The Customer is Always Right

Many years ago, probably mid to late 80s, I was working for an insurance company as a claims examiner.

One day, the office got a memo stating that as of Monday, the office would be going on computers, and the electric typewriters were now up for sale, at the cost of $15 a piece.

Well! I thought that was a great bargain, so, I decided to purchase 3 of them. Several other coworkers bought some as well. So, on Friday, I went in and paid the boss and took my typewriters home.

Sometime during the middle of the week, the boss sent out another memo, to state, I am sorry, but I am going to have to ask you all to return the typewriters, as I was mistaken in the price. If you still wish to keep them, you can either a) pay the price Home Office has quoted, or b) return them.

I was shocked! At the time, my hubby was taking a business law class at the college, so I went home and said hey hon,,,isn't it true, that if something is mis-marked, that the item HAS to be sold for the price indicated? He said yes, I believe so, but I will check with my teacher (who was a lawyer) when I go to class tonight.

He came home that evening, and I asked him what did his teacher say, and he said the teacher simply asked him how well does your wife like her job? LOL,,,soooooooo I stewed over what my decision was going to be, and on Friday, I decided, if the boss wants to handle this with memos, I will write him one. I did, and I forget all the details but basically told him I was keeping my purchases, at the QUOTED price of $15 a piece, and how his memo made me feel like I was some kind of thief in the night,, and placed it on his desk.

So, of course I fretted over it all weekend, thinking, oh no, I could lose my job over this. Well, Monday arrived, and I get to work, and sure enough, he called me into his office. I explained to him why I was keeping the typewriters and not spending another cent on them. He asked did he really make me feel like a thief and I said yes you did.

He said to me, go back to work. I was left wondering what was going through his mind, and I didn't have to wait long to finally learn the decision. I came in to work several days later to find that he had been 'transferred'. It seems he jumped the gun when offering the typewriters for sale, without clearing it with Home Office. They never did ask for mine back, and I found out the other coworkers had either returned theirs or paid the higher prices.

I went home so excited and told my hubby what happened, and he relayed this story to his teacher that night. The teacher said to him, he better start calling me 'spunky'. Later that summer my hubby bought a boat, and named it 'spunky II'.

I guess the point of this whole story, is about a saying I keep at my job, which states, 'stand up for your principles, even if you have to stand alone'.