You catch more flies with honey... but sometimes you need a rolled up news paper

WickedLou9 · 08-02-2007, 12:30 PM

I am not going to get into details for fear of liability, but general terms work just as well here.

So I have been dealing with one of our 'business partners". I will call them Joe incorporated. Now Joe and I have a mutual client. Joe provides us with widgets and we take those widgets and we turn them into wicked awesome widgets that kill terrorists and crap gold bricks. We then give these improved widgets to our mutual client. So there has been a problem with these widgets and the problem has been going on for some time. Several years in fact. We have been taking these bad widgets and putting them in storage, because hey, our mutual client still wants them. So off and on for the past year, we have been trying to work with Joe to get them to fix the issue with thier widgets. Various people here where I am have been very professional and civil with Joe in trying to get something to happen. So far we have not had any luck. So I was handed the task of trying to get the widgets fixed maybe 2 months ago. I started contacting joe and asking what I could do to help them fix thier widgets. I was bounced from person to person and eventually got someone who seemed to care. I offered them information about what was wrong, I gave them specific examples and such. Well I never heard back. So I followed up, and followed up, and was eventually passed on to yet another person who never contacted me.
This went on until today when I sent a professional, but obviosuly frustrated e-mail to all of the contacts whom I have ever dealt with at Joe Inc.
Shortly thereafter I got a phone call from one of Joe's employees telling me that he didn't appreciate my tone. He then accused me of not giving them any information and being unprofessional. It was all I could do to keep from exploding in a blind rage and calling him the names that would be appropriate in such a situation, but I restrained myself. I explained that I was frustrated because I was tryuing to do something in both of our best interests and kept getting bounced from person to person and nothign got done. He didn't like that and asked me to keep my frustration to myself in the future.
MY response to him was... " I tried that and it didn't work.. but now I have you on the phone don't I?" Friggin cock sucker. So after he accused me of not sending them any data, I forwarded him the data that I sent to them A MONTH AGO. stupid cock suckers. I wanted to choke him out.

I wonder if I get a response. If I don't we are just going to flush all of the widgets and tough luck for them.

Linzyhop · 08-02-2007, 12:34 PM

i love your tags for this thread:

Tags: cocksuckers, e mail, terrorists, tone

stick in there dude. sometimes people are just buttholes. believe me. i could go on about the lack of communication where I work and when I try to be productive and take initiative, I get yelled at for being a busy body. seriously.

it's fucking retarded. whatever. VACATION TOMORROW!!!!!!!!! sweeeeeet.

RMNIXON · 08-02-2007, 09:52 PM

Sounds like a Dilbert situation!

WickedLou9 · 08-02-2007, 10:40 PM

Dilbert is my life.

Originally Posted by RMNIXON

Sounds like a Dilbert situation!

Ardentfrost · 08-03-2007, 11:31 AM

I guess since you talked to Joe, and it's Joe Inc, there's no one to escalate to?

What about finding another vendor of widgets? I know that would depend on the mutual customer's backing, but perhaps it's an avenue worth looking into. If nothing else, if you found another widget maker, you could threaten to take the business elsewhere

WickedLou9 · 08-03-2007, 11:41 AM

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

I guess since you talked to Joe, and it's Joe Inc, there's no one to escalate to?

What about finding another vendor of widgets? I know that would depend on the mutual customer's backing, but perhaps it's an avenue worth looking into. If nothing else, if you found another widget maker, you could threaten to take the business elsewhere

In this particular case our mutual client needs the special widgets that Joe makes.
There really is only so much influence that I can exert because we don't actually provide any income for Joe. It's a strange situation and I coudln't explain it without really getting into details... and after going over the chapters on product liability, defamation, and contract interferance in my Bus Law class.. I don't want to do anything that could get anyone in trouble.

Ardentfrost · 08-03-2007, 11:45 AM

Sounds to me like the person to escalate this to would be the customer. Tell them they've paid for widgets that are unusable and you cannot get Joe Inc to do anything about it (I would certainly point out that you tried). Since the customer IS providing the revenue to Joe, I think they might get a better response.

