Is My Event Host Trying to Scam Me?

[deliciousdiva]

my host from my show emailed me yesterday. she claimed she was missing some things from the show order. Mind you her show was delivered early last week and I asked her to let me know that all was o.k. upon receipt. So she waited a week, to email a vague complaint. When i called she asked if I understood her order was incomplete? Apparently, she states all items were listed correctly on the invoice, just a few(vague)things were missing. So I pushed and she listed off two items; one happened to be the most expensive and largest item on the order? I get the feeling she is lying, but who knows! I told her to call HO and explain what happened. i did not offer to call for her b/c I don't know that I believe her? What would you do?

 

[DebbieSAChef]

Great job

my host from my show emailed me yesterday. she claimed she was missing some things from the show order. Mind you her show was delivered early last week and I asked her to let me know that all was o.k. upon receipt. So she waited a week, to email a vague complaint. When i called she asked if I understood her order was incomplete? Apparently, she states all items were listed correctly on the invoice, just a few(vague)things were missing. So I pushed and she listed off two items; one happened to be the most expensive and largest item on the order? I get the feeling she is lying, but who knows! I told her to call HO and explain what happened. i did not offer to call for her b/c I don't know that I believe her? What would you do?

That was a great job on your part. I probably wouldn't believe her either, unless I knew her well. Making her call and lie to HO is the best thing to do and leaves your conscience clear. She is responsible for her own actions. There really is nothing we can do.

Debbie

 

[janetupnorth]

You may want to also call HO yourself and tell the story so they can mark it. ...just in case she tries to claim you took or lost something. If she is willing to lie to you, who knows if she is also willing to lie about you... ...just to be safe!

 

[janetupnorth]

Out of curiousity, what did she say was missing? Do they have some weight to them? If so, I DOUBT they slip through a weight check...HO can check the expected weight of the package vs. the FedEx read weight to see if they match or it is low.

 

[Christ Follower]

Out of curiousity, what did she say was missing? Do they have some weight to them? If so, I DOUBT they slip through a weight check...HO can check the expected weight of the package vs. the FedEx read weight to see if they match or it is low.

That's what I was thinking too. I've had several items missing over the past year, but never anything too big or expensive. Mostly seasonings or scrapers and stuff like that. (and that's when there were more than one of those items ordered and you can see how they might make a mistake).

 

[deliciousdiva]

Missing itemsThe one item was the Chillzanne Sectional Server. I have never seen the box, but I have the rectangle server and it is decent size. The other item was the set of prep bowls. This jsut doesn't sit right with me?

Question to the poster who warned about her saying I kept the items. How is that possible? I had all direct shipped to her? Thanks.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

The only thing I would question is if it was a piece of cookware. Cookware gets shipped separately in it's own boxes, and there is the possibility that she didn't receive a box??? Check the Fed-Ex tracker if that is the case.

 

[Shawnna]

The weight wouldn't really matter. My sample package arrived missing my Simple Additions Appetizer Plates and Caddy Set. It is a pretty large item compared to the rest of the things that were in the box. I am not sure how those type of things do not make it into the box un-noticed.

 

[Carissidy]

The weight wouldn't really matter. My sample package arrived missing my Simple Additions Appetizer Plates and Caddy Set. It is a pretty large item compared to the rest of the things that were in the box. I am not sure how those type of things do not make it into the box un-noticed.

Sorry this has absolutely nothing to do with this post and I am definitely not trying to highjack this thread but I have to say that is a cute avatar Shawnna

 

[Teresa Lynn]

I have recently been having several of my shows ship to me because they have been 800, 900 1,000 and my FR will close at 2,000+ so I offer to sort it as a courtesy to them
I have been finding many mistakes in shipping and alot of boxes coming retaped as well. I would tend to believe her..... we are all busy, maybe she didn't have time to completely sort everything last week.

I'd make the adjustment online for her (or if you really have handed it back to her you can check the adjustment status in a few days. If you think she was fibbing and decides not to lie to HO it won't show up on the adjustment log.)

 

[dwyerkim]

I just had a 12" stainless skillet ship instead of the 7 piece executive cookware set... maybe those two are close in weight but I doubt they are the same, and they are from different cookware lines. In this case obviously one piece goes back so the other can ship, but it seems like an odd mistake for HO to make (especially b/c they are such pricey items). So who knows? I wouldn't get into it, I would let HO question her if they want to.

 

[ChefNic]

A host of mine in April ordered the 5 and 7 piece cookware set as 1/2 price...
she got TWO 7 piece sets!! FedEx came and picked it up and HO sent her the 5 piece right away.
The lady on the phone at HO sounded just as shocked as I was! How could they make that mistake!??

