How to put a bullet in your foot by email ...

Last week I had an entertaining and interesting email from a centre one works with, within Englandshire. When I say, work with, they are a service provider that has been providing an excellent service since 2006.

Until last week, I would say without reservation they have been one of our most worry free. Whilst small, they reach a potentially underserved region and have in our minds delivered to a high standard.

For this, we pay handsomely and have never quibbled. In fact, since last September, we have offered them more work. Because they reach a smaller, they never get a full allocation. We never pay less, treating them as equals in terms of their fee.

So, you would think that we like them (quite a bit).

Then we get the numpty email; demanding extra cash for printing some supporting material. Immediately shooting a .44 calibre bullet into their foot, via the medium of email.

Something in the region of £20, which is less than 1.5% of the fee that we pay them (per day). And until now, something that we have expected all centres (there are 11) to provide as part of the service.

Sadly this is a case of new fool, in charge of something that they clearly don't seem to understand. Sending emails that have been shot from the hip to a customer. For them there has been the discovery that the customer, will bite back (and did).

Fortunately, to ensure that the service to our students works, I always maintain a professional relationship with the teaching team. More than once; at many centres over the years this has been the place where we save organisations from their own managerial ineptitude. For this centre, for now, they have been saved, not by management, but the wise words of their own teaching team.

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