Lesikar's Business Communication: Connecting in a Digital World 13th Edition by Kathryn Rentz,Paula Lentz

Exercise 11

The small company that you work for, InFocus Solutions of Washington, DC, is busy prepping for its annual board meeting. As the junior member of the team, you were asked to order lunch from Breadline and to pick up the order on the day of the meeting. Abiding by Breadline's catering policy, you paid for half of the lunch when ordering and will pay the rest of the bill upon pickup.
Sandwiches and salads for 20 people, plus chips, drinks, and dessert came to a total of $235.84. You paid $117.92 over the phone with your company credit card when you placed the order.
After weeks of preparation, the day of the meeting is finally here. As you board the Metro on your way into the office, you receive an "Urgent Alert" on your cell phone from the city. An unidentified package has been spotted on the White House grounds; consequently, until further notice, no one except emergency personnel are allowed within a 5-block radius of the White House. Your office is outside of the locked down area... but then you remember that Breadline is only a block away from the White House!
Thankfully, you are able to make other lunch reservations, and the board meeting is an all-around success. However, Breadline still owes InFocus Solutions $117.92 for the lunch you were unable to pick up. You're worried because of a clause in the contract saying "deposits are nonrefundable except in extreme cases (e.g., a natural disaster)." You may not get your deposit back. You understand that Breadline likely purchased the food for your lunch before you cancelled it and would lose money if it returned your deposit; but you also think that especially in Washington, DC, a suspicious package is the equivalent of a natural disaster. Send the manager a message requesting an adjustment to your account.