The following is a story from work. One of the few that shouldn't put you to sleep : ) I sent the story out to all the admins over the admin email alias. I took this directly from the email's I sent out and recieved. Just ignore the more technical parts....; )

Hello all my fellow Admins.....

I had a bad experience yesterday for the second time this month, and I wanted to give everyone a warning so maybe it won't happen to you.

Yesterday, our Candidate flew in for an interview. She needed to get from San Francisco to Cupertino in 45min for her first interview. She was sneaking out of her other job to come talk to us, and we had her on a very tight schedule to get her in and out on the same day.

She went to the Hertz car rental booth armed with her confirmation number that I had made sure she had possession of. Confidently, she gave them her name and number. The Hertz Person looked at her blankly and informed her they had no record of that confirmation number. Our heroic Candidate, looking frantically at her watch at the minutes ticking by, insisted on talking to a Hertz Manager Person. The Hertz Manager Person dug frantically through the records as our Candidate glared holes in the back of his head. Finally he emerged with a feeble reason for the delay. According to the Hertz Manager Person, the reservation had not been backed up by a credit card so it wasn't guaranteed and therefore cancelled itself. Not knowing whether this was true or not, and not caring because all that mattered was getting a car, our Candidate threw her "Hertz Gold Card" weight around until she was promised a car. This being a busy time for Hertz of San Francisco, she had to wait much longer than she appreciated.

By now our Candidate is running 45min late. Back home, here at CUP01, the natives are getting restless because our Candidate is nowhere to be found. When our Candidate finally arrives, the natural flow of things has been disrupted and our Candidate has to wait in the lobby for 15min.

Yours truly is now asked to unravel this mess to find out how things went wrong. The Wonderful Clare at Maritz travel is not surprised by my sad tale of woe. She checked, and yes, there was a P.O. listed for the car rental, and Maritz listed it as confirmed and valid. This lead me to wail WHY then this whole mix up even occurred. Apparently this is not the first time this has happened, I'm not the only one it has happened too. Words had been exchanged between Wonderful Clare of Maritz and Hertz just the day before. Hertz had promised that the problems from before had all been cleared up. The Wonderful Clare at Maritz was VERY interested to hear that a goofup had happened right after she had been promised it wouldn't happen again.

I've been told it is not JUST Hertz that has been doing this. Avcar, the other choice in car rentals on Solar, has a similarly blemished record.

The only solution I can come up with, is for me to call the car rental agency before the candidate arrives to confirm with them directly that the car is there and waiting. It has been pointed out that this is a time consuming and burdensome thing for me to take on. At this point, I figure I either do that, or just stand braced for this kind of thing to happen again. Personally, I don't want to have to look the hiring manager in the eye and apologize, all the while knowing there was at least ONE thing I could have done to have prevented it from happening.

Suggestions and comments welcome, Michelle M

Editorial Note:

I brought a copy of my incident report home for The Boyfriend to read last night. He said I sounded very sarcastic when referring to the Wonderful Clare at Maritz. I was very bothered by this because I didn't mean it that way at all. I worried about it all night, and was very happy this morning when I found a mailer daemon message waiting for me. The admin alias apparently didn't work the first time.

So the first thing I did this morning was call Clare. Her cc: copy went through fine and she told me she didn't see anything sarcastic about it. *smile* She did mention she wasn't used to being called the Wonderful Clare however :) We figured it was just a guy thing.. interpreting it that way ;) So I resent the letter and this time it went through.

Clare called me back a few hours later to say that she had been getting some feedback from others who thought my moniker for Clare was sarcastic. We both became concerned about this. So... for the record... I think Clare is great. She truly has been wonderful about this whole thing.

Along those lines, here is her update on the situation. The direct billing number that we use isn't showing Hertz the form of payment that THEY use for Sun (this is NOT a credit card). This form of payment problem is being worked on as we speak.

