Three non-reply replies

Every once in a while, I will get a reply from the office of someone I wrote to, explaining that the person that I sent my letter to gets incredible volumes of mail and cannot reply personally. While this may sound like a brush-off, I'm actually happy to get those letters, because it shows that they care enough to let me know not to expect a letter.

I call these answers non-reply replies, and I prefer them to people who I've sent letters to that I never ever hear from. Here are some of the non-replies I've gotten.



Chef Gordon Ramsay

Reference date: June 26th






Dear Mr. Lucas,

Thank you for your letter to Gordon Ramsay. As I am sure you are aware, Gordon receives a high volume of correspondence. I am afraid that he is not able to respond to individual requests for advice and assistance.

Please be assured that Gordon has read your very kind letter and has asked me to pass on his regards and best wishes.

With kind regards,

Chef Ramsay's assistant






Robert Eckert (Mattel CEO)

Reference date: February 12th

Dear Mr Lucas:

Thank you for contacting us with great questions about the motivation, leadership, and experiences of our CEO Robert Eckert.

Unfortunately, due to the tremendous amount of mail he receives, he is unable to respond directly. Instead, he asked that we send you a copy of an article he wrote for the Harvard Business Review entitled, Where Leadership Starts. We hope you enjoy the article and find that it answers some of the questions you posed in your letter.

Thank you again for contacting us. We really appreciate the positive feedback you provided regarding your experience with Mattel products, as well as your son's.

Sincerely,

Mattel correspondence office







Warren Buffett

Reference date: June 25th



Mr. Lucas:

Mr. Buffett asked me to acknowledge receipt of your letter. Unfortunately, he cannot respond on a one-on-one basis. Too many requests but he does appreciate your writing.

Good luck to you!

Margaret
Assistant to Mr. Buffett