Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[wierd]

Gotta love capricious mid-level government officials, high on their own testosterone.

Stories like these remind me why I distrust government, and harbor deep seated contempt for the human condition. 

More than likely, while your immediate bosses love, adore, and worship the ground you walk on for being able to accomplish literal miracles, their bosses consider you just another replaceable cog, and may even be gunning for your dismissal, because reasons. (Likely the same reasons they keep increasing output demands without improving infrastructure-- either blind avarice, or capricious malice trying to make that unit fail, so they can liquidate it.)

[SalmonGod]

The unit facing increasing demands is based in Mexico, and they're just one plant operated by our customer.  The situation there is blind avarice.  They've shut down several operations in the USA over the last couple years, and moved it all to Mexico.  I'm just caught in the collateral damage.

As for my position... I'm working on it.  I do more than miracles on the operations level.  I've designed process improvements and reference materials that have been roled out nationwide, and continue to push that sort of thing.  Been making some allies in the process.  I'm well recognized by the regional director.  Just learned today that something I proposed and did a mock up for a few months ago is probably going to be implemented to save another office's ass from certain failure.  They've been trying for a while to groom me to continue to move up the ladder, but I've been avoidant because I don't like the higher level corporate culture.  I have a feeling that I would hit a point where I'd conflict too much with my peers over basic differences in values.

[Eric Blank]

Sounds like you efectively run the logistics side of the busines yourself.

[EnigmaticHat]

The !!fun!! thing about customs is the rules may as well not exist.  Each port has a director who basically makes up their own set of rules.  Individual officers often don't know the laws that they're enforcing or have their own interpretations.  When you're dealing with them, you have no recourse.  In that moment, they have absolute power to do whatever they want with your stuff.  I've talked to officers about situations in advance to get direction, did what they said, then *bam* shift change and the next officer disagrees with what the first one said and you're the one who pays for it.  I've witnessed officers blatantly say "I don't care" when legal passages were quoted at them that directly contradicted their decisions.  I've had an officer lie to me about being unable to see my entry, because he just didn't like the couriers who were standing at his desk.  I had an officer once laugh at me over the phone, say "you have no authority to speak to me", and hang up.  I've encountered several who literally didn't know how to use their own computer systems.  I've heard we had one importing customer a long time ago who got upset when customs held up his freight... sent customs a letter complaining that they were costing him millions of dollars with no legal basis for doing so and threatened to complain to his congressman about them... and they responded by holding his stuff for a month for no reason.

Sounds like the logistics industry should start a website for reviewing customs officers.  If a city is known for having a prickish customs office, people avoid sending their freight that way and the tax dollars go somewhere else.  Maybe that would get them to change their tune.

[disclaimer: I know nothing about the industry you work in]

[SalmonGod]

Sounds like the logistics industry should start a website for reviewing customs officers.  If a city is known for having a prickish customs office, people avoid sending their freight that way and the tax dollars go somewhere else.  Maybe that would get them to change their tune.

[disclaimer: I know nothing about the industry you work in]

This is called "port shopping" and is actually illegal :p

[TD1]

*Spits coffee all over his dollar bills*

Wai... oh, yea. Illegal.

[SalmonGod]

Its not something they commonly try to enforce but it does happen.  If you route a shipment somewhere out of the way that doesn't make sense, or if you change your routing of a routine shipment after having repeated issues with customs, they can challenge you to provide your reasoning for choosing that routing.  If you can't provide your backup documentation to quantify that it was cheaper or carrier capacity issues or whatever reason unrelated to customs concerns, then they accuse you of taking advantage of varying enforcement practices to basically avoid the law and fine you.  It's quite ridiculous.

[Putnam]

did you know that soy milk is actually, like, really good? why was i never informed of this

[Egan_BW]

Heh, yeah. As a drink it's not half-bad.

[Truean]

Yup. Good to see you here. You understand, "the rules" are the rules, but getting them consistently is maddening. Certainly not easy.

Good to see you getting some type of recognition.

[Parsely]

-hero snip-

That was a really interesting read!

[Dunamisdeos]

@Salmon

If it makes you feel any better I work in domestic shipping (online stuff like Amazon) and our sales guys are also all about "more sales" and not at all about "things we actually can ship".

We have regular half-vans for delivery and they signed us up to deliver full-size furniture once. Like, conference tables with 16 chairs.

[JoshuaFH]

@Salmon

If it makes you feel any better I work in domestic shipping (online stuff like Amazon) and our sales guys are also all about "more sales" and not at all about "things we actually can ship".

We have regular half-vans for delivery and they signed us up to deliver full-size furniture once. Like, conference tables with 16 chairs.

"But hey, we sold it right?"

In my own happy news, I'm acquiring a taste for black coffee after some effort to overcome the bitterness. Filling it with creamer and sugar improves the taste, but leaves me feeling sluggish and uneasy. Black though, I feel gives me added concentration and energy boost that comes with the caffeine, while also not breaking my daily fast. It's a small thing, but it makes me feel so much more competent at life.

[Hanslanda]

My son took his first four steps today.

[TD1]

That you know of