On a different note, I hope no one minds that I pasted all the wonderful responses I've gotten and sent them along to everyone. I am truly amazed at all the responses I've gotten. I am curious to know how feasible some of the suggestions are. I talked to Clare about the limo thing and she said that 1) it is more expensive 2) there have been problems with doing things that way too. My personal belief is that there IS no fool-proof company for us to work with. All companies are made up of the imperfect creations called human beings. My hope is that a system can be devised to at least help cut down on the probability factor. I'm assuming everyone got the message from Penny Andrews. Hopefully her suggestion can help with that probability factor. (If you didn't get her message let me know and I'll forward it to you)

Thanks again for your time, Michelle

Send a limousine, taxi, SunWay Shuttle, to pick the candidates up? This has been a problem for a LOOOOONNNNGGGG time.

I wish you the best of luck, and may the force be with you!

RE: "She needed to get from San Francisco to Cupertino in 45min for her first interview." Can't be done.....Getting off the plane takes a good 10 min. walking to the Hertz rental, another 5-10 min, going out to pick up the car, 5-10, then the drive from SFO to Cupertino.....checking in and getting a badge, having the receptionist call and locate a person to escort her in, I would have given it at least 60-90 min. I will, however, be cautious about using Hertz and plan at least 20 min+ to get the car. Thanks for the heads-up.

The only solution I can come up with, is for me to call the car rental agency before the candidate arrives to confirm with them directly that the car is there and waiting. It has been pointed out that this is a time consuming and burdensome thing for me to take on. At this point, I figure I either do that, or just stand braced for this kind of thing to happen again. Personally, I don't want to have to look the hiring manager in the eye and apologize, all the while knowing there was at least ONE thing I could have done to have prevented it from happening.

Uh...isn't this what Maritz is for? They are our travel agency. It is THEIR responsibility to be sure that a car is available.

H.

Maybe another solution, a little bit more expensive but I order a towncar for a candidate, the person didn't have to worry about directions or anything...just set back and relax.

You can also ask the candidate to pay with their credit card and then expense it on a hard copy form. Lisa in AP can help you with these details.

darin :)

This is a truly lame situation. All I can think of is that Sun should threaten to take our BIG $$$ business to someone else, like Enterprise Rent A Car and or some others....

Wow Michelle,

Aside from a very well written email, it is also a very frustrating and depressing one. I can't say that I've been in that similar situation, but perhaps using Alamo (if they take po's) would be best. As for you wanting to take the extra step and complain to the car agency, I WOULD DEFINATELY GO FOR IT.

Crap like this isn't supposed to happen. I would even want to meet with a Hertz rep and insist that he/she come over to your office and meet with both you AND MARITZ. There IS SUPPOSED TO BE A guarantee from the rental company to you as a customer, otherwise, there wouldn't be any business.

Hertz should take complete responsibility and if they can not live up to a simple request from our company, then they're not worth putting any candidates through hell.

Maritz should also take some responsibility as well to insure that they as a travel agency are understood by Hertz that when they as agents put a call in, they too should be guaranteed. I would speak to the supervisor at Maritz which is in the system if you type maritz. They should also take the extra step and meet with them too, representing Sun.

Sorry to hear your day went all wrong, admins do carry the burden to sort problems and catastrophes out.

Take Care,

Christine International Sales Admin

I love your story....why don't you send it to the Mercury News...that would do the trick for Hertz! You should be a writer. There is very descriptive material in the subject and amusing bounce in your style.

I am a writer and have submitted several stories to newspapers and magazines...it's fun. I've traveled the world for 40 years and done lots of travel writing.

Cheers Helen

Thanks for taking the time to document for all involved ... Good for you!

Best wishes, Cathy

Nice job, Michelle. I think you have a great future as a writer!

> > > > Marilyn

By the way, if you haven't copied this to Maritz (Wonderful Clare) you definitely should.

Marilyn

All-

Is this the opportunity of a lifetime for me! Let me introduce myself... Contracts Manager, Corporate Supply Management, Travel Commodity; specifically for car rentals, hotels, ground transportation.

The problems you are experiencing with Hertz and Avcar direct bill is because... because the PO process depends on you, Maritz and the supplier and if one of these 3 components break down, the supplier does NOT get paid. Hence, they shut off our credit!

