<rant>

I apologize in advance.

Last week I called a vendor asking for some pricing on a product that we don’t normally sell.  We are working on a project not related to this product and the lead of the project asked for this quote.  Our rep told him that we don’t normally sell that product and we can provide the quote however we can’t promise engineering services — and that we have a similar product with similar features that we could provide full support for, and would he like a quote on that.    Well the vendor basically told me that he wouldn’t give me the opportunity because we had “dropped the ball” on a couple other opportunities that they had handed us.  Ok fine whatever.

Today I was supposed to meet with the vendor.  He called me at the time we were supposed to meet and asked to do a web conference, which was fine.  He then proceeded to sort of call me out on this opportunity mentioned above and said that he specially referred this customer to us and we came back with a different product and blah blha blah blah blah.  Let’s just say he was just a bit pissed.

For the record, mr vendor:

1.  Your product sucks and you know it.

2.   You know it was an honest mistake - we didn’t know the guy you had call us was a big wig at an important customer of yours and that he was doing a favor for this small project on his personal time and that our pitching our own solution would damage your relationship with him in any way. (Which, I’m sure, it did not by the way).

3.  Don’t mess with me today.

Oye.  I hate it when I”m all emotional and stuff like this happens.  Normally I’m a really happy go lucky, let it roll off my back person but at certain times you REALLLY don’t want to mess with me.  I become this mad, tearful creature that scares the crap out of all the men in her office.  (I think Bob is still afraid to talk to me :-D  — no worries dude ( if you read this of course) )

The gem of this whole conversation was me saying this to him:

“Mr. Vendor, seriously, we’re not trying to jack you around here and I would appreciate it if you could cut out the hostility.  It was a mistake on our part, only because we were not informed, and you know it.”

For the first time in my life I wanted to hang up on someone….and I almost did.

I think I know what will make me feel better…..Chocolate.

</rant>