RANTS
CO-WORKER RANTS: (cheap entertainment from the people with whom I work, as well as vendors;
individual's names have been changed to protect the inept). I don't care if you laugh at me
or with me, I just gotta rant ...
Dec, 2001 - CEO sends around a memo to advise that Joe, hereafter know as fuckwit, has been promoted to Chief Information Officer. This company has less than 30 employees. CIO's generally unify and integrate systems for multiple offices for hundreds or thousands of employees. Anyway, fuckwit is the one who presided over previously-mentioned crooked lying telecom vendor. So, a few days after we move in, the phones die again, we receive frantic messages from customers asking how they are to get ahold of us. I forward one of these messages to management, and am basically scolded for it. So, now STFU is the order of the day.
Dec 1, 2001 - Finally moved back to permanent office digs this week, after being stuck out by JFK Airport after fleeing the WTC collapse. We were delayed by a crooked lying telecom vendor who claimed that Verizon had severed a cable on 42nd street (lie) in order to cover their own ineptitude. The sixth floor is high enough to hang someone out of a window by thier ankles, I think.
Oct 2, 2001 - HOW STUPID ... I give some customer's documents to Mary, and advise her to send three original invoices and three original marine bills to Buenos Aires, along with 2-3 copies of each. Two days later, I receive the finished file, after documents have been sent out, which contains three original marine bills and two original invoices. Which means the customs has no way of clearing customs, claiming his goods from the carrier, resulting in delays, possible additional fees, etc., and a very unhappy customer. When I approach Mary, she simply says "Oh, I didn't know".
Aug 4, 2001 - WHAT AN IJIT - At work, I had made a booking to ship several drums of mint flavour to Antwerp - very basic & routine. The guy at CaroTrans advised a short transit to Rotterdam with an arrival Aug. 12 in Antwerp. But Hapag-Lloyd, the master carrier which operates the vessel, shows Aug. 15 as the arrival in Rotterdam. When I cancel the CaroTrans booking, he asks why, so I tell him, and he gravely advises me I have received "wrong information." Yes, I wonder from whom?
May 3, 2001 - Customer moves. I receive a call from the customer at the old
site that they continue to receive the correspondence meant for the new site.
The address of the new site is prominently displayed on all documents.
Mar. 21, 2001 - I receive an invoice for payment, I write our reference no.
on it and return it to accounting. A week later it comes back to me from our
Kennedy airport office (!?!?) where it was sent by mistake, apparently so that
the ref. no. could be written on it for return to accounting. Jane later tells
me by way of explanation that all invoices are sent out so the reference no. can
be given. ermn ..
Mar. 7, 2001 - OH SHE IS SOO STUPID! We send a shipment from two customers,
(A & B) to the UK. As it turns out, they both go to the same UK customer, so
we send them together. Looking through the file afterwards, I notice Sue sent
all invoices to customer A, including everything for customer B. Including B's
pricing, etc.. STUPID.
Several years ago, I came to work one sunny morn to a complaint from Italy
that they received documents for a Brazil order. Later that morning, a complaint
from Brazil about some Italy documents? Handled by Sue, it turns out. A few days
ago, a similar scenario, involving Hong Kong and Spain. Also handled by Sue.
Ahem ...
Jack, before his departure (unjust, I believe) hands me an insurance claim
file which is about to be resolved, the check is due to arrive in a few days. I
check with Jane & Joe in f/c for two weeks, apparently no check. The payer
faxes a copy of the check, which I send through the rounds, still no dice. I aks
the payer to cancel & replace. Two days later Jane toddles up up with the
exact check, dated three weeks earlier, asking "Do you know anything about
this?" Suspend disbelief.
Sue, needing a blank sheet of paper, trundles up to the copy machine,
presses 'copy', and receives a blank sheet for her efforts. Right behind her are
reams of blank sheets. Perhaps the smaller, second brain at the base of her
spine was not working that day?
The shipment is held up, the vendor requires payment. The bill was sent to
a/p several weeks before. I inquire to Joe, who advises the vendor has been
paid, but the check just needs to be signed and mailed. If you take the sentence
seriously, it loses its meaning.