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Customers We Love To Hate

By Brandt, John R
Publication: Industry Week
Date: Monday, May 1 2006
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Moochers, freeloaders and others for whom we just can't do . . . too little.

WELCOME ONCE AGAIN TO CAPSTONE Screw's annual customer awards program, at which we recognize those customers who did the most to make our lives a collective living hell over the past year.

Time prevents me from going into detail about every customer we could have recognized, but then again, you know who you are and what you did (and, more importantly, so do we, which is why you'll be seeing that 8% "special service" surcharge on all your invoices this year). So let's get right to them, the winners of Capstone's own Golden Screw Awards:

Best Use of Our Cash in a Supporting Role: There's nothing we love better than loaning our working capital out at 0% interest, and when it comes to taking advantage of our dependence on your business, there's nobody like DNR Motors! As you know, DNR isn't just our largest customer, it's also our slowest receivable by an astounding 32 days. My favorite story about this lovable 800-pound bully of a client is when our CFO asked if DNR could please, please, please clean up some 120-days-plus invoices. DNR's reply? "Maybe we'll just go to China." DNR, this Golden Screw is for you!

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