Losing your cool at work

• ZWICK 4 PREZ

  

  Let me preface this by saying I'm wrong here and should have been more professional.. but have you ever just reached a boiling point at your job?
  
  I'm on a hot project at work that HAS to be done by December 4th so it can ship to China and be ready to manufacture by the first of the year. I have programming software that somehow didn't get ordered through the same company that the hardware got ordered thru, and is backordered until Dec. 2nd... obviously this is no good since the deadline is December 4th.. I need it yesterday. So ...it is what it is and I’ll have to use old programming software for the majority of the logic and use the new software for the drives and such when it comes in and hope I can programming that all in 2 days. I'm fairly optimistic that I can at this point. So I write a test program and hook up to the new Siemens PLC and it's not having it. That starts the bad day.....
  I call Siemens and am basically told I need to new software to load the program and my only other option is the get a new license number from one of their authorized dealers and I can use the old software. Well, the hardware was ordered from an authorized dealer but the software I'm missing was not (don't get me started on why our buying center ordered from two different distributors). Long story short, the rep from the authorized dealer does not want to give me a license b/c we didn't get the software from him.... Now I've known this guy well for 5 years. I've bought a lot of stuff from him.. I'm in a pinch and I didn't order the software from a different distributor...not to mention that hardware that I did buy from him was over a million dollars for this project... but he still won't give me a license number...
  So I lost it.. I told him that I’ve given him millions of dollars over the last 5 years and he's really going to hold me over a barrel for programming software? I told him if it were up to me I'd be using all Allen-Bradley shit anyways and I’ll never order a god damn thing from Siemens again. Well he told me he could get me a 14 day license, and if the software didn't come in, he could just keep extending a new 14 day license. Great.. but why did it have to come to me threatening to never order from you again? I understand we should have bought the software from him. I'm not sure why it didn't get ordered through them when all the hardware did. But for all this money we've given him throughout the years, you're really going to not give me a license number until I threaten to never buy from you again?
  
  Sorry. Rant over.
  
  When are some times you’ve lost your cool at work?
• derek bomar

  

  Curbstomp?
• ptangzoot

  As a person who also writes code for mobile logic controllers I feel your pain!
  I probably would have done the same thing...if you spend that much money with him he should have gotten you a license, he was being a tool.
• OneBuckeye

  

  I never have, but I have seen it happen and it is fantastic every time. You always have to threaten to cut supplier’s business before you get what you really want out of them in my experience. Especially if you are looking for something free or on top of what they planned on giving you.
• Apple

  

  There's gotta be a woman somewhere in this mix. I'm thinking the guy's wife made him sleep on the couch the night before your conversation with him.
• justincredible

  

  I'm about to flip out on one of my coworkers. The guy is over in India and apparently doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground.
• se-alum

  

  I work for the gov't, so we get what we want, when we want it. Never had to threaten anyone. No business wants to lose a gov't contract!
• jmog

  I've never flipped out at someone at work, but have flipped out AFTER a conversation with someone, just went outside and "cooled off".
  
  I'm a VERY mellow/even keeled guy, I hardly ever get really pissed.
• ernest_t_bass

  

  I teach, so I lose my cool a lot, with smart ass kids. Since I've been married and a father, I have softened up. I used to lose my cool all the time.
• Trueblue23

  

  I hate 99% of the people i work with.
• Swamp Fox

  Everybody will eventually have that moment when they have just had it. It's how you react to it that is the important thing. I've mellowed quite a bit over the years but when people don't tell me the truth, that upsets me more than anything else.
• Scarlet_Buckeye

  

  In THIS economy...........I don't understand why people are not more understanding and willing to bend over backwards for the customers they DO currently have. Just doesn't make sense.
• ZWICK 4 PREZ

  

  I guess he probably thought since he was the only authorized Siemens distributor that is close to us, that he had me over a barrel. What he failed to realize is that I couldn't give a shit less about if I use Siemens or someone else and if you're going to screw me, I have no problem using someone else. Cuz once I told him I'd give A-B a call, he changed his tune.
• Thunder70

  

  That's why I go to the gym after work. Helps me better deal with the issues of the day.
• Heretic

  

  I've had to take a timeout to cool off, but I've never gone off on anyone. I think that's why everyone at the office loves my "professionalism". I'll have a deadline changed with very little advance notice or warning and not bat an eye......and they never know that while I'm driving home, I have the windows up and am screaming at the top of my lungs about how I'm step away from goin' Columbine on everyone there.
• Keith

  There are times I would like to. My pet peeve is lazy, unmotivated people. We have a couple of folks in our office like that and I really have had times where I would like to run over them in the parking lot after work.
• Jawbreaker

  ZWICK 4 PREZ wrote: I guess he probably thought since he was the only authorized Siemens distributor that is close to us, that he had me over a barrel. What he failed to realize is that I couldn't give a shit less about if I use Siemens or someone else and if you're going to screw me, I have no problem using someone else. Cuz once I told him I'd give A-B a call, he changed his tune.

  I hate calling Siemens, Cutler Hammer, and some divisions of GE (i.e. Mulitilin). You can never get a straight answer or talk to the right person without going through 2 or 3 people. It seems like once you do contact the right person they are very helpful.
• GoChiefs

  

  Imagine that! They are sending more work over to China! BASTARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• ptangzoot

  I agree...Cutler hammer people can be a huge pain. Siemens not much better.
• Emerald110

  I work at a small company that has been growing and with more personalities and bureaucracy to deal with, I have definitely been having issues controlling my temper at work. I also don't like it when it happens, but sometimes stupidity can be overpowering.
• nc52

  

  i lose my cool all the time. thank god i do have a couple good operations managers. now my dock supervisor is a different story