How to tell a client their commission is delayed (with message templates)
Updated · 9 min read
Delays are part of made-to-order work. A supplier ships the wrong boards. A kiln element fails halfway through a glaze firing. A casting comes out with flaws and has to be redone. A powder coater loses a week. You catch flu in the middle of a busy month.
None of that is unusual, and most clients understand it. What they find hard to forgive is finding out late. This guide covers the common causes, how to plan dates that survive them, when and how to tell the client, which options to offer, what the research on service recovery does and does not say, and a short note on what UK and Polish law say about agreed delivery dates.
Our guide to client updates during a build has a three-part delay message. Here we go further, with wording for different situations.
Key takeaways
- Most delays come from materials, process failures (kilns, castings, drying, finishes), subcontractors, client decisions and the maker's own health or capacity.
- In a classic study, students predicted they would finish their thesis in 33.9 days on average and took 55.5. Build that optimism into your dates.
- Tell the client as soon as the date is at risk, with the reason, the new date and what you are doing about it.
- Give the latest realistic date. A second delay hurts far more than a cautious first estimate.
- Offer real options where you have them: wait, change a material, deliver in parts or cancel on fair terms.
- A meta-analysis found that good recovery can raise satisfaction, but not repurchase or word of mouth. Do not plan on a delay winning loyalty.
- In the UK and in Poland, consumer law has rules on agreed delivery dates. Know them and put realistic dates in your contract.
Why made-to-order work runs late
Knowing where delays come from helps you plan for them and explain them.
| Cause | Examples |
|---|---|
| Materials | Timber out of stock or not dry enough, a stone that does not match the photo, a hide with a flaw, glass colour discontinued |
| Process failures | A crack during drying or firing, a failed casting, a finish that does not cure, a glue-up that goes wrong |
| Subcontractors | Plating, hallmarking, powder coating, upholstery, a glass cutter or a courier |
| Client decisions | A late approval, a change of mind, a site that is not ready for fitting |
| The maker | Illness, a family emergency, an injury, too many commissions at once |
Some processes cannot be hurried. Digitalfire, a ceramics technical reference, explains that clay shrinks as it dries and that uneven drying causes cracks, which can appear late in the process. Finishes need time to cure, and pushing them causes problems later. If your craft has a step like this, it belongs in the plan, not in the delay message.
Plan dates that survive delays
The best delay is the one that never reaches the client because the date allowed for it.
Roger Buehler, Dale Griffin and Michael Ross named this the "planning fallacy". In their first study, 37 psychology students predicted when they would hand in their honours thesis. On average they said 33.9 days; it took 55.5. Fewer than a third finished by their own best estimate, and fewer than half by their worst-case estimate.
Makers are not students, but the bias is the same. Three habits help:
- Quote from your records, not your hopes. Look at how long the last few similar pieces actually took.
- Add buffer for steps you do not control. Suppliers, subcontractors, firings and client decisions.
- Quote a week or a window, not a day, until the piece is nearly done.
Our guide to lead times and waiting lists covers setting dates in more detail.
Tell the client early
David Maister's essay "The Psychology of Waiting Lines" argues that uncertain waits feel longer than known ones, and unexplained waits feel longer than explained ones. A delay message turns an uncertain, unexplained wait into a known, explained one.
The right moment is when you know the date is at risk, not when it has passed. If you do not yet know the new date, say so and say when you will.
Early warning (template) "I want to let you know early that your [piece] may be late. [What happened, in one sentence.] I will know more by [date] and will write to you then with a firm date. For now, everything else is going to plan."
How to word a delay message
A good delay message has five parts. Keep it short and plain.
- What has happened. "The table will be ready later than planned."
- Why, in one sentence. "The kiln element failed during the glaze firing, and two plates were damaged."
- The new date. The latest realistic one, not the hopeful one.
- What you are doing about it. "I have ordered a new element and will remake the two plates in the next firing."
- What it means for them. Payment stages, delivery arrangements or any choice they need to make.
One sentence of apology is enough. Over-apologising, or explaining every detail, tends to make the message about you rather than the client.
Standard delay (template) "I am sorry to say your [piece] will be later than planned. [Reason, in one sentence.] I now expect to deliver in the week of [date]. [What you are doing.] Nothing changes for the payments: the balance is still due on delivery. I will send photos of [next stage] on [date]."
Delay caused by the client's decision (template) "A quick note on timing. I paused your [piece] at [stage] while waiting for your decision on [item], which arrived on [date]. As agreed at the start, the delivery date moves by the same amount, so it is now [date]. Work has started again today."
Delay because you are ill (template) "I have been unwell this week and have not been able to work in the workshop. I am sorry for the delay this causes. I expect to be back on [date] and will confirm a new delivery date by [date]. Your [piece] is safe and nothing about it has changed."
Second delay (template) "I am sorry to be writing about the date again. [What happened.] I know this is the second change, so I have [what you have done to make the new date firm, such as received the materials or completed the firing]. The new date is [date], and I am confident of it because [reason]. If this no longer works for you, please tell me and we can talk about options."
Offer options where you have them
A delay feels less like something done to the client if they have a choice. Offer only options you can deliver.
- Wait for the original specification. Often the right answer for a piece they will keep for decades.
- Change a material or detail. A different board, a stone you have in stock, a different glaze already tested. Make the trade-off clear.
- Deliver in parts. Six of the twelve plates now, the rest later; the chairs before the table.
- Lend or provide something meanwhile. A spare instrument for a gig, a loan ring for an engagement photo, if you have one.
