鸡肋般的客户，弃之可惜食之无味

今年疫情，生意惨淡，不知道同是外贸的你们生意如何
最近国外放假，闲来无事，聊聊我们的一位鸡肋客户

本人文笔不好，大家别介意啊！

这个老客户合作已有8年了
该客户订单不大，利润不算高（客户知道成本），但每个月都有
我们不是他们唯一的供应商，我们的价格不是最低的，可能是因为我们的服务，这几年客户的这类产品的90%的订单都是给我们做的
这个客户的所有订单都需要验货，指定的验货公司，这么多年都是这一家验货公司，我们也和客户约定，如果是pass 可直接出货，如果是Fail，要重验并且我们承担第二次的验货费 约RMB2500左右 （看订单数量需要多少验货员等等， 但有时候一个单利润都没有重验费高）
客户要求比较严，客户收到的货物如果与验货时不附，我们和验货公司/验货员都要倒霉 （就算是运输过程中发生的变形等质量问题）几乎是我们全责
该退款退款，该赔偿赔偿.....

我司是做塑胶产品的，无电子等，几乎没有什么功能的，质量问题一般是在产品的上色（油漆）没有到位，表面有污渍等等
每次订单完成，验货员就会来验货，每一次的验货报告是Fail (已经很多年没有拿过Pass的验货报告了, 刚开始和这个客户合作的头几年还是能拿到PASS的，但因为一些不可避免的问题，如运输过程中变色，变形等，虽然我们有负责，但验货公司/验货员也被处分了）
因此这几年他们的验货员也是非常的小心，即使找不出大问题，报告上也只能写pending, 绝不会给我们Pass

PS 我们的产品要找小问题是很容易的，上色有一点点不到位，产品表面找一点点的灰/脏，拍照放大，看起来就是Fail, 所以我们没办法去找客户和验货员理论，因为问题确实存在 （手工完成的产品，我们的质量在行业内不算最好/精品，但至少是中等以上）

虽然每一次都是Fail, 偶尔确实是质量问题，我们也会亏本安排重验，返工等等.....（毕竟鸡肋也有肉嘛）
但大部份的订单都是些小问题，所以每次客户都会要求我们拆箱仔细全检，OK后出货.......
几乎每个订单都是这样子的，出货前，各种解释，来来回回半个月再出货

就这样也算平平安安度过了这几年，合作也算愉快

今年8月份下的一个小单，是翻单，第一次做是3年前，空运， 这次交期不赶走海运。
按上次做货的样去生产，很快就完成了，同样验货是fail （有2.5%变形，纸箱里还发现一个虫子） 因为生产时正好是夏天，今年雨水多，虫子也多
同样是各种解释，道歉......客户要求仔细检查再出货，不需要重验
因为发现虫子是挺严重的问题，因些我们出货前也确实每箱都再看了一遍再出货，这一单也算是顺利出货了

10月份另外一个产品也是翻单， 这个单上一次做货是2018年，因为这个产品颜色多，工序多，客户提供样品质量很差，工人在做模时按客户的样去做，生产出来的质量自然就有很多不良，验货自然是不通过，多次返工，重验，勉强出货了
这个产品第一次做亏了不少钱，因此这次翻单我们决定自费重做模具，改善质量,
同样完成后，验货报告还是fail，各种解释......客户要求仔细检查再出货，不需要重验
就在货刚入仓的那天，客户来邮件
stop shipment.
The goods cannot be sent.
I’ll send you a more detailed email in a few minutes.

收到这个邮件时，货已入仓
客户回
then you have to get them back.
接着
we just got a call this morning from our customer who got the 3000pcs of B delivered.
They complain about the delivered goods. The items seem to have exactly the problems we saw on the inspection result and you confirmed that you had them reworked. We trusted you and shipped the goods. They are not standing flat and their feet point upwards.
The customer won’t accept those goods. They will not pay for them and surely not order with us again.
....................
Trust is a good whing but it needs to work out. So how can we trust in future? （客户的这句话有点激怒我）

看到这个邮件后去检查了库里多的样品，及产品重量软硬度等等
同时回复客户
We can’t get the goods back from the warehouse, customs declaration documents have been submitted
We didn’t get pass of all your orders, and shipped all orders with your permission, did you get any complains of all orders?
If you got and it’s our problems, when we refused to handle the complains after your received goods?  When we weren’t responsible for the complains?
I think we can get it back with your forwarder’s help, if we get it back, and re inspection passed, is it means we don’t need pay any responsible for any problem after you received the goods?
发出这封邮件，我以为客户会同意继续出货，毕竟这个产品和他收到的产品并不是同一款，也不是同一个订单， 和他们合作这么多年了，还是这么天真
you have to get the goods back from the warehouse.
Our customers should not be the ones to find out if the goods are requested quality or not. That’s what we make inspections for.
And as obvious to see on the current B situation, it does not work out after a failed inspection to just rework and ship the goods on good hope.  Those customers don’t order with us again. No one is paying us for the losses we have on losing customers this way.
I already informed our forwarder this morning and I will push them again to help get the goods back to you.
You have to cover the reinspection in any way. Because it was failed before and as we can see on the current situation, reinspections are necessary.
Based on our customers information, we have about 80% deshaped goods.

然后我
If you think we have to get the goods back, then we will, but you should pay the extra costs for the delivery from the warehouse, because we delivered with your permission.  and after the re inspection pass, we will not be any responsible for any problem after you received the goods
And for the B, you didn’t ask for re inspection, we only shipped the goods with your permission, so I am afraid we can’t be responsible for the 80% deformation, from the report, based on the sample size 200pcs, there were 5pcs the deshaped legs, so the percentage is 2.5%,  you don’t trust us, but you should trust your inspection company, so we will be responsible for the 2.5% deformation only.

客户
you always tell me you don’t trust inspection company. So why should we now.
We have to wait for the items to arrive at our office so we can check more of them ourselves.
Maybe they also get more deshaped during freight because the material was thinner then last time. I don’t know.
But still it is your responsibility to deliver the quality we ordered.

我
That’s confused, you don’t trust inspection company, but you paid them for inspection every time.

After you told us the deshaped problems, we checked the new B and old B weight, softness and package yesterday.  we also want to know how it happened.
If they were deformed during transportation, how can you judge us as a cheater and how trustless we are?
It seems that we don’t need to discuss how it happened, how to solve them, and how to avoid it in the future, you already judge us as a cheater, trustless.

...................

以上往来邮件，大概是客户收到了8-9月份生产的产品，发现很多变形，因此他怀疑我们现在送入仓库的产品也是不良的，要求我们拉回来，并安排重验
我们不同意也是因为，产品质量是没问题的，验货报告虽然是fail，但都是很小的问题， 和以往的订单是一样的
而且他们收到的那批货有80%变形，客户也说可能是运输中导致的，第一次是空运，这次海运，又是夏天， 如果真的是运输导致的，为什么一来邮件就说信任问题？
我们也没有说不负责，以往这种为类似的问题都有负责一起解决

最终我们把货拉回来了，但我们不同意重验，如果要来验货可以，我们不支付任何费用，就这样一直僵着，一个多月了
现在看到仓库的货，并不后悔这次做的决定。