What BIG Mistakes Has Your Company Made?

[buzzlady]

I worked for a major bank in their Data Processing Center. I worked with the Data Security dept. I will never forget the day that one of the branches was robbed. When someone asked about the film from the camera the response was "there wasn't any film in the camera" That was a BIG mistake.

 

[ilovepcot]

Not making me PRESIDENT! Just kidding.....I don't work!

 

[CookieGVB]

We merged with another firm - BIG mistake.

 

[jfulcer]

I worked for a rather large tradeclearing firm in Milwaukee. In November we spent $750k on a job scheduling system, support and service prepaid for 5 years.

Two months later our parent company bought our competitor and our office was closed - out client list was rolled into theirs.

That $750k purchase was a big mistake, especially paying for support up front. That other place had it made - sold a product for 5 years and only really had to do the work for 2 months.

Of course, 400 of us were out of a job but that's a different thread.

 

[ilovepcot]

Okay.....for those of you who are familiar with Publix, this is what they recently did. They packaged sliced Virginia Baked Ham and loaded it in their trucks to distribute to their stores all over the southeast. Unfortunately, someone royally screwed up. When it was discovered, the trucks had already left with the ham. Stores were alerted and advised to not put this "special" delivery out for the public to purchase, but return to mfg. facility. The labels read.......VAGIN* BAKED HAM!!!! Yum! yum! yum!!! Oh, and this was supposed to be a secret. Don't say I told ya!

 

[Towncrier]

Our company spend $20 million on a brand new inventory system that was supposed to save us from Y2K. It took longer than expected and, by the time it was rolled out, Y2K had come and gone without any repercusions. The new inventory system was a disaster and, recently, it was scrapped. I wonder just how big the bonuses were for the people who wasted all that money on a system that never worked?

Another Y2K boondoggle was that our company spent a few million on a backup generator. There are lots of gas wells in NE Ohio and our company was hoping that our plant was located on top of one. So they built the generator which, by the way, didn't have the capacity to actually power our entire building. The drilled for gas and found that we did indeed have a natural gas supply. Only it was a low grade supply that wouldn't be sufficient to power the generator. The generator that only had the capacity to power one third of the needs of our building. The generator project also ran late and wasn't done until well after Y2K occurred.

I wonder just how much money businesses around the world wasted preparing for the doom and gloom of Y2K?

 

[Micca]

That Y2K thing was a big time waster for us too

 

[TIGGERSMOM]

I work for the government - need I say more

Actually how about a brand new 3 million dollar communications system and no service contract.

 

[Robinrs]

Ha Ha!! Do you have enough space for this?

Changing computer systems was the BIGGEST mistake. The off site corp bought a trafficking/accounting system from Norway that they thought would save them money. Did they ask any of the people who dealt with the system daily?? Nooooo....

Well, not only did it lose them money BIG TIME they had to hire MORE people to operate it. Forgive me but doesn't more technology usually mean LESS manpower??? Well, they made the incredible decision that if they needed MORE people, they had to fire the ones makeing the most money to hire 2 or 3 kids who make the same as that one experienced person so they can make up the difference....



Well, THAT didn't work either!!

I could go on and on and on and on and on and on....

 

[GlennandAnn]

I work in a not for profit mental health agency, and the worst thing our management did was to fire (they said "lay off") one of our case managers. There were others with less seniority than her, but they fired her instead. Morale has gone way down, and people are really angry about it.

Ann

 

[Shel]

I worked for a privately owned "small" company. The owner sold us to Eaton Corporation with the understanding that all would remain as it was. Within 3 years they'd emptied out one building & moved it to Mexico, and moved our building to Michigan & shut us down. Needless to say I think Eaton Corporation stinks! I lost my job of 10 years because of their kind of company politics.

 

[lisajl]

I work for a veterinarian, so we don't have the mega cash flow problem, or big computer problems.

The biggest mistake he made was hiring a technician that is mentally unstable.
The first day she was there she said, " I know you guys don't like me." We should have know it was going to be bad.

She is gone now, morale is back up.

 

[crazelion]

Well I worked for HomeGoods part TJ Maxx INC.

They try processor a 500 pience truck with only 2 people. Expect it be done by a certian time.

On top that they is cut people hours left and right to saved on labor.

The full time people is only getting 29 hours or less a week. Then they is sending them home early.

The part time people is only getting 3 hours to 15 hours a week and sending them home early to.

They is paying only 5.15 hour.

People is quitting left and right because they is tried hours being cut and underminded.

On top that manager is idiot.

Once I found anither full time job I'm leaving as soon as possible.

When another job tells me I'm hire.

 

[Stepharoonie!]

The fact that one of our stores pays half of their employees under the table, and the company owner knows about it.

 

[Disney Doll]

Hiring consultants to "fix" the problems and find the places where money was being wasted.

Most of the suggestions the consultants made were tried, and failed, and we are back to where we were before they came.

Lots of money wasted though.

You would think that the people who run these companies, with all the education and degrees that tye are supposed to have, would be smarter.