Unless the customer just wants the busted-ass widgets

WickedLou9 · 08-03-2007, 01:35 PM

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

Sounds to me like the person to escalate this to would be the customer. Tell them they've paid for widgets that are unusable and you cannot get Joe Inc to do anything about it (I would certainly point out that you tried). Since the customer IS providing the revenue to Joe, I think they might get a better response.

Unless the customer just wants the busted-ass widgets

That may be the next step actually. We don't typically like to do it, but we have done it in the past. I am not totally clear on the issue, as it's not my area, but Joe Inc. has some sort of business relationship with the client beyond just buyer-seller.

Rouger2 · 08-03-2007, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

In this particular case our mutual client needs the special widgets that Joe makes.
There really is only so much influence that I can exert because we don't actually provide any income for Joe. It's a strange situation and I coudln't explain it without really getting into details... and after going over the chapters on product liability, defamation, and contract interferance in my Bus Law class.. I don't want to do anything that could get anyone in trouble.

That is a strange situation. Joe must be compensated somehow, but as you say you cannot explain it. It just has me confused so I better go to another thread don't like to be confused, but I am to much of the time.

WickedLou9 · 08-03-2007, 03:30 PM

Originally Posted by Rouger2

That is a strange situation. Joe must be compensated somehow, but as you say you cannot explain it. It just has me confused so I better go to another thread don't like to be confused, but I am to much of the time.

The client pays joe, Then the client contracts us to take the widgets that they bought from joe and turn them into golden widgets. To make the process easier, Joe agrees to send us the widgets directly.

Think of it this way.. you buy race cars from ford... but ford doesn't really sell race cars, so you get Roush Racing Inc. to turn the Ford Mustang into a race car. You buy the car from ford and ford sends it straight to Roush. Roush turns it into a race car and sends the car to you. Now Roush gets mad at ford because Ford is still using a stupid live rear axle on thier mustang, and Roush keeps telling ford to Fix it, but ford is dragging it's feet.

Roonie · 08-03-2007, 05:19 PM

get a chevy! problem solved.

Roonie · 08-03-2007, 05:22 PM

Consider getting a fourth party to fix said problem for customer since original Joe Inc won't do it. Charge customer for it plus 15% for the trouble on your end. Sounds simple enough. If it is within your realm start your own company and hire a couple of folks to fix this particular problem and charge everyone for it. That is how companies are made.

RMNIXON · 08-03-2007, 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

In this particular case our mutual client needs the special widgets that Joe makes.
There really is only so much influence that I can exert because we don't actually provide any income for Joe. It's a strange situation and I coudln't explain it without really getting into details... and after going over the chapters on product liability, defamation, and contract interferance in my Bus Law class.. I don't want to do anything that could get anyone in trouble.

Have them made in a Foreign Country that lives half deep in MUD!

Diesel66 · 08-04-2007, 01:20 AM

how about we go over to joe's house,

knock down the door, cook his golden retreiver over the fireplace, beat the stuffing out of his kids, rape his wife, then take a baseball bat to his knees.

WickedLou9 · 08-04-2007, 09:14 AM

It might help to say that I am talkiing about financial data. It's data about the client's investments that they hold with Joe.

None if really matters anyway I was just coming on to bitch about the asshole who didn't appreciate my tone.

Rouger2 · 08-04-2007, 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

The client pays joe, Then the client contracts us to take the widgets that they bought from joe and turn them into golden widgets. To make the process easier, Joe agrees to send us the widgets directly.

Think of it this way.. you buy race cars from ford... but ford doesn't really sell race cars, so you get Roush Racing Inc. to turn the Ford Mustang into a race car. You buy the car from ford and ford sends it straight to Roush. Roush turns it into a race car and sends the car to you. Now Roush gets mad at ford because Ford is still using a stupid live rear axle on thier mustang, and Roush keeps telling ford to Fix it, but ford is dragging it's feet.

Okay I can quit worrying Joe gets compensated, but he is still an ass for trying to get out of the expense of fixing the problem and being dishonest about it.