The Start of a Messy Situation
Got a frantic call from Sarah, my warehouse manager, at 7:30 AM. “That new supplier – half the materials just arrived soaking wet! Boxes are crumbling!” I literally dropped my coffee mug. This was our third shipping disaster with them this quarter.
Grabbed my keys, drove straight to the warehouse. Water dripping everywhere like a bad plumbing job. Couldn’t even save half the specialty paper we needed for tomorrow’s orders. My phone kept buzzing – customers asking where their delayed packages were. Felt like getting punched repeatedly while trying to bail out a sinking boat.
What Actually Worked Step-by-Step
First move: Took photos of every damaged box from every angle. Time stamped everything before cleaning up the mess. Then I filmed a quick walkthrough video showing the scale. Kept my voice calm while narrating, “Showing supplier invoice number X, dated yesterday, receiving timestamp…” Evidence matters big time in these fights.
Second: Ignored their customer service portal entirely. Found the CEO’s LinkedIn profile after 20 minutes of digging. Wrote them directly: “Third major failure since June 1. Attaching evidence. Calling in 1 hour if no solution offered.” No threats – just facts. Surprisingly, their COO video called me within 45 minutes.
Third move: During that call? No anger. Pushed for two concrete fixes immediately: Replacement shipment by 5 PM today, and next three orders at 30% discount. The discount part made them choke – but with video evidence queued up on my screen, they folded.
Why This Actually Fixed Things
- Skipped the complaint circus – talking to junior reps gets “We’ll escalate” loops
- Money talks fastest – asking for discounts made it cheaper for them to fix than fight
- Evidence is armor – photos/video stopped the “you damaged it” blame game cold
Rest of the day? Mad scramble organizing couriers for partial shipments while waiting for replacement stock. Had to personally call our five biggest clients offering store credit – brutal but honest. Strangely, two actually upgraded orders after I explained transparently.
Final Reality Check
Got the replacement delivery at 4:48 PM. COO still ghosted on the discount promise though. That’s next Monday’s battle – but at least tonight’s shipping crisis is handled. Sometimes dealing with bad business just means stop arguing and start documenting. Evidence keeps everyone honest when money’s involved.
