Cargo net design manufacturing production processes, unhappy people and the rules we live by is the topic of this conversation.
We make custom cargo nets. Throughout this process, we have to cover all of our bases in order to create a custom cargo net that the customer needs, wants and expects to be near perfect based on our drawings and their specs.
We are passionate about this process, and we’re good at it. That’s why we’ve been able to withstand all the crap we’ve all been dealt over the last few years and prior, and still keep our business open. We don’t make a ton of money, but that’s not really important, because we love what we do. Not many people find happiness and passion for work in the same life, so we consider ourselves fortunate. And we consider our customers fortunate.
Here’s what we need to do when a customer places an order for a custom cargo net:
- Either via phone or email, we need to gather enough information about what they need in order to design it so it will work properly with their particular application.
- We need to draw up a sketch and quote the customer.
- Once the quote has been approved, we take payment and authorize their card or deposit their check.
- Then we must create an engineering drawing which can take up to 2 days to receive back from our engineer.
- We go over design with the customer. They either approve design, or they make edits and we redraw.
- We go over the production of the net with the customer prior to production just to make sure there won’t be any issues with their application of the net.
- We charge their credit card.
- We make the net.
- We ship the net.
- We email them their invoice.
Keep in mind we are dealing at any time with multiple customers’ jobs, not just one customer. We might have 1 or 2 in the hopper, or we might have 15 or 20 at one time.
When we first make contact with the customer, we usually ask them how fast they need the net. In this particular case with a customer named Chris, he indicated to us that he needed the net asap. Given our lead times have been 2-4 weeks on production of the cargo nets, and he needed it in a week, I did my due diligence and needed to verify one more small detail prior to production regarding the design. Also given he needed it asap, I felt it was incumbent upon me to get ahold of him asap so we could meet his needs. We take every customer seriously. Most people are really busy and may not read texts right away or check their voicemails right away, so yesterday I texted him, emailed him and called him, on his cell and at his office. He didn’t pick up or reply to any form of communication.
Then, this morning, I finally was able to reach him at this office. This is what this guy said to me, to a guy he’s never met and who’s only trying to help him and provide superior customer service as we did the first time he ordered a net five years ago. He said quote “I’m busy and don’t have time for this right now, I’ve got a bunch of emergencies and don’t have time for some stupid cargo net”. Keep in mind he called me for help originally. Then, he replied to my email from yesterday and just said “Just cancel this order”. I replied, told him I was sorry for bothering him and that I would cancel his order. So, I voided his credit card authorization. We had attempted to expedite the order for him in an efficient manner given current lead times AND we had completed his initial engineering drawing in a couple of hours when usually it takes a couple days.
Seems to me this guy was really stressed out, pissed off possibly at life, or just all in all a real ass to everybody he comes across in general. I’ll tell you one thing. I’m so glad that we followed through on doing what we always do, because if we didn’t do our job and we had shipped what he originally had approved in writing, he probably would have received the cargo net, complained about that one little detail that I bent over backwards to attempt to clarify ultimately, and it would have turned into a losing battle.
Moral of the story people is this…in business you must follow your gut and the rules set in place by your organization that has made it so successful over the years. Karma is king and there is no replacement for what we call follow through and passion for what we all do in our careers.
I hope this guy finds another career, because he landed in the wrong one~! Being angry and pissed off all the time just isn’t worth it. Regular exercise and a dose of happiness is definitely mandatory on a daily basis, don’t you agree?
Do you need help with a custom cargo net while working with somebody who follows through on their work? Give us a call or shoot us an email, we’d love to help~! And regardless of your attitude, we’ll always have a smile on our face and treat you with respect, whether you’re pissed off at life or not 🙂
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