Stortz Tools received a phone call from Dave, who inquired for his partner, Richard for some 341-A scraping tools. He told Jeff that he was looking for a quantity discount and that he’ll follow up with an email. The following email chain occurred.
—–Original Message—–
From: Richard Splinter <dicksplint@aol.com>
To: jeff <jeff@stortz.com>
Sent: Tue, Nov 29, 2016 3:12 pm
Subject: Floor Scrapers
Jeff
You just got off the phone with my partner Dave who is supervising on a job site in Horsham. One of our laborers purchased a 6 inch bent blade scraper from you a while ago and he has it on the job site. Dave and I do floor and tile sub-contracting in the Philadelphia Tri State area and we are currently working on a job at the Horsham Business Campus removing carpet that has been glued to a concrete floor and your scraper has gotten Dave’s attention.
How many scrapers can you have ready for delivery in 30 days? We have an long term large job coming up in Wilmington, Delaware and we’ll need lots your scrapers. We have been previously buying scrapers from Lowe’s and Home Depot as needed but we would prefer to buy direct from a manufacturer if possible.
Can you please quote via email your best price on 500 of your bent blade scrapers.
David and Richard
Commercial Carpet & Tile
197 Easton Road
Horsham, PA 19044
215-675-7827
Thank you
Richard Splinter
From: Richard Splinter [mailto:dicksplint@aol.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2016 8:18 AM
To: jeff@stortz.com
Subject: Fwd: Floor Scrapers
Jeff
We are getting ready to move our operations and work site from Horhsam to Wilmington. Can you get back to me with a price so we can place a start up order with you. Can you have ready 85 Scrapers for immediate delivery? If you can we’ll mail a check and you can wait until it clears as payment before shipping.
Richard
—–Original Message—–
From: Tom Stortz <tom@stortz.com>
To: dicksplint <dicksplint@aol.com>
Cc: JEFF <JEFF@stortz.com>
Sent: Wed, Nov 30, 2016 9:02 am
Subject: Scrapers
Richard,
I tried the number in your signature and no one answered. I google mapped your address in Horsham and there are no buildings that identify as yours. Please excuse my skeptic nature of this request but my radar is going off as not a typical situation. Please substantiate your business (which also doesn’t appear to exist in a google search) as having an actual need for this product and we can talk further.
From: Richard Splinter [mailto:dicksplint@aol.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2016 1:48 PM
To: tom@stortz.com
Cc: jeff@stortz.com
Subject: Fwd: Scrapers
Really? I don’t think I need to be google mapped, interrogated and be on your radar just to buy scrapers. DO I? What? We rent store front 2 doors south from McDonald’s at corner of Fair Oaks Avenue and Easton Road. It is just a store front and place for us to pick up mail. My uncle owns the property. He bought it when he moved here 30 years ago. I’m a Mexican immigrant from Guadalupe living in the US on a temporary green card working to get my citizenship. I hire documented and underprivileged legal migrant workers from Mexico and we deliberately try to stay below the radar. Now, especially since Trump was elected. Don’t really think I need to substantiate myself or the work we do to JUST buy scrapers. Sorry my grammar and English is the best and maybe that aroused whatever suspicions there is to us to JUST buy scrapers. But for what? We only want to buy scrapers. What’s the big deal? If you won’t except check we can buy cash. What is there for you to be skeptical about? If anyone should be suspicious or skeptical it should be US… Why would I have to substantiate anything to you to JUST buy scrapers. What or who are you hiding? I do business email because American have hard time understand me with accent. That is why I have Dave call yesterday and he spoke with Jeff. Sorry to inconvenience you we’ll take our business and money elsewhere if that is the case. If you are looking you won’t find on Facebook, Blogs, Twitter or elsewhere…
—–Original Message—–
From: Tom Stortz <tom@stortz.com>
To: ‘Richard Splinter’ <dicksplint@aol.com>
Cc: JEFF <JEFF@stortz.com>
Sent: Wed, Nov 30, 2016 2:01 pm
Subject: RE: Scrapers
Richard,
Do you know how many requests I’ve gotten for 500 of our 341 scrapers in my lifetime working here, 0. My email wasn’t accusatory. It stated that none of your credentials in your signature exist. If you wanted to buy the scrapers, I suggest you purchase them through our website and we can have them shipped to you. Thanks for the inquiry.
