pwned
“Hi, is this B– Asia Pacific?”
“Yes.”
“Can you pass me to purchasing please?”
“Please hold…”
*click… duu luu duu luu luu~~*
Sometime last week, I called up a customer company of ours to follow up on a quotation. What I got on the other line was a job-hating self-loathing girl who can’t do her job right and tried to let it out on me. Well, she got the wrong person to let it out on.
“Hello?”
“Hi, purchasing department? Who is this speaking?”
“This is purchasing. Who is this?”
“Hi, purchasing. I sent in a quotation to your company last week, addressed to your department, I was wondering if you received it already or not, and if you did…”
“When you sent it ah?”
“Last week.”
“Sent to who?”
“It was addressed to the ‘Production Manager/Purchasing Dept.’”
“I didn’t get it. You send to which number?”
“To 03-95– —-. Correct number right?”
“Ya ya. But that the general line. I don’t have wor. I don’t know if anyone else took it.”
“But it was only addressed to two department. Can you check if they got it?”
“Hold on.”
*click… duu luu luu*
“Don’t have lah.”
“Um, then can you check if someone else took it?”
“Cannot la. So many people in my office. My office got a lot of people you know. You want me to ask one by one?”
“Well, you’re the purchasing department. So I think you would know who asked for the quotation for this item what.”
“What item is that?”
“It’s a —- —- steel jacket.”
“I don’t have the quotation lah. When I get it I’ll process it okay. Okay? Bye.”
“Okay. Whatever.”
Then, after the frustrating phone call, I checked the old records, about a year ago, to see who issued the PO for the previous order. I found a PO number but no names. So in order to help Ms. Purchasing, I called her again.
“Hi, can you pass me to purchasing please?”
“Please hold.”
*click.. duu luu luu*
“Hello?”
“Hi. I spoke to you or your colleague about an hour ago. I’m calling regarding a quotation faxed to you all. I was wondering if you all received it already.”
“Oh, that was me. Haven’t find it yet. What you want?”
“I found this PO that your company issued to my company a year ago. Maybe this could help you. Then you can find out who ordered this item lor. Maybe the quotation is with him or her.”
“Aishh… when was this PO?”
“August 2007.”
“Okay… okay… what is the number?”
“—/–07″
“Aihhh… you give me a lot of problem la. So long ago. One year… aishhh….”
“It should still be in your record.”
“But you want me to go and find the record issit? Many problem you know you. Why can’t you just ask who request for this quotation and deal with him directly? You want me to go to each person and ask, ‘you got ask for quotation ah?’ to each person in my company? My company got hundreds of people you know!”
“Because I’m doing this follow up from my boss. I got a message saying that your people, I don’t know who, wants a quotation for this item. And who else should I ask if not the purchasing department? The purchasing department handle all the purchasing items ma right? This is your job ma, right? So do it.”
“… … … aishhh…. many problem la this one. Aiihhh…. People in our company who are not in purchasing department also can ask outside supplier for quotation wan. Not only purchasing department.”
“That’s you own company problem. Not mine. Deal with it.”
“Aish… okay okay. I find for you.”
“Thank you. Bye!”
pwned.
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