As Bryan Mumm, operations manager, American Wood Products, you have a problem. Your firm manufactures quality precut and custom-built doors and frames. You have received a letter from Sue Ewerth (described in Activity 6.13), an interior designer. Her letter explained that the custom mahogany door (“Cape Cod”) she received was cut to the wrong dimensions. She ordered an oversized door measuring 12 feet 2 inches. The door that arrived was 11 feet 10 inches.

Ms. Ewerth kept the door because her client, an NBA basketball player, insisted that the front of the house be closed up. Therefore, she had her carpenter resize the door opening. He charged $940.50 for this corrective work. She claims that you should reimburse her for this amount, since your company was responsible for the error. You check her May 17 order and find that the order was filled correctly. In a telephone order, Ms. Ewerth requested the Cape Cod double-entry door measuring 11 feet 10 inches, and that is what you sent. Now she says that the doors should have been 12 feet 2 inches.

Your policy forbids refunds or returns on custom orders. Yet, you remember that around May 15 you had two new people working the phones taking orders. It is possible that they did not hear or record the measurements correctly. You don’t know whether to grant this claim or refuse it. But you do know that you must look into the training of telephone order takers and be sure that they verify all custom order measurements. It might also be a good idea to confirm all phone orders by e-mail, IM, or text message.

Ms. Ewerth is a successful interior designer who has provided American Wood Products with a number of orders. You value her business but aren’t sure how to respond. You would like to remind her that American Wood Products has earned a reputation as a premier manufacturer of wood doors and frames. Your doors feature prime woods, meticulous craftsmanship, and award-winning designs.

What’s more, the engineering is ingenious. You also have a wide range of classic designs.

Your Task. 

Decide how to treat this claim and then respond to Sue Ewerth, New Century Interiors, 4808 W Victoria Street, Chicago, IL 60646. You might mention that you have a new line of greenhouse windows that are available in three sizes. Include a brochure describing these windows. Alternatively, at your instructor’s discretion, you could write an e-mail and refer Ms. Ewerth to your website (www.americanwood-products.com), which features the new line of windows.