This is a letter in response to my last posting, but this one is a little different. It is an apology to the woman who pierced my ear - Angela.
At A Glance Author Heather VanKoughnett Contact role_players@quackquack.com Artist Angela Studio Angela's Final Touch Location Evansburg, Alberta I want to apologize because my last posting was slanderous and I'd like this posting to appear in it's place. It is an apology to anyone who read my article and was mislead but most of all to Angela. You see, most of my last post was false, the only part that was true would be the fact that my ear is pierced and I'm sorry to everyone.
Heather VanKoughnett
(below is a copy of the letter that Angela has received)
Dear Angela,
Slander (defamation): To say untrue things about a person's character, business, etc; what I wrote about your business would be a prime example of slander.
I'm sorry for the things I wrote about your business "Angela's Final Touch". It was wrong and stupid of me to say such nasty, untrue things about your business and I understand now that because of my stupidity your business could have been shut down. I'm truly sorry about this and now that I think about it, because we live in such a small area the news about my article would have spread fast and you would have probably lost a lot of business, I am very sorry for that. I was not thinking when I wrote that article, obviously. At the time I wrote that article I was unaware of what the consequences of my actions could be and that such a letter could be harmful for your business. I am not sure why I wrote those things I only know that I am truly sorry and it will never, ever happen again. I'd like to thank you for not charging me with slander, although you had every right to and I understand that fully. I have just finished sending a letter to the creator/publisher/controller of the webpage asking her to remove the article and replace it with a formal apology to you and everyone else who read the article. It explains that none of the article was true except for the fact that I have my ear pierced. I am so sorry Angela! I had no right to write those things about your business and I am really, really sorry. I did not understand fully the seriousness of my actions until I heard that you could charge me. I do not know why it took that long, I should have used my common sense and thought about it before I sent the story in. I know that this letter will never make up for the things I've done, nor will anything I say ever fix everything completely I just want you to know how deeply sorry I am that you ever had to go through this. I know in the bible it says to do unto others as you'd have done to you and I know that if I was in your position I would not be very happy if this happened to me; I'm sorry I didn't think of that sooner, Angela. From now on I will always think before I write (or say) something about someone (or their business) because just because it doesn't seem hurtful at the time there could be serious consequences later on and (unfortunately it happened this way) because of this I have learned that. I know that it hurts to have people say untrue things about you and I can't even imagine how you felt when you found out about and read my letter. I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am. I still know how serious this situation is, however, and I'm going to do everything in my power to fix it. I believe having that article removed is only the first step, and I'd totally comprehend if you never wanted to see my face again after this is all said and done with. I am so sorry Angela, if I could go back and do it all again I never would have written that article! I know I shouldn't have wrote it to begin with, that in itself was just plain stupid but now, especially now, I really regret what I've done. I am so sorry Angela, I'm sorry that I wrote that article, sorry that I ever put it up on the internet, sorry that I could have ruined your business and sorry that you had to go through this. I seriously do not remember why I wrote the things I did; I understand that had I actually had problems with the piercing I could have come back to you and together we could have figured something out. However, I did not have any problems with my piercing except maybe minor tenderness to begin with and I had no reason to write anything about your business whatsoever, except maybe that I had gotten it pierced. I know having the article removed and replaced with an apology doesn't really make up for putting the slanderous story up to begin with and for that I'm truly sorry. I'm just beginning to grasp the consequences that my article could have had on your business and even your reputation. I heard once that a person is only as good as their name and had my letter got out it could have destroyed your name and I'm truly, very, very sorry. I'm truly upset about writing that letter but on that point I'm glad it came to someone's attention now before it had a chance to circulate more. I'm happy that the person that discovered the article brought it to your attention first and did not give it to a whole bunch of people before hand. That would have made things all the more terrible. I'm really sorry this ever happened Angela, and I can guarantee you it will never, ever happen again, not to you and not to anyone else. This letter might seem kind of repetitive, with all the apologies I've made, but I want you to know how sorry I am about all of this, and if there is any thing you can think of that might help make this up to you please tell me. I'm so sorry for dragging your name and your business through the mud Angela, I had absolutely no right to do that and I swear it will never, ever happen again! I've learned my lesson about lying and the results that it has and I no longer feel a desire to do it. I'm so sorry for all the pain I may have caused you Angela. I'm truly sorry.
Heather Vankoughnett