[Bleep]ing [Bleep]s!!

So, you know my previous tirade about my silk screener, right? The one where I vowed never to use them again? Well...

I was forced to go back to them "one last time" because the new silk screener I want to use is in the process of moving to a new facility and couldn't complete the silk screening for the Super Bowl Party T-shirt in time. But, this time, I did everything in my power to make sure there would be no screw-ups.

I called them three weeks early to find out when the last possible date was I could send them shirts and still have the order printed on time. They told me Friday, January 29th. I made sure the order was there 2 days before that.

I wrote an email on the 29th asking for verification that they had received the shirts. I included tracking numbers showing that they had been received. I followed up on Monday with a phone call when I hadn't heard from them.

The silk screen girl from my previous encounter said, "If you have tracking information that says they're here, then they're here, I'm sure." I asked when the shirts would be run. She said, "Thursday. They're the second job we're running that day.

I re-emphasized that they NEEDED to done by 4:00 PM on Thursday, and she said "No problem. They'll be done."

Well... At 8:00 AM this morning I get a call from the silk screen girl telling me that they only have one of my boxes, the one with 5 shirts in it. Before she can even finish her sentence I say, "I sent you the tracking information on Friday. It shows you received it. That's what the call on Monday was all about."

Not really knowing what to say to that, she asked me to send her the tracking numbers again. She also asked me to verify that my shirt supplier wrote the correct PO number on the box. I said, "I will do that, but you better find those shirts, regardless of whether they put the right PO number on them or not." I said good-bye and hang up the phone.

At this point, I screamed. I then picked up the phone and called the owner of the silk screening company. I wanted to rip into him.

When I got him on the phone, I start politely enough. "I don't know if you know what's going on, but your people are having trouble locating my shirts."

He said, "I know. Can you send me the tracking information?"

This is where I start to get heated. "I already sent [girl's name] the tracking information. She got it on Friday. I spoke to her on Monday to make sure that she got it. This really irritates me..."

He cut me off, and said, "Can you resend the numbers then? We'll find..."

I cut back in, raising my voice, "especially after you chided me about not managing my business."

He said, "Tom, look, we can do this do this one of two ways. You can do it my way and send me the tracking numbers, or you can do it your way and rant and rave at me."

I pulled myself back together and said, "We'll do it your way," clearly restraining my voice. I told him I would send him the tracking numbers, which I did.

They were able to find the shirts, and I assume the shirts are being made as I type this. I needed to calm down, which is part of the reason I am writing this now.

I don't know what I will say to him when I see him this afternoon. I am fairly certain it will have something to do with losing a customer for life.

Any other suggestions for what I should tell him? Have fun!