 

[SPVA]

Sometimes ya gotta go with your gut. However, you might want to give her the benefit of the doubt. I can honestly say that someone in the packing dept has been slacking. My supply order just arrived two weeks ago. My order had 14 items, packing slip said 14 shipping... box contained 3 items, 25 pack of catalogs and two packs of recipe cards. As soon as I picked the box off the porch I knew it seemed light since included in my order was the trivet, the catalogs, 100 mini catalogs, order forms, receipts, etc, stuff that had some weight to it. I did a product adjustment, new package arrived and everything was there except 3 packs of the mini catalogs, they only shipped one. Guess we will see what happens after I submit a show this weekend.

 

[feather18]

Yeah, i have to agree that it could be in the shipping. I ordered my supply order, with get this, the box was like 40 pounds, with flyers, and 100 catalogs, and stuff like that. ALL I got was bridal brochure, and twixit container, in that HUGE box!! The lady at HO was like.. what?? I was missing like 16 things. I also reported to FED Ex, just incase, because the box came tampered and retaped.

Hopefully she is being honest, and she doesnt blame you. Just be nice about it, and let HO handle it! Thats why their there!

 

[BethCooks4U]

HO has a new system that they have just set in place since National Conference (to make things run more smoothly). My guess is that they are working out the kinks and once that is over things will be better than ever!

I am so looking forward to better accuracy and speed!

 

[MicheleC]

I've had three shows shipped recently but all have been correct but my supply order was missing the mini catalogs. I called and they were sending replacements. Never received those so I called again and they said there was a fedex number but it never actually shipped so they would try again. I figure I have the mini catalogs just in time to order the holiday ones .

 

[janetupnorth]

Question to the poster who warned about her saying I kept the items. How is that possible? I had all direct shipped to her? Thanks.

You have that to stand on and know it is impossible but if you truly encounter someone who wants something and will lie to get it you never know what they will say. That was all I was trying to say. Just if you suspect fraud, protect yourself.


On the question of a large item missing. To clarify, it is DEFINITELY possible that it happens in the warehouse, like Beth said, there is an upgraded system in place and they are probably getting used to it.

With that system though, as a package leaves the door, it gets weighed and recorded on the HO side. As it hits the first FedEx hub it gets weighed again. If you ordered X,Y, and Z with an expected weight of 10 lbs., it weighed out in the warehouse at 8 and hit FedEx as 8 lbs, you KNOW approximately a 2 lb item is missing. We check these things at are facility when a customer calls and says their $200 - 3 lb. item wasn't in the box. 98% of the time, the customer is correct, there was a mistake, it wasn't there, but you do hit those few scammers and with the volumes my company and HO puts out, you are bound to find a few.

Just turn it over to HO and they will iron it out for you. If nothing else, they will probably reship it to make the customer happy for you.

 

[janetupnorth]

Sometimes ya gotta go with your gut. However, you might want to give her the benefit of the doubt. I can honestly say that someone in the packing dept has been slacking. My supply order just arrived two weeks ago. My order had 14 items, packing slip said 14 shipping... box contained 3 items, 25 pack of catalogs and two packs of recipe cards. As soon as I picked the box off the porch I knew it seemed light since included in my order was the trivet, the catalogs, 100 mini catalogs, order forms, receipts, etc, stuff that had some weight to it. I did a product adjustment, new package arrived and everything was there except 3 packs of the mini catalogs, they only shipped one. Guess we will see what happens after I submit a show this weekend.

Not necessarily someone but something...new systems that are more automatic have a lot of potential places for things to go wrong that aren't people related.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I'm thinking of my direct ship customer from a show - who ordered the grill pan and press, and received a box full of SA.....weight was probably accurate, but the products were totally wrong!

 

[reba515]

i just did a adjustment for a customer a few weeks ago for her white kitchen shears (they were to replace them) they sent her a citrus peeler.

 

[Christ Follower]

My mom ordered a new spoon rest b/c her's broke and was still under warranty. She sent back the broken one and they sent her a bamboo spoon set! Even said spoon rest on the packing slip!

 

[janetupnorth]

Hopefully you guys are calling HO rather than just putting in a product adjustment and letting the agents know the details. I'm guessing when they moved stock in the new area, it got out of place!

If anyone has any specific examples (order #s, dates, products) they would like me to forward on to the Manager and/or Director of Distribution, I'd be glad to do so for you.

 

[Christ Follower]

Hopefully you guys are calling HO rather than just putting in a product adjustment and letting the agents know the details. I'm guessing when they moved stock in the new area, it got out of place!

If anyone has any specific examples (order #s, dates, products) they would like me to forward on to the Manager and/or Director of Distribution, I'd be glad to do so for you.

I called HO for my mom when that happened and the lady on the phone was cracking up! She said to go ahead and keep the spoons as a "sorry for the inconveinence" thing and she'd have the spoon rest sent out right away.:thumbup:

 

[raebates]

I just wanted to chime in on the "you never know" side. A host that I trust completely emailed me that several things (some of them large) were missing from her order. They were listed on the receipt, but weren't in the box. HO cleared it right up. I believe in trusting your gut, but I also know that just about anything is possible.