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So, I'd like opinions if you wouldn't mind on the below scenario.
I thought of a niche and found a supplier, after discussing the requirements, I was happy, provided a rough design and agreed a cost of $300 for a sample which I paid. double notmal cost but half refundable if I make an order.
I then emailed to say 'please can you clarify the process of shipping'. She responds asking my address but no more. I ask the question again and advise the address. The next email was 'on it's way' (to paraphrase).
Sample turns up, a few QA issues, but on the whole I'm happy. we discuss and I'm assured that its fixable.
5 weeks or so passes and I get a bill from FedEx for $1,100. There are several issues with this which I raise directly with Fedex.
1)I gave no authorisation to be billed this amount, or received no quotation or advise from them which I specifically requested from them when setting up the account.
2) I requested the intention of shipping arrangements from the vendor, she ignored or didn't understand my request (admittedly, I could and yes certainly should have been firmer in laying out who handles shipping rather than asking what their process was)
3) The invoice states that the item was 70kg. It was closer to 10 which displays a serious error or neglect somewhere along the line. Is it normal to be sent items and charged without some sort of advice?
Fedex after chasing 3 times simply responded saying 'we've billed the factory instead, thank you'. Nothing was heard furthrr, and I contacted the factory to open discussions to place a full order pending the QA issues. I get a response of 'sorry, we are busy so only producing a different product, we will make other products next year maybe'.
Another two months passes and I get an email from the factory 'we have been told you do not wish to pay this invoice, please can you advise today.' So Fedex had finally got in touch with them or theyve only just come across whatever correspondance was sent their way. Being Christmas, I haven't replied yet, the email came around two or three days ago.
What really has annoyed me and struck me as grossly unprofessional, is that today I get an SMS from someone at a company on the east coast. 'Hi, we've been told by our supplier that there is an issue with a fedex invoice or something, just checking in? please can you tell me the situation'
Is it just me or would you feel very annoyed that a) your business has been spread to essentially a party that are competitors, and b) that they portray this by text message? It has absolutely nothing to do with them. c) Supplier information is something I seek to keep confidential. I now have no trust that any information, designs or order information won't find their way to competitors.
How would you proceed? How I see it, I have the option of a) negotiating, perhaps contributing towards half of the costs. b) swallowing the costs but the way theyve come about, the fact their incorrect and the contacting a conoetitor leads me to c) digging my heels in and holding my ground with fedex, have them reduce the charge due to the miscalc (they seem to have ignored this fact) d) digging my heels in and holding my ground with the supplier? They sent the item before telling me their intent, they entered the weight etc.
I started off writing this post with a mindset of how can I mitigate the impact of this and maintain relationships with the proposed supplier, however between the slow turnarounds in delivery and emails, the mixup with postage (again, I accept that to mitigate this I could have said in no uncertain terms that they are paying upfront, but being a new supplier I took a gentler approach which it appears was marred in too much subtlety, that I've learned from)
but to be honest, I've made the decision to have nothing to do with the supplier (but still would like to not burn my bridges).
My ethics tell me to negotiate with fedex and swallow the cost of whatever the residual is or at least half it with the supplier (I'd assume that once they corrected the weight miscalculation, the cost would drop drastically), but part of me can't help but feel like I am being a chump in doing so.
Keen to know how more experienced importers might handle things?
I thought of a niche and found a supplier, after discussing the requirements, I was happy, provided a rough design and agreed a cost of $300 for a sample which I paid. double notmal cost but half refundable if I make an order.
I then emailed to say 'please can you clarify the process of shipping'. She responds asking my address but no more. I ask the question again and advise the address. The next email was 'on it's way' (to paraphrase).
Sample turns up, a few QA issues, but on the whole I'm happy. we discuss and I'm assured that its fixable.
5 weeks or so passes and I get a bill from FedEx for $1,100. There are several issues with this which I raise directly with Fedex.
1)I gave no authorisation to be billed this amount, or received no quotation or advise from them which I specifically requested from them when setting up the account.
2) I requested the intention of shipping arrangements from the vendor, she ignored or didn't understand my request (admittedly, I could and yes certainly should have been firmer in laying out who handles shipping rather than asking what their process was)
3) The invoice states that the item was 70kg. It was closer to 10 which displays a serious error or neglect somewhere along the line. Is it normal to be sent items and charged without some sort of advice?
Fedex after chasing 3 times simply responded saying 'we've billed the factory instead, thank you'. Nothing was heard furthrr, and I contacted the factory to open discussions to place a full order pending the QA issues. I get a response of 'sorry, we are busy so only producing a different product, we will make other products next year maybe'.
Another two months passes and I get an email from the factory 'we have been told you do not wish to pay this invoice, please can you advise today.' So Fedex had finally got in touch with them or theyve only just come across whatever correspondance was sent their way. Being Christmas, I haven't replied yet, the email came around two or three days ago.
What really has annoyed me and struck me as grossly unprofessional, is that today I get an SMS from someone at a company on the east coast. 'Hi, we've been told by our supplier that there is an issue with a fedex invoice or something, just checking in? please can you tell me the situation'
Is it just me or would you feel very annoyed that a) your business has been spread to essentially a party that are competitors, and b) that they portray this by text message? It has absolutely nothing to do with them. c) Supplier information is something I seek to keep confidential. I now have no trust that any information, designs or order information won't find their way to competitors.
How would you proceed? How I see it, I have the option of a) negotiating, perhaps contributing towards half of the costs. b) swallowing the costs but the way theyve come about, the fact their incorrect and the contacting a conoetitor leads me to c) digging my heels in and holding my ground with fedex, have them reduce the charge due to the miscalc (they seem to have ignored this fact) d) digging my heels in and holding my ground with the supplier? They sent the item before telling me their intent, they entered the weight etc.
I started off writing this post with a mindset of how can I mitigate the impact of this and maintain relationships with the proposed supplier, however between the slow turnarounds in delivery and emails, the mixup with postage (again, I accept that to mitigate this I could have said in no uncertain terms that they are paying upfront, but being a new supplier I took a gentler approach which it appears was marred in too much subtlety, that I've learned from)
but to be honest, I've made the decision to have nothing to do with the supplier (but still would like to not burn my bridges).
My ethics tell me to negotiate with fedex and swallow the cost of whatever the residual is or at least half it with the supplier (I'd assume that once they corrected the weight miscalculation, the cost would drop drastically), but part of me can't help but feel like I am being a chump in doing so.
Keen to know how more experienced importers might handle things?
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