John Bieland, the equipment buyer for Great Lakes Manufacturing, purchased two large riveting machines from Hoseke Corporation's sales representative, Lindell Ross. Because of a clerical error, the machines shipped a day later than scheduled, which put the delivery truck in the middle of a blizzard that shut down roads for several days. By the time the machines were delivered by Hoseke Corporation, they were a full week late. John Bieland sends an e-mail to Lindell, cc'ing the CEOs of Great Lakes Manufacturing and Hoseke Corporation, expressing his dissatisfaction.
-What is another way Lindell could have avoided this problem?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

By being in closer contact with the shipping department, Lindell could have had a better idea of when the order was going to be shipped and could have warned John about the possibility of delays due to the blizzard. This would have allowed John to plan accordingly and avoid any negative consequences of the delay. Negotiating a lower price or not billing the customer until after the order arrived would not have addressed the problem of the delay. Asking the customer when the order should be delivered is not a feasible option as the customer expects the order to be delivered on the expected date, and rushing the order may increase costs significantly.

John Bieland, the Equipment Buyer for Great Lakes Manufacturing, Purchased