PPB August 2019

Q A DISTRIBUTOR ASKS: I placed an order for 100 small flashlights because my customer found them on my website. I have my website limited to products with “A” ratings or better, but that still leaves a lot of wiggle room. This order was placed through a supplier I’d never heard of, but I couldn’t find anything comparable in the relatively short window we had available. When I received the product, my customer and I found that more than one-third of the shipment didn’t work, or the flashlights were so dim they were otherwise useless. Because we were two days out from the event the flashlights were needed for, I sat in my customer’s office—luckily, in this case, it was my friend—and spent nearly two hours taking four small batteries out of each non-working light, buffing them on my jeans and reinserting them. This increased the usable number of flashlights to 95 out of 100. I left a rating that was very favorable about the company’s services and responsiveness, but not very favorable about the product. Overall, I gave them a “B,” which I thought was more than fair, but the product was rated a “one.” Within 24 hours, I received an email from the supplier company owner noting they had not yet invoiced me—it had been two-and-a-half weeks since delivery—and asking if I would cancel the rating if I wasn’t charged. I must admit, this offer rubs me the wrong way, so I declined, saying that I may update the rating depending on what they said, but I would not cancel it. Am I off base? Isn’t that the purpose of a rating system? Did I drop the ball by not contacting them first? So, if I’m understanding correctly, after the flashlights didn’t work, you didn’t contact the supplier? That would have been the first thing I would have done: to discuss with them and try to figure out a resolution. If they are a good supplier, they would want to know their product is faulty. DAVID ADDI Owner Fired Up Promotions Baltimore, Maryland I think you should have contacted the supplier first. That being said, I would not cancel the rating. I would, perhaps, amend it depending on how they resolve the problem. Simply offering not to charge you is not a resolution; a resolution is some solution that gives you, and then your client, what was ordered—workable flashlights with a good imprint. Offering not to charge you is just buying the better rating. The product is still deserving of the low rating. You did the right thing by doing what you could to fix the situation. Been there, done that. If you think the no-charge is a good resolution, given that the event is probably over, and that you were able to fix most of the flashlights, then you might change the It Was A Poor Product, But Was My Rating Too Harsh? My experience with a supplier was fine, with the exception of the product, and my online rating reflects this experience, but was I wrong in my approach? 12 | AUGUST 2019 | INNOVATE by Danielle Renda “Simply offering not to charge you is not a resolution; a resolution is some solution that gives you, and then your client, what was ordered—workable flashlights with a good imprint.” - Jennifer Reissaus, MAS