If you read back to the previous entry, you will recall that we had a stroke of luck. To recap, our initial manufacturing option was shut down due to the lead paint incident, we found a reputable and secure manufacturer, shipped the mold, and started the production process.
Even though we were now out of the woods, so to speak, in regards to the safety of our product, we still faced an unfortunate delay. Products are not produced overnight, especially custom products such as the Official Vick Dog Chew Toy. Securing safe manufacturing for your product is a very essential first step. Manufacturing of that product is the next step, but certainly not a quick next step. So, what do we do based on the delay? Several thousand orders were pending and emails regarding anticipated ship dates were coming in. How do we handle the latest delay?
Honesty. That has been the cornerstone of our mission. Honestly and openly communicate with your customers, let them know the facts as we had nothing to hide, and give them the anticipated new ship date. We did this first through our website, with an anticipated new ship date of December, 2007 and also communicated this to each email submission that we answered. It was a daunting task but one that was fair, open, and honest. In addition, we advertised, offered, and granted refunds to those that did not want to wait. As a result of our efforts, we received hundreds of, “thanks for the information, I will wait for my Official Vick Dog Chew Toy”, responses. In addition, we also gladly granted refunds for those that did not want to wait. In both cases, we were able to manage the integrity of our endeavor and sleep well at night knowing we were doing all we could to manage the orders that now generated several thousand dollars.
Do we compromise? Here is an interesting option: to bridge the gap between product completion and fulfillment, do we seek a temporary solution? One member of the team sought out once again to find a US based manufacturer that could provide us with a temporary toy that be produced faster, that did not have to go through the challenges of international shipping and associated US Customs hold up. This individual was given the directive by the team to investigate the options. However, there was to be ZERO compromise between the product advertised, currently in production, and the Official Vick Dog Chew Toy that was scheduled to arrive in early December 2007. In other words, there was absolutely no compromise to the product and absolutely no way that there would be two Official Vick Dog Chew Toy’s that would go to market.
Why was this such a hard line stance? The core unit that made up Aim To Beginn, LLC refused to compromise. We had a product that was advertised, sold, and a product that we committed to sell. We had orders pending for the Official Vick Dog Chew Toy. To offer a product that, “resembles”, “looks like”, or differs from the original creation would be an insult to those that originally purchased the toy that we promised. There would simply be no substitute. Bait and switch, along with other famous marketing tactics were not part of our montra and we were not about to insult those that laid down their hard earned cash and give them something different from what we promised. No way!
What happens next is the most controversial story that I have to tell. That story is next.
I appreciate your interest in my story.
Tags: chew toy, dog toy, dogchewtoy, michael vick, official story of the vick dog chew toy, officialvickdogchewtoy.com, pet chew toy, pitbull, vick chew
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