My supplier promised delivery of specific material on a certain date
[faxed to multiple vendors - to be delivered the following week]. A
fax cover page with the original order stipulated this fact. I agreed
to use one of those vendors that responded to my quote request. That
is the supplier that I am at odds with.
When the order was placed, the salesperson [Dawn - I conferred with
her twice explicitly on this detail] promised the delivery by the
specified date in my original fax. That was to be the following
Monday.
When Monday came, only a portion of the material was delivered. The
rest was late. I agreed that the delay could be absorbed if the
material arrived a day later [what choice did I have?], Tuesday. When
the material arrived late, the owner of the supply company was driving
the truck and sat in his vehicle for an excess of 5 minutes - it was
hot out and it was assumed he did not want to unload the material
which was very heavy. He got upset when the site manager [that would
be me] told him to unload the material like every other vendor does
[remember, it was 95 degrees and humid]. He left without delivering
the material [as well as telling me to go f**k myself]. As he left,
the site manager told him that if he left, he would be charged for the
inconvenience. He left anyway. His office was contacted immediately
and the dispatcher was communicating with him in the truck. His
feelings were hurt so he would not return.
That driver [the owner of the supply yard, if you can believe it] was
called and apologized to by my firm [that would be me apologizing for
hurting his feelings], and he stated that he would deliver the
material the following day.
On the following day, he reneged and refused to deliver the material.
It cost my firm about $400 to absorb this mishap, which I billed his
firm. I have objective costs detailing this.
Also, the quote that was documented, stating prices and quantities,
was increased when I received my statement Net 30. That is to say he
tried to charge $1.20 for what he quoted me for at $1.00. Thus, he
did not honor my timeframe [his promise regarding time]. Nor did get
honor the details of the deal [his promise regarding price] -
basically saying anything to suit his needs or his whimsy.
Was I within my rights to bill him for the time needed to absorb his
company's incompetence? |