From: Richard Splinter [mailto:dicksplint@aol.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2016 3:48 PM
To: tom@stortz.com
Cc: jeff@stortz.com
Subject: Fwd: Scrapers
What does it matter how many request you gotten to me. How many do you have in stock if we pick up? What would the cost be per item 100 at a time if you can not offer 500? We would prefer to pick them up at your store and pay cash. I work as a tile and carpet contractor in Mexico with father, uncle and cousins before I move here. My cousins come to US with me and he has crew in Texas and other cousin have crew in Arizona. They interested in scrapers also that is why I ask about 500. We can take care of shipping and getting scrapers to them and relatives. All we are asking is price quote each 100 or more at a time so we have money cash when we pick up.
—–Original Message—–
From: Tom Stortz <tom@stortz.com>
To: dicksplint <dicksplint@aol.com>
Cc: JEFF <JEFF@stortz.com>
Sent: Wed, Nov 30, 2016 2:51 pm
Subject: Quote # 1498
Richard,
I have 144 pcs in stock that you can pick up as soon as we receive your
check and it cashes through our bank. No cash payment will be accepted. Let
me know when you send your check and then I’ll contact you as soon as it
clears and you can pick up your product. You show me that you’re a serious
customer with this order and we can discuss quantity pricing in the future.
Even if you purchased 1 dozen scrapers at the quoted price, I’d be willing
to talk pricing in the future.
I’d note that we’ve been in business since 1853. We have nothing to hide.
—
Thomas C. Stortz
Attached is Quote # 1498 from JOHN STORTZ AND SON, INC.
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From: Richard Splinter [mailto:dicksplint@aol.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2016 5:40 PM
To: tom@stortz.com
Cc: jeff@stortz.com
Subject: Fwd: Scrapers
Never mind, you insult and must take me for a fool… You web site sale the scraper for $28.00. You must not be taking me seriously. I’m not in the habit of begging. We’ll take our business elsewhere. I’ve wasted enough of my time. Can buy better scraper at Lowe’s or Home Depot for less. Cannot figure out how you could stay in business since treating prospective customers so rudely. Welcome to America.
I’m looking forward to any comments that anyone may have.
give me back my 5 minutes!
Personally, I wouldn’t have responded the way you did. “dicksplint” is weird, and the request may be weird too, but when he said this –
“Can you get back to me with a price so we can place a start up order with you. Can you have ready 85 Scrapers for immediate delivery?”
I would have just replied “The price is X, and (yes we can / no we can’t) have the 85 scrapers ready for immediate delivery.”
I agree with him in not needing to substantiate his business to place an order. If you give him the quote and he’s serious, it’s another order and who cares how weird the exchange was. If you give him the quote and he was full of shit, then it ends soon after because he wouldn’t place the order, but here it seems he had some legitimate questions before placing the order that weren’t answered.
My two cents.
Poor guy just wants to buy some scraping tools
TC just went full MAGA
How do I get an @stortz.com email address?
I kind of agree with Sam on this one. I’m not clear on your normal vetting process for large orders from potential new clients, but the initial request seemed reasonable. The fact that the sender objected to your inquiries (understandably) – but then put forth his life story as justification is a bit odd…
Vetting his legitimacy could possibly have been done in an easier manner (as Sam suggested), by simply noting a payment policy for orders of that scale/cost. If he balked at the idea, all you would have to say was : “That is our policy on orders of the scale. If you can honor that policy, we would be glad to provide you with the items you requested.”
It is not uncommon for companies like his to exist “under the radar” as he notes. However, you have to do what feels comfortable as a business. But to quote Ron Burgundy, “Well, that escalated quickly!”