Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I received the following email today ...

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Name:  john
e-mail: 
Subject:  order
Message:  invoice # xxxxx table ordered on 4/1/06 has already been charged to credit
card. order says pending shipping etc. in your computer. it has been 2 weeks i  need
a shipping date please. i feel there has been ample time to ship this order.
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I`m wondering how would each of us would handle this situation. What do you think I should do?

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Background:

1. The Drop Shipper had received the order on 4/1/06 via email.
2. The drop shipper had confirmed receipt of the order via a telephone conversation on 4/1/06
3. No further communication was receieved from the drop-shipper regarding a delay in shipping.
   

Hello T.J.,
The number you gave me to call was incorrect.
Or maybe I did not take it down correctly.
Please either call or e-mail me with the phone number.


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Yours Truly, Rose M. Palinkas, secondhandroseboutique.com

I deal with drop shipments frequently, and the only way to avoid these problems is to followup constantly. The job is not considered "shipped" until I receive the tracking #, and verify it through the carrier`s site. These days this isn`t much of a burden on the shipper, since e-mail notification is a standard feature of shipping software now.

Consumers can complain when they don`t receive notification, but we professionals need to do our own followup in order to serve our clients well.

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Rob Ahrendt
Print Procurement
(printing, promotional products, apparel and disk replication)
Kirkland, WA USA
rob@PrintProc.Com
www.PrintProc.com
425.443.1539