- Cancel on fair terms. If the date was essential to them, offer a clear way out under your contract and the law.
Options (template) "Here are the options as I see them: 1) keep everything as planned, with delivery on [date]; 2) use [alternative], which I have now, with delivery on [date]; 3) [partial delivery or other option]. Let me know which suits you best, and if none works, tell me and we will find a way forward."
What the research says about recovering from a problem
The "service recovery paradox" is the idea that a customer who has a problem fixed well ends up more satisfied than one who never had a problem. The evidence is mixed. A 2007 meta-analysis by Celso de Matos, Jorge Henrique and Carlos Rossi found a positive effect on satisfaction, but no significant effect on repurchase intentions, word of mouth or corporate image. In other words: handle a delay well and the client may feel better about the experience, but do not count on a delay to win loyalty.
Two other findings are useful.
- How you handle it matters as much as what you offer. Stephen Tax, Stephen Brown and Murali Chandrashekaran found that customers judge complaint handling on three things: the outcome, the procedure used to reach it and how they were treated along the way.
- Apologies count. In a field experiment with a German online seller, Johannes Abeler and colleagues wrote to customers who had left neutral or negative ratings after problems such as a very late delivery. 44.8% of those who received an apology withdrew their rating, against 21.1% of those offered a small payment. That study was about ratings, not repeat business, but it shows how much a sincere apology can do.
A note on delivery dates and the law
This is general information, not legal advice. For your situation, check your contract and speak to a solicitor or lawyer.
UK. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a contract for goods to be made and supplied to a consumer counts as a sales contract (s.5(2)). Section 28 says that if no time was agreed, goods must be delivered without undue delay and within 30 days. If an agreed date is missed and that date was essential, or the consumer said before the contract that it was, the consumer may treat the contract as at an end. Otherwise they may set an appropriate further period and, if that is missed too, end the contract. Either way, the trader must then refund all payments without undue delay.
Poland. The Civil Code (Kodeks cywilny) art. 543(1) says that where the buyer is a consumer, the seller must hand over the goods promptly and no later than 30 days after the contract, unless the contract says otherwise. If the seller is late, the buyer may set an additional deadline and withdraw if it passes. Art. 636(1) applies this to a consumer who orders a work that is a movable thing. For a contract for a specific work, art. 635 also lets the client withdraw before the deadline if the maker is so far behind that finishing on time is unlikely.
The practical lesson in both countries: put a realistic date or window in the contract, say what happens when the client's own decisions cause a delay, and tell the client in writing as soon as an agreed date is at risk.
A short checklist
- Quote dates from your records, with buffer for steps you do not control.
- Tell the client as soon as a date is at risk.
- Five parts: what, why, new date, what you are doing, what it means for them.
- Give the latest realistic date. Avoid a second delay.
- Offer real options where you have them.
- Keep every delay message in the same place as your updates and approvals.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and how they apply depends on the facts of each case. Before a decision about your own contract, product or business, check the current text with the relevant authority or ask a lawyer.
Sources
- Exploring the "planning fallacy": Why people underestimate their task completion times, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 67(3), 1994: students predicted 33.9 days and took 55.5; 29.7% finished by their best estimate
- The Psychology of Waiting Lines, David Maister (1985): uncertain and unexplained waits feel longer
- Drying Crack, Digitalfire: clay shrinks as it dries and uneven drying causes cracks
- Service Recovery Paradox: A Meta-Analysis, Journal of Service Research 10(1), 2007: positive effect on satisfaction; no significant effect on repurchase intentions, word of mouth or image
- Customer Evaluations of Service Complaint Experiences, Journal of Marketing 62(2), 1998: outcomes, procedures and interpersonal treatment shape complaint evaluations
- The Power of Apology, CeDEx Discussion Paper 2009-12, University of Nottingham: 44.8% withdrew a negative rating after an apology, 21.1% after a payment offer
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 28, legislation.gov.uk: delivery of goods, agreed dates and the consumer's rights when they are missed
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 5, legislation.gov.uk: contracts for goods to be manufactured are sales contracts
- Kodeks cywilny, arts. 543(1), 635 and 636(1) (consolidated text Dz.U. 2026 poz. 795), Sejm RP: delivery within 30 days unless agreed otherwise, additional deadline and withdrawal; withdrawal for serious delay in a contract for a specific work
Questions this guide gets asked
When should I tell a client about a delay?
As soon as you know the date is at risk, even if you do not yet know the new date. Say when you will know more. Telling a client early gives them time to plan and shows you are in control; telling them after the date has passed feels like a broken promise.
Should I apologise for a delay that was not my fault?
Yes, briefly. You can apologise for the effect on the client without taking the blame for a supplier or a kiln. One sentence is enough, followed by the facts and the new date. Long apologies tend to make the message about you.
How much extra time should I add when I give a new date?
Give the latest date you are confident of, not the hopeful one. Research on the planning fallacy shows people underestimate even their own worst-case estimates. A second delay does far more damage than a cautious first estimate.
Can a client cancel if I miss the delivery date?
It depends on your contract and the law. In the UK, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 s.28 lets a consumer end the contract in some cases, or set a further deadline and end it if that is missed. Polish law has similar rules. Take advice for your situation; this is not legal advice.
Should I offer a discount for a delay?
Not automatically. Many clients care more about honesty and a firm new date than money. Where a delay causes real inconvenience, a gesture such as free delivery or an extra item can help, but offer it because it fits the situation, not as a reflex.