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The company I work for manufacturers medical waste containers. Last year Florida changed their waste regulations and didn't bother to tell anybody in advance, so there isn't a large amount of product currently labeled to meet these standards.
We're actually not going to change any products for the state of Florida either. It would not be financial prudent to change an entire product line to satisfy one state. Especially a state known as the "Nanny State" due to some of their absurd regulations. And, the few competitors that we have in this product line, have the same opinion and are handling the problem the same way that we have been.
Our products are specifically designed to OSHA and EPA standards. What we are doing for the Florida based customers is producing a new label, which meets the Florida requirements, which can be placed onto the sharps containers.
This morning we received this call
LC - That'd be me.
SLWBD-Screaming lady with barking dog.
Crying babies, barking dogs, swearing like a drunk hooker, and talking to a co-worker/on a cellphone while you're on a business call are all classy moves. But let's at least pretend that she's not operating the business out of the living room of a double wide trailer. Despite what it sounded like talking to her.
LC: Acme medical products, this is lifecarnie, how can I help you.
SLWBD: Everytime I receive an order of containers from you guys the label is wrong and this latest shipment with these new labels is the worst yet!
*Thinks to self* "Good!! Thanks for asking!!"OKAY.......We sell hundreds of thousands of containers a year, since they're disposable, and I have heard maybe three complaints about the labels in the five years that I've worked here. I have heard some basic information about Florida making changes to their regs, but nothing specific.
LC: I'm sorry to hear that, what exactly is the problem with the labeling?
SLWBD: This isn't the first time I've complained about this, I've called numerous times, and I've sent email after email and not received any resolution. YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO GET ME SO FINED!!
LC: Oh, I'm sorry, do you know who you've been speaking or corresponding with?
SLWDB: I don't know that, all I know it's someone in your QA department and all they did was send me some stickers!! It's not my responsibility to do YOUR job I don't have time to have my guys sticking new labels on the containers!
Ok, now this is three strikes in one statement. First strike, you rant that you have email correspondence with someone, but you don't know who, even though the sender would have provided a email signature at the bottom of the email, per our corporate policy. Second, this is not a quality issue, why are you contacting QA? I'm suprised QA even went so far as to send you labels. They should have referred you to either customer service or a regional sales rep. Third, it's not MY job to label anything. My company has chosen a manner of handling this issue, at least in the short term, even though you may not like the method. You are the ONLY customer who has complained about these labels and we have some HUGE customers who are in Florida and don't have a problem with this labeling. Plus we manufacture product well in advance, so even if we were going to make a change, we would sell off our pre-existing inventory first. And, no one is putting a gun to your head about actually putting the stickers on. As long as you provide them to the customer you're covered.
LC: Well I'm sorry to hear that! Actually our regional sales manager would be able to rectify that situation for you.
Which is true in the sense, but there really isn't a whole lot that the sales rep can offer her. Still the sales rep should have been the first person contacted either by the customer or the customer service rep who initially took this woman's call. And the local sales rep would be able to do more for the customer than I could.
SLWBD: I've been doing business with you for at least twenty years and I haven't seen a sales rep in at least thirteen years.
Please....if I had a dollar for everytime I've heard somebody say that I'd be rich. Plus the item that you referenced is a newer product, which means it would have been introduced to you fairly recently.
LC: Well I can certainly put you in touch with your sales rep. What is your zip code?
SLWBD: 55555
At this point I'm just shocked she knows a zip code from an area code.
LC: And what type of facility are calling from?.
Since you didn't have the courtesy to provide your name and employer, but that's ok, it's always fun to not know specific details.
SLWBD: "We give the rest of the florida keys a bad name" Medical Supplies!! (the scream has now gone into a full blown, aneurysm inducing rant) You guys are going to get me fined, I'm not paying any fines, you're going to pay the fines!!
OK, I've worked for this company for five years. I'm familiar with every account that does a decent amount of business with us, especially with this product line. I've never heard of you. Which means, you're not quite the playa you've convinced yourself that you are.
And as far as the fines go, no regulating body issues fines from the start, it starts with warning letters and to be honest with you, the people in Florida who regulate these containers are Ok with our solution.
Meaning, that if you don't comply, it's on you. You made a choice to not comply. You also, made a choice to keep selling our products and you certainly weren't pressured by our sales force, since you haven't seen a rep in "13 years".
You could choose to send the containers back to us and we'll divert the customers who were buying our products from you to another distributor and you can than go out of business. Which is probably good for us, because they're are larger distributors in the same region as you, who don't squable about every perceived slight.
LC: Gives sales rep information.
SLWBD: (still working on that aneurysm) You guys are going to get me fined, I'm not paying any fines, you're going to pay the fines!! *rinse lather repeat* Your containers don't meet anyone's regulations anywhere in the United States this is crazy!!
LC: Actually, our containers fully OSHA compliant and do meet the guidelines as stated in *cites regulation number and passage* of the OSHA Regulations.
SLWBD: WELL!!! MOST OF THE PEOPLE IN FLORIDA I KNOW DON'T THINK SO!!
Yes that's because, Florida's regulations are not in accordance with federal guidlines, the guidelines we're required to adibe by according to the federal government.
And Florida IS the UNITED STATES?
Floridians, be prepared for your medical cost's to escalate, because your state legislation keeps passing needless medical regulations, which often contradict federal guidelines and as a result made it extremely difficult for medical products manufacturers to market their products in your state. And, in turn additional expenses are being created for the companies that are doing business in Florida. But, it's ok with us. We'll just pass that expense on to you, the patients of Florida.
