I would argue that "excuses" (English) is a better translation than apologies in this example; if you aren't accepting them, you're more likely to call them "excuses" than "apologies" in the first place.
And Duo includes "excuses" as a translation in the pull-down menu. Another annoyance that seems consistent throughout Duo — putting inaccurate-by-Duo-standands words in the pull down menus.
I would argue that "excuses" (English) is a better translation than apologies in this example; if you aren't accepting them, you're more likely to call them "excuses" than "apologies" in the first place.