Here is where the process usually breaks:

• Administrator gives the wrong PO# or gives a number that is still a req and not a PO, Maritz types in the wrong PO# either because of the above or they make a typo,
• Supplier types in the wrong PO# - same scenario as above,
• Supplier doesn't write the PO# on the invoice....
• Resulting in AP sending back the invoice to the supplier. I have attached a process sheet that will better show you how you as SOLAR users are a vital part of this process. All you have to do is make sure that you fax Maritz a copy of the PO and you have done your part!
• And *then* we have a tracking record on where the process is breaking, further down the chain.

We have the same problem with hotels. So thanks for bringing this up, understanding the situation and caring enough to make this process work!

Regards- Penny

Hi Michelle,

I didn't think that your "Wonder Clare" remark was sarcastic. I DO think Clare is a wonderful person...no doubt about it.

Just my 2 cents worth...

Regards,

Lynette :-)

Michelle,

First of all, I wanted to let you know that anyone who read the entire email before forming opinions would have known that "the Wonderful Clare" was not sarcastic; people need to read more carefully, so don't worry about it.

Second, I agree with Helen and think you should pursue writing. After the volume of ill-written emails which end up on all aliases, it was a positive pleasure to read one that was not only well written, but wasn't in the least whiny. I'm afraid the usual tendency in this sort of email is a sustained whine or rant, so yours was particularly refreshing. Keep it up!

Third, I'm sorry to hear about the problem with Maritz. I was aware of some problems, but thought they had been resolved. I've taken the precaution now of having the candidate charge it and submit it on their expense reports, rather than taking the chance of delay or embarrassment for them.

Lastly, and definitely most importantly, I want to commend you on your attitude. I was thrilled to read this:

"Personally, I don't want to have to look the hiring manager in the eye and apologize, all the while knowing there was at least ONE thing I could have done to have prevented it from happening."

This is the sort of attitude that took Sun from a start-up to a major corporation and is becoming too rare here. Thank you for coming to work with us! I wish you all the success that your attitude merits.

Jollyn

Michelle,

At least you had a candidate who could think, I flew in a college graduate for an interview and she wanted someone to meet her at the airport, drive her to the hotel, drive her to the campus, drive her back to the hotel, pick her up the next day for the second day of interviews and back to the hotel, well, she managed just fine with a rental car.

Terri

P.S. , I didn't find "Wonderful Clare" sarcastic

Michelle,

I too, wanted to let you know that my reaction to your message was that it was wonderfully well written, and it was a delight to read simply for that reason alone, not to mention the important content. Naturally, I thank you for the content!

I also thought that you _are_ a writer, not just, as Helen put it, that you "should be." I suppose the should be part implies, should try to make a living at it. But that you are already a good writer is clear. I feel I was "born to copy edit," and I am a copy editor. (It took me many years of doing it as automatically as breathing, to discover that it is a true profession.) I just happen to be working as an admin at the moment, because though I see the need all around me for copy editors, I don't see Sun recognizing that. I don't see it reflected in job postings.

One sees so much in print at Sun (and elsewhere), either in email or in advertising or whatever, that is so poorly written, and so typo-ridden, that it is a joy to see email from someone who obviously has a wonderful grasp of the language, who must care (as I do!) about grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.

And as for The Boyfriend and others reading sarcasm into your writing where none was intended, I suppose you can't help how others will interpret writing. If you were speaking your story in front of people, they would get a clue from your tone of voice and body language that you are sincere in your praise of Clare. Perhaps it takes having worked with her, as we have done, to know that she is, indeed, great.

Or maybe it just takes being experienced in life to be able to see the difference between Clare, our hero, and Hertz, the evil one. Good guys versus bad guys. It is classic. :-)

Cheers,

Kat

Michelle-

I didn't think you were being sarcastic about calling her Wonderful Clare. She has always been wonderful when I dealt with her.

Rita

Michelle-

I appreciate the valiant efforts you're making to ensure things run smoothly....sometimes the tasks seem thankless, but going the extra mile always has its rewards.

Jazmin ;)

FYI - I took your description of Clare at face value!