Wednesday, October 6, 2010

I Can't Be Frustrated After Reading This Email!

I know that I am not posting AT ALL on this blog anymore. That doesn't mean that I don't have things that I want to share; it simply means that there is no time for me to sit down and produce half-way thoughtful posts. Facebook allows for quick updates, so that's where I find myself most of the time.

However, I received an email today that I thought I'd share. The back story? I ordered Dave a Road ID bracelet for his birthday. A Road ID bracelet lists his name and other important info (emergency phone numbers, etc) so that if he were to get hit by a car or pass out (God forbid) while biking or running, the emergency personnel would know who he is. Most runners don't carry their wallets with them (for obvious reasons), so if they are incapacitated in any way, emergency crews would have to list them as a "John Doe."

Anyway, long story not-s0-short, we gave Dave one for his birthday. I ordered it online, and the projected ship date was 10/6/10. Well, today I received the following email from the company. It made me laugh so much that I couldn't be frustrated with the fact that Dave's gift won't be shipped until 10/20/10 - a full two weeks later than the projected. :)

Here's the email -

Hello Gena:

Sometimes...we're not as smart as we think we are. Now, is one of those times. Allow me to explain:

When you placed your order on 09/21/2010, we told you that your items would ship on 10/6/10. Unfortunately, we are going miss this deadline. The delay is directly related to an inventory shortage. I know what you're thinking, "Don't you guys have systems and people in place to make sure this type of thing doesn't happen?" The answer to that question is "yes." But, we screwed up anyway.

Please trust that we are working hard, and doing everything we can, to get your order out the door as soon as possible. We now expect to ship your order on (hopefully before) 10/20 (2 weeks from today).

I know this is a significantly larger delay than you bargained for. I can't apologize enough.

Again, we are now quoting a 10/20 ship date...but we hope to be able to ship your order before then.

We pride ourselves on exceeding our customers' expectations. I know that we have failed in this instance. With egg on my face, I humbly apologize for the delay and hope that you can forgive us.

On a lighter note, we haven't fired our inventory manager. His job is secure and so is he. By secure, we mean that he's tied up in a broom closet, drinking leaky ceiling water.

Be safe out there; and let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers,

Edward Wimmer
Co-Owner
Road ID
800-345-6336
www.RoadID.com