We're actually not going to change any products for the state of Florida either. It would not be financial prudent to change an entire product line to satisfy one state. Especially a state known as the "Nanny State" due to some of their absurd regulations. And, the few competitors that we have in this product line, have the same opinion and are handling the problem the same way that we have been.
Our products are specifically designed to OSHA and EPA standards. What we are doing for the Florida based customers is producing a new label, which meets the Florida requirements, which can be placed onto the sharps containers.
This morning we received this call
LC - That'd be me.
SLWBD-Screaming lady with barking dog.
Crying babies, barking dogs, swearing like a drunk hooker, and talking to a co-worker/on a cellphone while you're on a business call are all classy moves. But let's at least pretend that she's not operating the business out of the living room of a double wide trailer. Despite what it sounded like talking to her.
LC: Acme medical products, this is lifecarnie, how can I help you.
SLWBD: Everytime I receive an order of containers from you guys the label is wrong and this latest shipment with these new labels is the worst yet!
*Thinks to self* "Good!! Thanks for asking!!"OKAY.......We sell hundreds of thousands of containers a year, since they're disposable, and I have heard maybe three complaints about the labels in the five years that I've worked here. I have heard some basic information about Florida making changes to their regs, but nothing specific.
LC: I'm sorry to hear that, what exactly is the problem with the labeling?
SLWBD: This isn't the first time I've complained about this, I've called numerous times, and I've sent email after email and not received any resolution. YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO GET ME SO FINED!!
LC: Oh, I'm sorry, do you know who you've been speaking or corresponding with?
SLWDB: I don't know that, all I know it's someone in your QA department and all they did was send me some stickers!! It's not my responsibility to do YOUR job I don't have time to have my guys sticking new labels on the containers!
Ok, now this is three strikes in one statement. First strike, you rant that you have email correspondence with someone, but you don't know who, even though the sender would have provided a email signature at the bottom of the email, per our corporate policy. Second, this is not a quality issue, why are you contacting QA? I'm suprised QA even went so far as to send you labels. They should have referred you to either customer service or a regional sales rep. Third, it's not MY job to label anything. My company has chosen a manner of handling this issue, at least in the short term, even though you may not like the method. You are the ONLY customer who has complained about these labels and we have some HUGE customers who are in Florida and don't have a problem with this labeling. Plus we manufacture product well in advance, so even if we were going to make a change, we would sell off our pre-existing inventory first. And, no one is putting a gun to your head about actually putting the stickers on. As long as you provide them to the customer you're covered.
LC: Well I'm sorry to hear that! Actually our regional sales manager would be able to rectify that situation for you.
Which is true in the sense, but there really isn't a whole lot that the sales rep can offer her. Still the sales rep should have been the first person contacted either by the customer or the customer service rep who initially took this woman's call. And the local sales rep would be able to do more for the customer than I could.
SLWBD: I've been doing business with you for at least twenty years and I haven't seen a sales rep in at least thirteen years.
Please....if I had a dollar for everytime I've heard somebody say that I'd be rich. Plus the item that you referenced is a newer product, which means it would have been introduced to you fairly recently.
LC: Well I can certainly put you in touch with your sales rep. What is your zip code?
SLWBD: 55555
At this point I'm just shocked she knows a zip code from an area code.
LC: And what type of facility are calling from?.
Since you didn't have the courtesy to provide your name and employer, but that's ok, it's always fun to not know specific details.
SLWBD: "We give the rest of the florida keys a bad name" Medical Supplies!! (the scream has now gone into a full blown, aneurysm inducing rant) You guys are going to get me fined, I'm not paying any fines, you're going to pay the fines!!
OK, I've worked for this company for five years. I'm familiar with every account that does a decent amount of business with us, especially with this product line. I've never heard of you. Which means, you're not quite the playa you've convinced yourself that you are.
And as far as the fines go, no regulating body issues fines from the start, it starts with warning letters and to be honest with you, the people in Florida who regulate these containers are Ok with our solution.
Meaning, that if you don't comply, it's on you. You made a choice to not comply. You also, made a choice to keep selling our products and you certainly weren't pressured by our sales force, since you haven't seen a rep in "13 years".
You could choose to send the containers back to us and we'll divert the customers who were buying our products from you to another distributor and you can than go out of business. Which is probably good for us, because they're are larger distributors in the same region as you, who don't squable about every perceived slight.
LC: Gives sales rep information.
SLWBD: (still working on that aneurysm) You guys are going to get me fined, I'm not paying any fines, you're going to pay the fines!! *rinse lather repeat* Your containers don't meet anyone's regulations anywhere in the United States this is crazy!!
LC: Actually, our containers fully OSHA compliant and do meet the guidelines as stated in *cites regulation number and passage* of the OSHA Regulations.
SLWBD: WELL!!! MOST OF THE PEOPLE IN FLORIDA I KNOW DON'T THINK SO!!
Yes that's because, Florida's regulations are not in accordance with federal guidlines, the guidelines we're required to adibe by according to the federal government.
And Florida IS the UNITED STATES?
Floridians, be prepared for your medical cost's to escalate, because your state legislation keeps passing needless medical regulations, which often contradict federal guidelines and as a result made it extremely difficult for medical products manufacturers to market their products in your state. And, in turn additional expenses are being created for the companies that are doing business in Florida. But, it's ok with us. We'll just pass that expense on to you, the patients of Florida.
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