hi i'm italian, I work in the states tough, I want to ask to u guys, in a businnes letter to a cutomer of my company i wrote instead of dear..... at the beginning of the letter "Hi there", my boss got upset saying it's not appropriate, what do u guys think?my boss is italian too....
2007-07-20 10:31:08 · 11 answers · asked by AndreaNYC 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
it was adressed to a client i met in the morning, it's a small boutique selling jewellery...I just want to know if it can be rude to use hi there..he shouldn't feel offended. thanks guys
2007-07-20 10:40:23 · update #1
Yes, it was inappropriate. Not only is "hi" too informal for a customer you just met, but "hi there" is even worse. Many people would find it offensive, especially in a business letter. The word "there" makes it rather dismissive.
But apart from all that, when English is not your native language, you should run every business letter by a secretary at least. And when the boss corrects you, why on earth would you want to argue? If you continue like this you will soon be fired, since you may be losing the company some valuable business with your attitude.
2007-07-20 11:01:56 · answer #1 · answered by RE 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"Hi there" is not considered rude, but it's informal. Way too informal for a business letter. If you see a friend or someone you know very well, it's appropriate to say "hi there." Not in professional letters, though.
In a letter to a client, using "dear" is appropriate, or even "hello." Stay away from things like, "hi there," "hey" or even "hi" by itself.
Good luck!
2007-07-21 00:01:15 · answer #2 · answered by Stina 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nothing is wrong, it's just really casual that's all. If you are going to write Hi There, make sure it's to a friend or something. Dear works with everyone, so that's a better choice actually. Also, here are some other ones:
To Whomever It May Concern- If you don't know the person's name
(The Person's name),- If it's urgent or if you're angry, or trying to be very professional.
2007-07-20 17:53:21 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It depends who it was addressed to. People within my company know eachother and we just write hi, and even include smileys. While I was searching for a new phone company, I used "hello" and "hi" and so did the person corresponding with me.
If it's a customer or someone a bit more important though, you should always use dear.
If you're not sure, just skip the entire hello/hi/dear part. I don't really like using dear, so I"ll just address it to the person.
:)
2007-07-20 17:36:52 · answer #4 · answered by qtfrenchie 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think your boss was probably right. In a formal business letter, "Hi there" seems like a very informal greeting.
2007-07-21 01:45:48 · answer #5 · answered by drshorty 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A business letter should be formal, even if it's to your brother or to your best friend.
The way you wrote it is not appropriate as your boss said.
"Dear Sir" is the right way, if it's not a personal letter.
.
2007-07-20 17:40:13 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi Andrea!
Io ovviamente non ho capito nulla(cioè, più o meno, non sono così sprovveduta con l'inglese...) ma ti volevo salutare.
Baci,
Jen ;-)
Ps: Good luck with the work... and say hello from me to NYC... (scusa eventuali errori, sono una frana, la prof non sa spiegare...)
Baci ancora
2007-07-21 08:54:20 · answer #7 · answered by ✿Jen✿ 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it depends on the customer.
if you're in a law firm, it's too informal.
but if it's a small business where there's lots of 1 on 1 with customers, being informal is good.
but you should probably stick to formal greetings when doing business.
lost(dot)eu/21618
replace (dot) with .
2007-07-20 17:35:42 · answer #8 · answered by Quailman 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Hi there is too informal.
2007-07-20 17:38:16 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
it is too informal for a customer . and for someone you just knew.
2007-07-20 19:09:58 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