My Leather Supplier Messed Up A $6,500 Order, What Can I Do?

[imstephenjones]

Hey all,

Today I received a $6,600 leather order from... well, let's nickname them Franks Tannery. Their leather is great, and I don't want to scar the name.

Franks sent me 30 hides of which 9 of them were the wrong weight. Also, eight of these hides were damaged (about 1/4 of them) from shipping. They were smashed along one side.

Franks has messed up my order once before, but I had no course of action because I ordered over the phone. After that incident I started emailing to order my leather. I have the emails stating the exact specifications for the leather and Franks confirmation of the leather I ordered.

What course of action can I take? Can I seek the loss from my profits? What about a discounted rate for the leather that needs to be shipped back and the new leather that is coming in?

This mistake, if not fixed, will put me out of business. I would appreciate any and all help from the leather worker community on this matter so that my business can live another day and I can continue to do what I love for a living. I really don't want to go back to working for someone else. Maybe I'll go work at Franks to ensure this doesn't happen anymore?

Thanks in advance,

Stephen

[LTC]

tell them what happened (again via email so you'll have their response in writing, if any). if they do not offer to replace the damaged hides and to split down the ones that were the wrong weight, do a chargeback with your credit card company for the amount of the hides that were damaged and/or incorrect thickness. give them a deadline by which to reply to you with an acceptable resolution. if they try to extend that deadline or just ignore you, take action as soon as the deadline expires.

it is the seller's responsibility to get the items you purchased to you intact and undamaged. their failure to buy insurance does not absolve them of that responsibility and they can't say "Well you didn't pay for insurance, so i can't do anything." WRONG ANSWER. insurance covers THEM...not you.

i would really like to know who this is so i can avoid dealing with them if they pay that little attention to details on orders. i don't have time for that stuff.

[LTC]

oh, and if they want that damaged leather back (and will split the wrong weight leather), THEY need to pay the return shipping back to them AND the shipping back to you once they send the good hides back. the reason for this is because you're not the one that screwed this all up...they did and you should not be out a penny because they didn't do what they were supposed to do (ship safely and/or insured and follow directions on sending the correct weight leather).

[DavidL]

You should put up the name of the tannery so others don't buy from them and get ripped off. Wrong weights and unproperly shipped and damaged goods are the fault of the tannery and they should have to reimburse you.

First contact them and see if they will reimburse you for this (send the pictures).

1. If they don't want to reimburse you send them a letter of intent that you will seek legal action contact a lawyer that is in this field.

2. If they say they will reimburse you then you are good. (if this is a reputable tannery they should reimburse you since they have such a large inventory)

This was likely the fault of the postman and bad packing from the tannery.

I was also going to place an order from that tannery, but now Im a bit cautious since they sent the wrong weight too..

Edited May 29, 2014 by DavidL

[Bob Blea]

First off I would talk to the supplier to see what they are willing to do to correct the situation. Most suppliers know they need to maintain a good customer service reputation and will do everything they can to correct a mistake.

Also, contact the shipper. You can probably file a damage claim against the shipper, so their insurance can pay for the damaged leather.

Edited May 29, 2014 by Bob Blea

[camano ridge]

I agree with Bob, before tarnishing anyones reputation call Frank aka whoever and give them the oportunity to make things right. As to the shipping damage if the shippment was insured call the shipper you have recourse through there insurer. If it was not insured then you may have no recourse for the damage. It is not the sellers liability unless you can show that it was improperly packaged and that led to the damage.

[LTC]

If it was not insured then you may have no recourse for the damage. It is not the sellers liability

that is completely incorrect. it is legally the seller's responsibility to deliver purchased goods INTACT and UNDAMAGED. insurance covers the SELLER (SHIPPER)......not the buyer/recipient.

[Hi Im Joe]

I think at least you have a claim against the tannery for the incorrect weight and a claim against the shipper for damaged goods (maybe the tannery as well if the leather was not packed correctly).

I agree with the others...give the tannery the chance to make things right. If they are unwilling I would seek legal counsel.

[Johanna]

I'd just like to point out that not identifying the tannery because the problem isn't resolved in this post was professional and responsible. I also agree that you should call them directly and see what can be worked out before stressing out about this. Let us know how it works out.

~J

[DavidL]

I would suggest you insist on them shipping the leather inside a thick cardboard cylinder that is longer than the leather and the inside diameter is larger then the roll of leather.

Then get them to put a soft material around the plastic strip that will hold the leather to the roll of cardboard.

It could of been a rare case in this situation. But for them to not provide this type of protection on several thousand dollar shipment is irresponsible for a company with decades of experience to spend the few dollars to make sure this will never happen.

In my opinion if it has happened to you once it will likely happen to you again, unless they made a change in how they pack there shipment,

which is why I recommended you to post the name of the supplier so people won't get damaged shipments seeing as it happened twice in both orders you made.

Edited May 29, 2014 by DavidL

[Not Awl Together]

As was mentioned earlier about a charge back to a credit card, I would still contact your card company anyways.

