对您的感受感到抱歉"——不是道歉，听起来像甩锅。
- "依据我们的政策"——官腔，把人藏在流程后面。
- 一封邮件里反复犹豫（"我们或许可以考虑…"）。
- 超过 ~120 字。再多就该改电话或长文档。
输出
- 主题：（一行短句）
- 正文：（≤120 字，纯文本，不加签名）
- 内部备注：（给开发者的操作指引——发完邮件还要做什么，比如"在 Stripe 退 $19"、"加入邮件黑名单"）
反模式
- 不要为不是自己的过错道歉。
- 不要给不带时间的承诺。 要么"周五前"，要么"暂时没 ETA"。
- 不要 BCC 自己留底。 用 CRM 或笔记，BCC 万一被客户看到很尴尬。
