Since I’m the team mom for our t-ball team, I ordered our team banner. I triple checked that everyone’s names and numbers were correct on the banner, and left the proof sitting open on my desktop for a day so I could make absolutely certain that everything was right. Then I plunked down a credit card and ordered it. When it arrived, I checked all of the kids names and numbers. All correct. I packed it away for opening day.
Last weekend was opening day, and when I was loading everything into my car the night before, my eyes went over the banner one more time. Only this time they stopped on our coach’s name. Which was wrong. Four letters long, same first initial, WRONG the rest of it.
I panicked. I raced in the house and opened the proof and said a million tiny prayers while the computer was taking it’s sweet time to open the file. I looked at the proof and it was… correct! Not my mistake!
Still, no time to fix the banner before opening day and team pictures. I made a patch with felt and fabric markers and sent an email to the banner people and went on with our day.
The banner people were very apologetic and gave me two options: 1)Ship it back to them that day (yesterday) and they would reimburse me for shipping and have it back befor our game. 2) Drive it to their office and they’ll fix it on the spot and reimburse me for gas. (This will take about an hour round trip.)
Now, the $10 gas/shipping reimbursement they’re offering is nice, and it seems like the problems is solved, yes? I mean, I’m driving there this morning to have it fixed because I couldn’t squeeze in a trip to the post office, plus another trip somewhere to buy a box, AND still manage a nap for Bubette. I’m confrontation avoidant, so I took one of the options they offered me, but should I have gone for not-offered option #3? Ship me a new banner since this was your fault, and even if you reimburse me I’m still out an hour of my time?
I’ll choose the path of least resistance in this scenarios every time. I mean, I HAVE the time, and it WOULD be waste of materials for them to create an entirely new banner. What would you have done?
Ooooh, yeah, they totally should have offered to ship you a new banner immediately. Heck, they should've offered to drop off that day a new banner for you, rather than having you drive all the way to them. That said, in the heat of the moment, I probably would've picked one of their options and then on my 30-minute drive home would've come up with all the ways in which they could've handled the situation better. ha.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what I did! Took one of their choices and then spent the entire drive composing the email I SHOULD have sent. "Actually, neither of those options is particularly convenient for me. Please just ship me a new banner. Thank you."
DeleteI would have done exactly the same thing. It doesn't occur to me to challenge people. "Those are my options? Ok, I'll pick one!"
DeleteHaha! Yes! I'm like a compliant toddler that way. Two options? Duuuuuh okay!
DeleteYeah, that's unacceptable. They absolutely should have shipped you a new banner. Period. (And I think the pre-kids me would have taken one of the choices, but ever since having a little one, I've lost all patience for inefficiency. Ha. oh well - it's either a great thing or a slightly obnoxious new trait of mine, but I can't help it. NOTHING CAN MESS WITH THE NAP SCHEDULE! :)
ReplyDeleteI never think through stuff like this until it's too late. I think option #3 makes the most sense, but yeah, if you don't have that in your mind when you call, then you just pick one of the choices you're offered and dammit...too late.
ReplyDeleteBUT, I am a big believer in not creating more waste, so at least a second banner wasn't created for nothing. (Although one could argue you "created waste" by driving, but eh, I won't go there.)
Anyway, maybe there's someone higher up at the banner store who you can talk to? Just express that you were given two options and of the two, quickly (because time was of the essence here) picked the one that made the most sense, but that really, option #3 should have been offered?
When I went today they were SO nice. Thanked me for being understanding and then gave me cash for driving out there. SO, I'm led to believe that I wouldn't be the first person to suggest option #3 might not be a bad idea. AND, now that the problem is solved, I reeeeally don't want to rock the boat. Pushover!
DeleteI totally would have complained and demanded they send me a new banner, since it was not my mistake. After all, the customer is always right. Instead they had you do their work. And although they were very nice, I'm sure, they goofed and should have made it a pain-free, bother-free transaction. Mailed you a new one. :) You know me...I rock the boat.
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