ASSIGNMENT

You are a customer service manager at Kodak. Today you receive a letter from Richard Coppe, a 28 year old resident of Orlando who wants Kodak to foot the bill for a round-the-world trip because his Kodak FunSaver cameras malfunctioned and none of the pictures could be developed. Mr. Coppe requests that Kodak refund the cost of his trip ($15,000) because he lost memories. Kodak FunSaver cameras are single use cameras loaded with film that cost about $15. Mr. Coppe mentions that he had purchased 12 for his trip.

As soon as you read the letter, you know what went wrong and why he lost the film. Of the 5 million FUNSAVER cameras sold last year, 20,000 malfunctioned. One of the suppliers of the cameras squirted too much oil into the shutter mechanism during manufacturing. The cameras from the lot were recalled. In fact, Kodak spent a great deal of money to remove the cameras from store shelves ($250,000), and notices of the recall were displayed in stores that carried the camera that provided directions to customers who had already purchased the camera. Mr. Coppe missed these notices.

Kodak has since redesigned the FUNSAVER camera so that it will work even with excess oil.

Although you are sorry, Kodak’s policy is to never assume responsibility beyond replacing a camera or film. In fact, your supervisor thinks the request is preposterous. She agrees, though, that this customer has suffered more than a routine loss of snapshots. While you cannot refund the cost of his trip (or any part of it), you can give Mr. Coppe a new digital camera, KODAK PIXPRO AZ252 Astro Zoom Digital Camera, worth $250.

Write a letter to Mr. Coppe that refuses his demand for the $15,000 but retains the customer’s goodwill. (In the letter, use your name in the signature line.)