Ethical or No...

[zork]

I work for a door company. Last month we had an order for $17,000 in doors.
After delivery, the customer couldn't find two of the doors. He called the
door manufacturer, yelled a little and they sent him the two missing doors.

Except he found the missing doors. Now he has 4 doors, two he paid for and two
that were sent gratis by the door company. More: these doors won't fit where they
should (carpentry mistake) so he wants to return them to get something else.

I think that all he should have to return is the two doors he paid for. Mgmt says he
should return all four doors as it would be "unethical" to let him keep the two doors
he didn't pay for. But we would then resell the two doors he didn't pay for as the door company doesn't want them back.

What do you think?

Zork

 

[SMS]

Did he come clean to all parties about the miscount?

If the door manufacturer sent him the freebies but doesn't want them back, and your company hasn't been charged for them I don't see how y'all have any claim on them. He didn't get them from you.

At this point all he should have to return is the 2 he is wanting to exchange for the fit correction.

 

[NikatKimber]

What SMS said.

 

[Zombie]

"you" only have claim to 2.

If the company doesn't want them back that sent them to him, they are his to do with as he pleases. If your company gives him credit for all 4 doors that is one thing, otherwise the other 2 are his to do with as he sees fit. This should also be at customer discretion.

 

[Honey Badger]

Right is right. Do the right thing and the rest takes care of itself. Howver, if the company doesn't want them back I would sell the 2 extra doors to help offset the cost of the remodel.

 

[Neanderthal]

I've been looking for 2 new doors....just sayin'...

 

[rhodesbe]

1. The guy only gets credit on the two doors he paid for.

2. Posession is 9/10ths of the law. Unless he gives them back to you, his ethics write the resell policy.

3. If he gives them back, then tell the door mfg company. If the door mfg company comes back and says "keep 'em, it's not worth the freight", then your company has done the right thing.

4. If I was a door mfg company and my distributor's customers were going direct to me for complaints, I'd look for a new distributor. The sales support channel works both ways. Middlemen ordertakers are a dime a dozen.

 

[zork]

I found out the missing doors situation on a Saturday. I called the door company and they said they had delivered the two doors according to their scan codes.
I asked them to check later deliveries to see if the doors were scanned and then put back on the truck. They were closed on Sunday and before I could get
to work on Monday to get the results, the customer had already called them and two new doors were on the way.

 

[RidgeHunter]

God never gives you two doors without taking two windows.

The way I see it, you guys have no claim to the doors. It's between him and the manufacturer.

 

[Super Dave]

The right thing to do is tell them about their mistake that turned out not being one, especially after the guy raised Hell about them not sending the doors, when in fact they did. The "right" thing to do was to call and apologize in the first place, upon finding the doors. The illegitimate complaint might have cost somebody their job.

Honesty is always the best policy. Part of what's wrong with our society today. No accountability, dishonest, and so on.

I want to be up front and straight with everyone I do business, whether it's one of you guys, or someone on the other side of the world. Wouldn't you want to be treated the same way? Golden rule. That kind of thing. See the list at the bottom???