See me see wahala o...

For some reason, it's just not my day. The firms I deal with are really putting me to ttest. I'm trying the best I can, but I feel like all my efforts are being worn down by their incompetence, and this is reflecting on me. I don't want to be just another "Well, what do you expect from Naija businesses" person.... I believe that there are still Nigerian businesses that are capable of delivering high standards of customer service, and I want to be one of them. Ok, I'll stop ranting now - Here's the gist of what happened :-

May '07 - First week of business, I sat at my desk/screen, looking at the phone, phone was looking at me. Everything was ready, I had distributed a thousand flyers around Lagos, met up with about 50 people in 2 weeks, passed business cards around, recited and revved my sales pitch until I could have explained to someone who had flung my room door open in the middle of my nap. Yes, I was ready. And yet when the phone finally rang, I was still shaky. Needless to say, I had my first order and man, it was bigger than I expected.

I jumped up quick-quick-fast-fast and got everything ready. I called up my suppliers and kpa kpa kpa all my products landed quicker than lightening. All except for one. The major one. I had spoken this guy earlier and when it was itching him to sell, he gave me fantastic prices I couldn't disagree with. Now, I was ready to buy, and even urgently, 17.5% VAT jumped out of nowhere. VAT which I had earlier assumed was included in the advertised price. If I didn't have a customer to impress, I would have just fashied the guy and asked him to go and eat his stock. However, there was no room for shakara in this case. I just paid for the stock, full of bitterness in my heart and nicely asked him to ship them down immediately. 1 week and like 5 phone calls later, the goods came. He didn't even have the courtesy to let me know he was spending the week at his warehouse or wherever until I asked... Meanwhile, I kept having to make long-distance calls to my customer to re-assure her that I hadn't played 419.....

Now half the job was done and the goods were finally sent. I called to find out if she had received them and she had. Only that they had charged her extra - Fees which no one earlier mentioned. Apparently the office in UK had not communicated my payment to the other end therefore they wouldn't release the goods without collecting payment.

September '07. About 15 calls later, the office still hasn't relayed the message, I've had to refund my customer out of my pocket and I'm also about to wear shokoto and sort this matter out one and for all. In their defence, they keep apologising and saying, "Oh, we'll look into it, there's no need to come all the way down..." but nothing dey happen literally.... I'm just not a happy bunny right now...