Many card carriers have purchaser protection, will help you resolve the issue and hold off/ freeze the charges and interest until it's resolved.

Just a thought and good luck, let us know how it works out.

[BDAZ]

IF The shipper paid the freight company then they are the only ones who can claim from the shipper. UPS likes to deny claims for any possible reason like poor packaging. As had been said, you contracted for x hides at x color and weight and it is the tanneries responsibility to deliver them to your door intact and as ordered.

Do give them a reasonable time to respond to your documented issues (24-48 hours). I might suggest a 25% discount on the damaged leather and immediate replacement of the incorrect leather. If they want the wrong weight leather returned, they must issue a pickup with their carrier. You could be generous and let them know you won't charge them for packing up the incorrect weight hides.

Give them an additional 24-48 hours to dispatch the new order or you will send them to credit card hell.

And I agree that its not the time to release the name of the vendor. We all screw up but the measure of a good company is how they correct the screw ups and make the customer happy.

Good luck!

Bob

Edited May 30, 2014 by BDAZ

[BOB BRENNER]

Stephen,

I would suggest that you first give them a call and explain that situation and see what their response is. No matter the out come of the conversation follow up with an e-mail stating your understanding of the resolution or non-resolution. If positive: no problem If negative: with that dollar amount then legal advice is recommended. A letter from a lawyer can move mountains. Spending some money in this case is better than losing your business.

Good luck,

Bob

Edited May 30, 2014 by BOB BRENNER

[chiefjason]

If you can call them I would start there, follow up with an email. I had an advertiser here botch a couple orders. I was getting product they did not even advertise for sale instead of what I ordered, twice, really odd. The last time it happened they spent $130 to overnight the right stuff and let me keep the wrong stuff. Shipping it overnight cost more than what they shipped. I was not nasty on the phone, but I made it very clear that I was really unhappy and on the edge of looking for another supplier. My orders since have been fine.

Everybody messes up at some point. That's a big one for sure. But contact them and give them the chance to make it right.

[BDAZ]

BTW what is the ACTUAL cost of the error. Assume you cut out the damage and then deduct the cost of the incorrect hides? Anyone with a modicum of business sense realized the value of a loyal customer and the profitability of repeat business. If I have to take a loss on an order in my other business because I or even my shipper screws up, it's just the cost of doing business. When you factor in advertising, rade shows, etc, the cost of a repeat customer is significant and no one will stay in business long (Comcast excepted) if they don't treat their customers like gold.

Recently I bought an item from Amazon, a 2 ton arbor press. While they totally screwed up the delivery, was a week later than promised and it arrived a complete mess, they made good and the net result was the press was free. Will I buy from them again? Absolutely! Because I know that if they screw up, they will make it right.

Cya!

[Erystawi]

Isen't it standard that if one order something that is wrong when one open it at home, that the seller/company fix all the wrongs?

[DavidL]

Hey all,

Today I received a $6,600 leather order from... well, let's nickname them Franks Tannery. Their leather is great, and I don't want to scar the name.

Franks sent me 30 hides of which 9 of them were the wrong weight. Also, eight of these hides were damaged (about 1/4 of them) from shipping. They were smashed along one side.

Franks has messed up my order once before, but I had no course of action because I ordered over the phone. After that incident I started emailing to order my leather. I have the emails stating the exact specifications for the leather and Franks confirmation of the leather I ordered.

What course of action can I take? Can I seek the loss from my profits? What about a discounted rate for the leather that needs to be shipped back and the new leather that is coming in?

This mistake, if not fixed, will put me out of business. I would appreciate any and all help from the leather worker community on this matter so that my business can live another day and I can continue to do what I love for a living. I really don't want to go back to working for someone else. Maybe I'll go work at Franks to ensure this doesn't happen anymore?

Thanks in advance,

Stephen

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Any updates? Was the error corrected? Id like to know because I'm pretty sure I know the tannery.

[imstephenjones]

Hey everyone!

Sorry for the delay. As you can imagine I was very busy fixing my production schedule because of this error. The tannery did the following to correct the error:

• Gave a 15% credit for each damaged hide (I needed the leather, so I refused to send it back)
• Paying for shipping to have the wrong weight leather sent back as well as a credit for the hides
• Free shipping on my next order to correct the leather that was a wrong weight

That was what I was hoping was going to happen. I do feel made whole. I appreciate the comments and help throughout this post. It gave me a bit of courage to take on a powerhouse of a tannery. I feel I was more than taken care of considering the circumstances.

[DavidL]

Did they say anything about changing the way they ship the products to prevent damaged leather in shipment or if they re trained their staff to prevent sending wrong weights of leather?

[Johanna]

That's the best outcome- a resolution that makes you feel whole again. Glad you got it fixed, and thanks for not slamming the business before you had a chance to check with them about correcting the problems.

~J

[LTC]

Did they say anything about changing the way they ship the products to prevent damaged leather in shipment or if they re trained their staff to prevent sending wrong weights of leather?

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