Lost a $500 vendor payment because I ignored a minor discrepancy for 3 weeks

I was reviewing invoices at my shop in Austin and noticed a small 15 dollar difference on a regular supply order. Figured it was just a typo and set it aside. Three weeks later that vendor shut off our account and charged us a 75 dollar late fee on top of the balance. Now I check EVERY number line before I file anything away. Has anyone else had a tiny error snowball into a major headache?

2 comments

2 Comments

paige5141mo ago

Wait, they shut off your whole account over 15 bucks? That's insane. I had something similar happen with a parts supplier once, they tacked on a "processing fee" for a missing decimal that turned a 12 dollar difference into a 60 dollar headache by the time they were done. Now I'm like you, I triple check every single number before I even look away from the invoice. A tiny mistake with a supplier is scary because it can mess up your whole workflow for a week while you sort it out.

grace4191mo ago

Right? It's like they're waiting for you to mess up so they can punish you. I had a tool rental place do the same thing to me over a 20 dollar damage waiver I didn't even ask for. They just slapped it on, then locked me out of their system when I disputed it. Took me three weeks to get back in and by then my whole project was behind schedule. Now I basically read every invoice like I'm looking for a hidden bomb. You can't be too careful with these places, they'll nickel and dime you into a breakdown.