Business decision..vs personal

[Tayla]

background: I work in sales/marketing.

 

Three weeks ago a local couple showed up with trinkets and candles designed to promote business. Logos and little gift givers. They asked that we "test" them for a week and perhaps we'd place an order. Two weeks go by and Our marketing group agreed this was not the direction we wanted to go in for the company. So the "wife" stops in while I am at lunch and picks up the "samples".

Later that afternoon her husband shows up irate, and says when they got the sample basket back that two candles and a few key chains were missing. He demanded I pay up for them. I told him that the basket had not been tampered with and our business wasn't about to pay for the "sample" basket.

My boss happens to be in a meeting and overhears the commotion. He is ALL about "image" and presenting a pleasant rapport. He takes me aside and says...get your check book out and pay the man. We can't be calling people liars in this business. (I didn't call the man a liar I said the items were all in the basket when picked up).We must rise above this. I reluctantly paid the guy.....He said it was 40$ worth. And away he went. I will not get re-imbursed for this and I cannot shake the notion that I had been conned by this guy and his wife. My boss now thinks that I "took" the samples....When I know I didn't. The Lady who manned the desk is very trustworthy and She would have zero reason to "retain" any of the samples. We are honest in that way. So may I ask how this could have been handled that appeased my boss, appeased that couple , and appeased my job position.? I feel like I got taken by this shyster. That 40$ could have been used for my gas and now I am short this week...bus fare isn't an option.

[UpwardForward]

Did you give them cash or check. If check they probably ran to your bank - otherwise I would suggest stopping payment.

 

These people 'marketing' shouldn't have given out samples they didn't intend to be kept.

 

If there was anything in the 'basket' you intend to order from them for your company, ask they refund your $40 in exchange for an order.

 

Otherwise, you could perhaps ask your boss the correct procedure within the company - a/c payable?, to fill out a request for your refund.

Edited October 2, 2013 by UpwardForward

[Tayla]

Thank you for the response. Good suggestions to consider in the future. At this time the A/r will not accept "my poor judgment" as a reason to re-imburse. Our business is not large enough to carry a policy for such antics as described. They only care about maintaining a pretentious image to the public. Our Marketing team has though created a Documentation booklet. We are going to be more diligent in who we associate with on a business level. Its a pity as we enjoy sticking with local vendors...but these folks took the cake when they created a scene simply to cash in.

[UpwardForward]

Imo, your boss was out of line to give consideration to the vendor, and not to you. Or to pull out his own check book.

 

The only other suggestion I would have would be to take pictures of any future samples for consideration. And informing vendors you aren't in a position to purchase samples.

 

Their 'inventory' of their basket could/should have happened at the times of drop off/pickup.

[CC12]

So may I ask how this could have been handled that appeased my boss, appeased that couple , and appeased my job position.?

 

I think the only way to appease all those things at once is exactly what you did - hand over the cash/check. That did not appease you, though.

 

You can't appease people who are being unreasonable, and in this case, both your boss and the couple were being unreasonable. I think your boss really mishandled the situation. That wasn't your problem to fix, that was a management problem. If your boss thought the solution was to pay these people, he should have paid them from the company checkbook and taken it up with you later if he thought you owed them. It is kind of appalling that your superior pressured you to pay for a business cost out of your own pocket. I think you're owed your money back, and I think you should ask for it. You did not steal those things, and you should not be held financially accountable for "poor judgment," so it is not your responsibility to pay up. But I can understand why you might not want to rock the boat.

 

Anyway, you're asking how you could handle this kind of thing in the future, right? Good rule of thumb: Any time anyone at all asks you to part with your own money that you would rather keep, say "I do not have money to give you." That is all you need to say. Don't explain yourself or talk finances. It's just no, I do not have it, and that's that. It's no one's business why you don't have the money. "No" is an acceptable answer.