Have I bent over far enough?

[Interior Desecrator]

Apologies for the suggestive title, but you'll understand in a minute.

Now, I will be one of the first to admit when I make a mistake. I tend to beat myself up over my errors, (just ask my boyfriend). And I try to do everything possible to correct the situation.

I was working with another designer on a job about 45 minutes from my office. We hadn't done any of the installation work on her cabinets (big mistake), so I was unaware of what changes were being made on the jobsite. She called in a couple times to order additional materials for this job, and one order slipped through the cracks. I sent the order in, but apparently the fax never went through. OK...my bad! Now, we're short several pieces of molding, and the designer is screaming about a looming deadline. I've been in the building industry for over two and a half years now. Yes...tensions run higher the closer you get to a deadline. But this sudden turn of events, in my opinion, does not entitle someone to become an SC.

Upon learning of my error, I jumped on the internet and tried to come up with any possible way of getting the moldings to the shop faster than the 5 day lead time (not including shipping time) that the cabinet manufacturer could guarantee. After spending most of an afternoon searching, I finally managed to dig up the trim molding she needed. But the crown molding would have to come from the cabinet company. I called the designer to let her know that we could get the trim molding unfinished fairly quickly, but she would need to supply us with something to match it to when we stained it. She agreed to see what she could do, and I never heard back. In the meantime, I put in the order for the crown molding.

Almost a week later, I was in anxious expectation of the crown molding order. The trim had arrived the day after I sent in the order and had been sitting in the office, waiting to be stained. That's when I received a charming phone call from the ever-pleasant designer.

SD (sucky designer): *Demands to know when her moldings will arrive*
Me: They should be here soon. I put in the order last week on the fastest lead time [company] has available.
SD: I realize that this was a mistake, but you should be bending over backwards to get this fixed!
Me: (And just what, do you suppose, have I been doing?) Ma'am, I'm doing what I can to get you those moldings as quickly as possible.
SD: Well, in my experience, overnight is the fastest there is.
Me: *grinding teeth* My hands are tied by the manufacturer. (I can't pull molding out of my butt!) I'm doing the best I can. I'll give you a call as soon as that order arrives.
SD: *Grudgingly agrees, says her good-byes, and we hang up*
Me: *hangs up receiver and growls at phone* Am I bending over far enough for ya?!
This got a laugh from my boss.

Everything arrived within the next day or so, and was safely delivered to the job site. I still don't know why, if she was in such an all-fired hurry, she waited so long to pick up the moldings that we already had in the office. Strangely enough, after all this, she still wants us to work on a master bathroom for her. Eh...go figure!

[bainsidhe]

I loved how she told you overnight was the fastest. It's very easy for customers to request overnight service at someone else's expense without ever considering cost, consequences or necessity. If the order is worth $100.00 and is a day late, don't expect us to pay a $300.00 UPS Red charge to get it to you. We will of course consider how badly we messed up, how valuable a customer you are and how urgently you really need product (note: just SAYING you need something next day air does not, in fact, mean you NEED it next day air. If your drop-dead date is a week from now, don't expect us to pay for you to have it tomorrow).

[Interior Desecrator]

In this case, it was literally impossible to get that molding overnight. The manufacturer simply won't do it, so my hands were tied. I busted my butt trying to find the same crown molding from another manufacturer, but to no avail. The funny thing is, the piece of trim molding that we DID get overnight sat in the office for almost a week waiting for her. And, yes, I did alert her to its arrival. Something tells me she needed a vent for her frustrations, and I was the first available target.

[poofy_puff]

I've had this happen at my current job where we need 50 of some item (it's happened with heating tapes and dessicators), there are only 3 in stock with VWR, I've called all over the continent and everyone is waiting for more of these items to be MANUFACTURED. It's a 3-week lead time for a drop-shipment, we need it for the following week, and the professor says, "Just have them send it Express Delivery."

Um, ok. They have to FABRICATE them. Like, with injection molding processes and assembly lines. Just because we have a $35 Billion endowment doesn't mean that other companies have invented time travel just for us! Hel-LO!

(Poor planning on my boss' part does not constitute an emergency for the rest of the country).

[earl colby pottinger]

I happens every where

Remember the earthquake in Kobe, Japan some years ago. Took out about 10% of the world memory production at the time. More important some manufacturers had exclusive contracts to producers there for specialized memory. For some computer equipment there were no other suppliers online with the needed design.

Yet we had people complaining about delays in their shipments, or a price jump when a world-wide glut in some types of memory overnight became a world-wide shortage. And what did they expect a computer store in Canada is going to do to correct problems in Japan is beyond me.