And...you thought you could get away with this...?

[lupo pazzesco]

BG: working again, and in another retail setting, that has coolers for beverages. We were low on product, so had to order more.

On March 1st, I called in an order to a particular vendor, and the CSR I got on the phone was a nice guy, we chatted, he told me some specifics about himself, and was all "oh, lalala, I know the area you're calling from, been there, etc, etc" You know, creating a rapport and all that jazz.

After I placed the order, he tried to upsell me on some of their newer products "oh this is a wonderful drink, we've got it in two flavors, people really like it, can I interest you in a case or two?"

I said "no, sorry, right now, we're just restocking what we're low on or out of, because inventory is coming up. Maybe after inventory is done, in April, we'll reexamine it.

Order is placed, and delivery is promised the following day. The next day, it does arrive, right as I'm leaving, so bossman signs for it and doesn't doublecheck it at all. Ok, fine, sure.

I return to work after my days off, and check the cooler, which has been restocked while I was off and...hey, 2 new products...the same products I specifically said I didn't want...

...

Call the company, and end up not getting a person, so I leave a message, explaining the issue and wait for the promised callback. Nothing. I leave for the day, and bossman promises he'll let me know if they call (after apologizing for not checking the order and just signing for it!)

Yesterday, call again. STILL no person, STILL no callback after another message left.

Starting to get annoyed now. And you don't want an annoyed Lupo calling you on your mistake. Really, you don't.

This morning, I call AGAIN. Keep calling until I finally get the operator. She said she got the messages, passed them along and no one must have called. So I waited and she said she'd pass it to the CSR again and he'd called me back. If I heard nothing in the next half hour, call her back.

Just got off the phone with the rep a few minutes ago. Ohai, Mr. Guy I placed the original order from, who gave me his life story, so I know EXACTLY who I'm talking to. Let's call you Tony, mk??

Tony: Hi, Ms. Pazzesco, this is Tony from <Vendor> how are you today?
Me: <chirpily cheerful and sweet> Ohai, Tony! I'm doing well, aside from wondering why you sent two cases of a product I specifically said no to when you tried sell them to me 6 days ago. How are you? ^.^
Tony: ...
Me: So, what I need to happen is for someone to come pick up these two cases, and bring a corrected invoice before we can issue payment, mk?
Tony: Well, what I can do is--do you have anything you need on a future order, I mean, next week or something?
Me: Nope, like I told you on Thursday after we talked about how pretty the river is outside this location, we were JUST restocking what we were low on or out of. We're fully stocked for the next few weeks. I need a corrected invoice, please.
Tony: Ok, well...I can have my driver swing by and pick those up.
Me: AND bring a corrected invoice. I can't receive any of this product or submit payment to corporate without an exact, correct invoice. They tend not to like having to pay for stuff that's not on the PO.
Tony: Ok, he'll bring the corrected paperwork and credit information.
Me: Oh, thank you SO much, Tony, that's fantastic. Now, when can I expect him? Tomorrow? Friday?
Tony: He should be by this afternoon, actually.
Me: Great! And if he's not here by the time I leave, Store Manager - who's been kept apprised of the situation and knows exactly what's going on - will be here to take care of that. If not, I can reach you at <I glance at the Caller ID> 123-4567, correct?
Tony: Uh...yeah, that's my direct extension, yes.
Me: Wonderful. Thanks so much for your help, you have a great day now!
Tony: Um, thanks...you, too...


I hang up, lean back and grin, and store manager has been watching the whole thing. He told me that was BRILLIANT and even though he could only hear my side, he was squirming.

Really, why try the whole bonding/rapport thing, then try to sneak in a couple cases to something I said no to? Didja think that I'd get so close to you in that 5 minute phone call, I'd let you get away with it? Really? Dude, go talk to my boyfriend, mk? We've been together over a year, and that shit don't fly when he tries it. You lose. I win!!

The End!

[Mr Hero]

If it's one thing I've learned from your Textbook Hell and grocery store stories, it's that you do NOT want to mess with Lupo.

[Chanlin]

Epic! that is all

[Kanalah]

Note to universe: Stay on Lupo's good side. Trust me on this.

[Seraph]

Bwahahaha! Betcha he had to go get some aloe after that call for his burn.

I love it when lupo lays the smackdown!

[Elspeth]

*bows before Lupo* You are the master. That was brilliant!

*remember to never get on Lupo's bad side. It will not end well.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Sadly, this is pretty much par for the course with DSD vendors. They'll bring in whatever they feel like, and say anything to stick you with the product.

Our trading card guy is terrible like this. He whines if the racks aren't stocked just so, or if we have extra product we need him to take back because we just can't fit it on the racks. Even though he's the one ordering all the shit.

Our soda vendors are good, but our Coke vendor used to be terrible about putting excess stock anyplace it would fit--including right on the floor in front of the shelf. That's very much against every clearance swamp policy, but they don't want to take it back. If you don't have a pit bull of a person dealing with these vendors, you'll be drowning in excess stock.

[Dreamstalker]

Every few ordering cycles, the game store would wind up with something that neither I nor Cool Manager recognized, or that he had stopped ordering specifically because it didn't sell.

Owner was adding it to the orders because "but the rep recommended it and we talked for awhile so we're buddies!" (or some lame justification). Said product ALWAYS wound up on the deep-discount shelf and the store lost money on it.

[lupo pazzesco]

Guh.

I called on Wednesday, and Tony said someone would be out same day. No show.

Ok, give them a couple days, Thursday - no one showed up. Friday was my half day, so I left and we were closed this weekend. I came in this morning and guess what's STILL sitting in our store, unsold, unreceived and still showing as outstanding on the invoice!

Gggrrrr...

I called AGAIN just now, and the operator swore up and down she passed the message on, etc, etc, and maybe the distribution area was just getting the paperwork straightened out. So she transferred me.

I get a voicemail box, and it's full, so the automated system says to press 1 to hang up, or press 2 to leave a message...but I can't leave a message. If I still need help, stay on the line. So I do.

Hey, another voicemail box!!!

Ok, and Lupo is irked again. I leave a message, and am now waiting for a callback.

I get off work here in an hour. Who wants to run the betting pool on WHEN I'll (most likely) get a call back...??

[csquared]

I'll take the second Tuesday of next week.