Question 1-2 refer to the following job post. 

People with a flexible schedule are needed to work at a local hotel. In order to keep up with the increase in customers we receive during the summer holidays, Sparton Hotel is looking for individuals who can work in a variety of positions, including cleaning services, restaurant staff, and hotel reception. All candidates must be available to work seven days a week. No experience in the hospitality business is required, but a college degree and at least 2 years work experience in the customer service industry is preferred. Interested individuals should fax a copy of their resume, along with a cover letter and one letter of recommendation, to our main office. The fax number is 1-555-3269. Successful applicants will be contacted by telephone to schedule a personal interview. Compensation depends on the candidate’s work experience and interview evaluation.

Question 1: Why does the hotel require more staff?

Question 3-5 refer to the following e-mail. 

To: John Miller johnmiller@netmail.comFrom: Linda Tillman linda@acephotos.comSubject: Photos

Dear Mr. Miller,
Your customer record stated that you preferred to be contacted by e-mail, so I am e-mailing you to say that your photographs will not be ready for Saturday at 3 p.m. as discussed. One of our processing machines broke down yesterday. The repairman said the new part has to be specially ordered, and probably won’t arrive for another four to five days. This means that the Belltown branch of Ace Photos only has one machine to process nearly 150 different orders. I noticed that you marked your order as “URGENT” on the processing request form; however, due to the circumstances our 24-hour service is no longer available. Your photos will probably be ready by Tuesday morning at the earliest. If you would rather have your photos processed at another Ace Photos location, we would be happy to mail them for you. We will cover all the delivery charges, and have the photos mailed directly to you when they are finished. Also, we would like to offer you $15 off total order cost to compensate for any inconvenience this problem may have caused. Please call me at 1-800-652-3156 to discuss this matter further.

Sincerely,
Linda Tillman
Director, Customer Relations

Question 3: Why will the problem take a long time to resolve?

Question 6-10 refer to the following letter. 

Advanced Financial
244 Harbor Rd.
Portland, ME
June 22, 2007

Dear Mr. Benson,
I have written to you several times over the past two months requesting an explanation on why you have failed to bring your account with us up-to-date.

By ignoring these requests, you are damaging the excellent credit record you had previously maintained with our company. In addition, every month that you fail to pay your account, you receive a $25 late payment fee. As of the date of this letter, your account balance is @235.04.

Unless I hear from you within ten days, I will have no other choice but to turn your account over to a debt collection agency. I am sorry that we must take such drastic action but I am afraid you leave us no choice. You can preserve your credit rating by sending us a check for the amount stated above.

Sincerely,
Ross Gunter
Director of Accounting
Advanced Financial

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Advanced Financial
244 Harbor Rd.
Portland, ME
July 8, 2007

Dear Mr. Benson,
Thank you for your letter. You deserve an explanation for what went wrong in our accounting department, and I hope that this letter will help resolve our recent error. It has taken a lot of time to find out what happened, so please accept our apologies for the delay in this response.

A thorough look at our records revealed that we did receive your April payment on time, as you stated in your letter of June 25. However, it was credited to an account which bears a similar name to yours. Therefore, we began sending you our standard notices requesting payment, in keeping which our routine policy.

I am sorry for all the distress we have caused you. You have been a valued customer of ours for a long time and we appreciate your understanding. To express our sincerest apologies, we would like to send you a $175 gift certificate to Wilson Spa and Massage Center.

Sincerely,
Ross Gunter
Director of Accounting
Advanced Financial

Question 6: What is the purpose of the first letter?