Mailing of Calendars Delayed

I just got back from Sundance and found out that the IFS schedules that were delivered to a mailing business two weeks ago - and that should have been mailed at that time - were only dropped into the mail yesterday. This was due to the fact that this business (whose name I won't mention) will only send out the mailings upon receipt of pre-payment from the university. Unfortunately, even though I put a RUSH payment request on their invoice about a month ago, the university (unbeknownst to me) ignored that rush request, and processed payment at their usual snail's pace of three-to-four weeks.

Compounding the problem were vague communications from the mailing company: Here's the email exchange between me and the contact for the mailing business. Keep in mind that the schedules were delivered to this company on January 9th:

Jan 13 -

Hi Pablo,

We have received the calendars and we should be dropping the mail on 1/15/09.

I also needed to check on the postage.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you~~

Jan 15

Hi -

- I'm at Sundance, but feel free to call if there's any issue - otherwise I'll presume we're good to go. Thanks!
Sent from my iPhone

Jan 15 -

Hi Pablo,

We just need to check on the postage check.

Thank you

Jan 15:

Hi -

I'm unclear from your email below if what you mean is that the mailing of the IFS schedules is being held up because you have not received a check yet from the university.

To that end, I'm cc'ing (name of guy who handles our accounting) so that, if need be, you can email him directly with any inquiry into the status of the check.

Because I'm in screenings throughout the day, my cell phone is off and I can only catch-up on emails late in the evenings, so I apologize in advance for not being more accessible.

Best,

pk

Jan. 16 -

Hi Pablo.

I sent an email to (accountant) to check on the status of the postage check.

I will keep you updated.

Thank you~~

Jan 23 -

Hi Pablo,

The mailing went out yesterday, 1/22/09.

So the schedules that I gave this company two weeks ago only got mailed yesterday. That means many of you won't get it in time, and this is unacceptable. To that end I promise you this; I will take my business to a different mailing company, one that either accepts credit card payment (which would have avoided this mess) and/or accepts some other form of payment other than a check, especially since the university bureaucracy is unreliable in such matters. But, either way, I will take my business to a company that will not sit on time-sensitive mailings and also communicate effectively with the customer. For example, in this case, it would have helped to have gotten the following email: "Your schedules will not be dropped in the mail until payment is received, and we still have not gotten payment from the university." The vagueries of "We have received the calendars and we should be dropping the mail on 1/15/09. I also needed to check on the postage" is misleading and instills a false confidence that everything is fine. In reality, the situation was far from fine.