I was ranting wasn’t I?
Let’s move onto our next rant. Customers.
This job would be perfect if it weren’t for the customers. How much more could I agree with that?
Let’s get one thing started. This one particular situation is what I would claim to be the most bestest and amusing situation I had been in, in a really long time.
Starts off with me entering an order. This company has their own purchase order form that is computerized, which makes it really nice in that I’m not trying to read faxed in chicken scratch, just faxed in really-small-type but is still better most of the time then said chicken scratch.
So I’m reading, and the one item they ordered is a border piece. And the Qty said 60. So I was about to enter 60 pieces (since these borders are sold per piece, or per box) but then I realized that under their “UOM (unit of measure)” they wrote Ln/Ft, which stands for Linear Feet.
Now the pieces they are ordering are 8 inches long each. So 60 pieces is obviously not 60 linear feet. So I did the calculations. 12 inches times 60 feet is720 inches, 720 inches divided by 8 inches is 90 pieces. That makes enough sense for me. So I go ahead and give this company 90 pieces.
Then they call back. They say I sent them too many pieces. That I sent them “almost 80 pieces” when they only wanted 60. By this time it’s been a few hours so I don’t even remember doing their order. So I promised to go look into their order. And I do.
And I then realized I remembered this order, and how smart I was that I knew they wanted 60 linear feet and not 60 pieces. So when I call her back, I tell her that she ordered 60 linear feet, not 60 pieces.
Her reply, and my replies to her reply, are generally as follows:
- (me) You ordered 60 feet of these borders, I sent you 60 feet.
- (her) But I only wanted 60 pieces.
- (me) Well your purchase order says 60 feet, which is what I sent you.
- (her) But I didn’t want 60 feet, I wanted 60 pieces.
- (me) Well you should have written on your order you wanted 60 pieces, and not 60 feet.
- (her) But we already calculated how many feet we needed which was 60 pieces.
- (me) But if you will look at your purchase order. Under the column quantity, I see 60. And under unit of measure I see linear feet.
- (her) That’s how the computer prints it out, that’s not what I wanted. I always order this item in pieces.
- (me) Well you need to let me know how you order, because it says linear feet, and that’s what I sent you.
- (her) But the computer puts in linear feet, not me.
- (me) Well perhaps you should have told me how much linear feet you needed instead of pieces if you knew the computer prints your purchase order in linear feet.
- (her) Well fine. But what are we going to do about this because we are both right?
- (me) (Thinking, not actually saying) How can we both be right if you’re wrong?
- (her) Well I need to return the extra pieces. And I don’t think you should charge me a restocking fee.
- (me) I’m sorry, I don’t have control over who gets charged restocking fees, but I don’t see how we will be able to waive the fee for you.
- (her) So you’re going to charge me for an honest mistake??
- (me) I’m sorry, it was your mistake, not ours.
- (her) Well FINE THEN!
Then again, this is the same woman who once told a co-worker “Don’t talk to him! He’s just the owner! He doesn’t know anything!” when we claimed that we had called, and the owner answered, and the owner said “sure ship those pieces why not.” and we shipped them and she didn’t want them anymore.
While I agree the restocking fee sucks, I mean… what do you answer to something like that?!?
