From: csa@sw.stratus.com (Chris Arthur) Subject: Linux T-Shirt Update Date: 30 Jun 1993 15:05:31 GMT
In article <1993Jun29.210248.4238@msus1.msus.edu>, hayden@krypton.mankato.msus.edu (Robert A. Hayden) writes:
>
> Quite some time ago I ordered a Linux tshirt from
> linux@pennies.sw.stratus.com (the only address I have on hand for this
> person). Over a period of time, the order never arrived and I contacted
> the person several times via email, always being told that it was 'being
> looked into'. Finally, after several exchanged messages, i was told by
> the person that they would contact their distributor, find out what
> happened, and either let me know or send me a new shirt.
>
> This was approximately two weeks ago.
>
> Following that, I have received no communications of any kind from this
> person and email directed to them has gone unanswered.
>
> I'd like to think that all of this is a simple case of misscommunication
> or something, but the fact that I have continued to get negative or no
> replies makes me wonder (ok, I'm a little paranoid).
Here's the scoop: I decided to do this because someone had to. I had no
expectation of making any real money from it; I hoped that with any luck,
I'd make a little bit to cover my time. At this point, I will be surprised
if I don't wind up losing at least a couple of hundred bucks.
I collected orders for a few weeks, until I had a good idea of the
distribution of size/color combinations, and then I ordered 144 shirts.
It took the shop I was working with about two weeks to get them printed.
Not long after that, I sent them mailing labels and stuff for all of the
orders I had received to that date (about May 18th or so), and then I
went on vacation (which I delayed by three days so that I could get the
labels printed so the shirts could be sent before I got back from vacation,
so that people wouldn't have to wait too long!!). When I got back, I
discovered that due to various sorts of confusion at the t-shirt shop, only
some of them had been sent. We finally got the rest sent out by June 6th
or so. I had take a trip for about a week shortly after that, during which
mail was once again being auto-answered.
I have been far busier than I could have predicted, and as a result I HAVE
dropped the ball on getting back to people outside the US and people who
wanted larger quantities of shirts. I humbly apologize for this, and I will
continue to try to get back to all of you.
Now, some weeks later, a large number of people have gotten their shirts and
seem to be happy, thank God. Unfortunately, quite a few people tell me they
have NOT received their shirts. I have talked to the t-shirt shop, and they
say they sent them. I can only assume that the US Post Office managed to
misplace a significant percentage of the shirts that were sent. I called the
t-shirt place again today, and the woman I deal with there promised to call
the post office and get back to me. Unfortunately, I can't imagine that they
will have anything useful to tell me.
This leaves me in the rather unfortunate position of having to either return
these people's checks, or send them new shirts via UPS (which is rather
expensive); either way, everyone has already decided that I am some kind of
scum. I honestly don't know what to do at this point.
If you haven't gotten a shirt yet, please let me know, and tell me whether
you would prefer that I destroy or return your check, or send you another
shirt (although I can't promise that I can honor your preference). It would
make my life easier if this mail was sent to linux-shirts@gnu.ai.mit.edu.
> I'm concerned that two months ago I sent off a check for $12 and as of yet
> I have only been delivered excuses.
I think you may be a little hasty in accusing me of fraud, as I have not yet
cashed your check (or anyone else's). I swear to God, I'm doing the best I
can here; all I can tell you is what the t-shirt place tells me. And I would
never have volunteered to do this if I had had any idea that I was going to
be working full time on a critical project while trying to figure out what
happened to God only knows how many shirts that seem to have disappeared
into thin air.
Worse yet, I will be moving away in about two months, and so by then I need
to either turn the whole mess over to someone else (volunteers are welcome!)
or get rid of the rest of the first (and most likely only) batch of shirts
and shut the whole operation down. How nice.
The moral of the story is (pick one):
Don't trust the Post Office; use UPS.
Don't volunteer for anything.
Nice guys lose.
(Not that I'm bitter or anything.)
By the way, I don't read this group (I barely have time to follow the traffic
in comp.os.linux.announce), so I probably won't see followups unless someone
mails them to me.
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