Does a supplier have the right to reject a customer?

[batang_raon14]

Guys, just want your advice on this, and if you could also shed some legal advice, please do, I would gladly appreciate it.

Well, yesterday a client requested for a truckload of sand for her hardware shop. Now, we could've easily agreed but we had a bad experience with her, here's what:

It was a payroll day for our drivers (Saturday) and I really assured myself that all the payrolls to be given are all correct. Now, normally what we do is, if we have a COD (Cash-on-Delivery) order, we deduct the COD to the money which will be given to the driver on that day kasi sila na kukuha pagkadeliver.

Now here's the deal, that customer ordered on a Saturday. Knowing that she's COD, I deducted the amount of money to the payroll. Night came and the truck got to the dump site. What happened is the driver dammed his load as soon as he got there kasi nasindak sya ng patrol na nakabuntot sa kanya. The customer got furious because gusto nya makita muna nila ung karga kung abot ba sa sidings ng truck, and that reason, she refused to pay us.

Of course, we tried to negotiate with her, I called her,we apologized and I already offered her to remove 500 from her payment (NOTE: ung 500 po na un, yun lang po talaga puhunan namin per delivery dahil todo baba po talaga ng singil namin), but she still insisted she won't pay at all. She said our driver did this twice already (wherein we received once her complaint, told the driver, but unfortunately dahil nasindak, ginawa na naman) and it's about time she teaches our driver a lesson (and in effect teaching myself also in the process) and then she dropped the call.

So, knowing I couldn't negotiate more through phone, I then personally went to the site and talked to our driver. I asked him ba't nga dinam agad (reason stated above), he gave his side and told me na sabi nung asawa nung customer, bawasan na lang daw ng 100 ung bayad. Tinanong ko kung ba't di pa nya tinanggap, and the driver told me that he would've agreed BUT when he counted the money, hindi lang 100 ang binawas, 1000! So, he told the husband pero hinirit sa kanya eh "O akin na (grabs the money), buti nga binayaran ko pa eh?! Ngayon kung ayaw niyo e di wag!" And ung mag-asawa sinaraduhan na raw sila pagkatapos.

Luckily, pagkalingon ko sa pintuan ng mag-asawa, nandun sila. So I tried to "personally" negotiate na. They kept insisting the fact na dalawang beses na nga ginawa sa kanila, so I said okay and okay and okay, I'll tell the driver but I'm hoping that really, kahit bawasan na nila ung bayad ng kahit 500 pero hangga't maaari wag lang sana lalampas pero ayaw talaga. Then it came to the point na sinabihan na kaming mandurugas, even though they know themselves na 13 cubic lang talaga lagi load namin (due to NLEX law na 13T per axle lang) na pwede naman nilang makuha sa dami ng elf na magdedeliver sa mga customers nila (normally 6 kung 13 cubic) pero ayaw pa rin talaga magbayad. Kesyo posible daw na ung driver babawasan na ung karga bago muna idam sa kanila para kumita pa lalo (na gawain daw nila nun), etc. etc...

And in the end, I just told them na "Bosing sweldo po kasi ng mga driver ito at wala ng natira samin ngaung linggo dahil matumal din..." tutuloy ko pa sana pero hiniritan ako ng babae "So what?!", kaya napatigil na ako. Being fully aware na I'm up against an old one-sided engineer and his crab mentalistic wife, sabi ko na lang, "Ok po, sige po kung yan na po talaga desisyon nyo eh di ko na po kayo kukulitin, pasensya na po kayo sa abala at magandang gabi po."

And I together with the drivers left the site. A week have passed and naubos na yung nadeliver namin. Within the week, hindi talaga nagbayad yung customer na yun. But when I texted her asking kung ilang elf ang nakapagdeliver ng buhangin, she said 6. So, there was really no point of arguing na dinaya namin ung karga dahil 6 elfs is nearly equivalent to 13 cubic plus yung sahod ng driver is too high to the fact na pagsisisihan nya talaga pag may ginawa siyang anomalya (wherein wala talagang anomalyang nagagawa ang mga tao dahil lahat ng gastos at mismong conversations nila eh naka-monitor). Instead of starting another argument, we just let the thing go regardless of how big a loss that one single delivery would be.

After a while she sent an SMS asking for delivery na naman. I said hindi kami makakadeliver, and she complained "Hoy kasalanan niyo kung bakit hindi ko binayaran yung dineliver niyo noon at kung ayaw niyo akong dalhan eh pwede namin kayong sampahan ng kaso dahil hindi kayo pwedeng mamili ng customer! Kami ang pumipili sa inyo at hindi kabaliktaran!". I just kept quiet on the line and then humirit uli siya, "Ano akala mo nagbibiro ako? Idedemanda ko talaga kayo! Pag di nyo ako dalhan sa miyerkules maghanda kayo, sa korte tayo magtutuos!." And she dropped the line. End of conversation.

So, paano po ba ito? Wala po ba talaga kaming karapatang mamili ng customer? Ayaw ko na ng gulo to the point na hindi na nga ako nakipag-argue na kailangan nilang bayaran ung dineliver namin para di na magkagulo pero sila pa humirit ng ganito. Ibang tao talaga o... ba't ba may mga taong ganito ang ugali na pinapayagang mabuhay ni God. Paki-enlighten lang po ako mga bosing para malaman ko ang stand ko kung sakaling tumawag at humirit na naman siya. Do I really have to deliver pa and be dumbfounded to why we still deliver for them or do we have to make a stand na rin and argue at kami na lang magsampa ng kaso? I really don't like the hassle of hearings pero kung yun kelangan, gawin ko na lang po siguro.

