DEAR MISS MANNERS: I find the common out-of-office message, “I will respond to your inquiries at my earliest convenience,” extremely inappropriate.

Really, “at your earliest convenience”? I recommend “as soon as possible” or something more customer-friendly.

How can I tell someone in my organization who uses that message that it’s not appropriate?

GENTLE READER: “There might be some pronoun trouble here. You don’t mean to put off our customers until it’s convenient for you to tend to them. You mean you will get back with them as soon as you can, don’t you?”

Stories by Judith Martin

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Miss Manners

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