Pasensya na po mga bossing kung napahaba ng husto itong post ko. Just really need your advices. Highly appreciated po ang lahat ng maipapayo nyo. Maraming salamat po at magandang gabi!

[ssaloon]

you have a right to sell to a customer or not. if the customer has already had a bad record, e.g. bouncing checks, non-paying, etc, you can refuse to sell.

or if you want to sugar coat it a bit, taasan mo nalang ng presyo, at least di niya sasabihin na ayaw mo magbenta or di mo inalukan. ganon ginagawa ko eh :bwahaha:

[basti08]

sa company ng employer ng mom ko(corrugated boxes), namimili sila (ex. yung matagal at hindi nagbabayad reject yun, of course)...kase shempre proprotektahan mo rin yung interest ng company mo and yung company mo mismo.

[baiskee]

yep, you have a right to sell to a customer. ok yung suggestion ni ssaloon.

[konde]

yup, tagain mo sa presyo para mainis. hehehehe.

ano ikakaso nila sa inyo? hindi naman kayo hospital!

[batang_raon14]

*ssaloon

Thanks sir. I'd try that line tomorrow. Sana gumana na. Wag lang sana palitan ung demanda nya na "abusive pricing"

*basti08

It's of my priority to protect our company, I have refused those that pay too long, those that pay bouncing checks, but this is the first experience in this business that the customer would take control over the supplier by attempting to demand us.

Sigh, update ko po kayo mga chief bukas kung gagana ung payo ni Sir ssaloon. Kung may mapapayo pa po kayo, ipost nyo lang po. I'd try to read it ASAP. Salamat po talaga mga bosing.

[mfo]

I Guess Yes in a right way, Ssaloon's right

[batang_raon14]

*konde

Marami po kasing connections itong mag-asawang ito sa mga matataas na officials and may mga relatives din silang mga abogado. Kaya no clue talaga ako kung ano pwedeng ikaso samen ng mga ito. Or baka mamaya kung ano-ano pa.

[ssaloon]

pag abusive pricing, banatan mo ng "sir medyo mataas ho cost namin kaya mataas din pricing namin ngayon eh..."

[basti08]

oo nga, tagain mo sa terms na sigurado ayaw nila... magpa T.O ka ng husto!

[ssaloon]

pag kumagat kahit sa mataas na price, jan ka matakot... mukhang wala ng ibang gusto magpautang sa kanila kundi ikaw...

[batang_raon14]

*ssaloon

Haha.. napatawa rin ako kahit namomroblema na. Sige chief yun po una kung idadahilan pag iyon hinirit saken. Salamat po. =)

[claRkEnt]

Tingin naman nila sa sarili nila, very powerful!!! Unless connected sya kay FG!!!

Seriously, di na consumer protection yung pinagsasabi nila. Wala sya grounds sa demanda...

[ARB]

may P.O. ba sila binagay sa inyo na kailangan nyo i fulfill? if wala, pwede hindi ka mag deliver. one reason mo to make the per cubic or per deliry rate higher is talo ka you have to increase the price per cubic since tumaas narin ang fuel today.

Also if na i dump na ng driver nya ang karga nya, it can still be measured if talagang ilan cubic ang load.

[Flagg]

Kung may PO yung previous load nyo, pede mo na sya unahan demanda mo ng estafa. Tapos, yung mga pulis sa district nya, bigyan mo ng lechon manok.

You have every right to refuse service.

Kulang yung taga sa presyo... dapat terms ay full payment 30 days in advance. :bwahaha:

[basti08]

WIK, pag may P.O na nabigay kelangan ka na magdeliver.... in some instances, yung mga terms sa deal ang magpapatalo sayo like staggard delivery which increases freight, sometimes tumataas na ang raw-mat tapos na-book sa mababang price etc.

[Flagg]

Yung mga PO ina-accept muna. Kung di mo in-accept free ka to make creative pricing & payment terms for 'special' customers.

[ILuvDetailing]

If the customer has a bad record, refuses to pay you have every right to refuse her orders because it is your obligation to protect your company's interests first.

If she insists, sabihin mo dated check, deliver mo after clearing, 200% mark up!

[Horsepower]

That's purely B.S. wag ka matakot.

[wildthing]

merun kang karapatan not to serve....

pero merun din kasi silang alibi dun sa previous incident...unfortunately due to your driver's negligence din.

kung huhulihin sya ng patrol kasi mali ang load niya or whatever, e talagang mahuhuli siya. I would suggest replace the driver din muna (merun ka naman sigurong ibang driver dyan).

the increase the price alibi is a little weak (lalo na sa ganyang producto - sand)...kung ako syo, mas mag-aalibi ako na I can't deliver, naaberya ang truck...nasiraan or nabalaho or something. that way mabibitin sya sa supply...if they say divert you other deliveries, tell them naka-commit na...then taguan mo muna....ipasagot mo phone sa iba, and tell that you'd just call back kasi nasa kabilang linya....then don't call back.

If I am the client on the other line, maiinis ako to the point I'll call another sand supplier....then SUCCESS ka na losing them as your client.

Dahil hindi unique at low margin ang produkto mo - technically what we call COMMODITY - being picky to clients sometimes have the edge....

just my 2 cents.