Tiny Details Part 2: I Am Not Getting Paid for My Work

I have completed several orders for Tiny Details, a home assembly company that makes miniature doll house accessories. The company has proved to be very slow, but they did pay me. I have received two checks from them for my work.

However, my latest order turned out to be a complete waste of time and effort; a lot of time and a lot of effort, I might add. I had completed a set of miniature journals. I followed the directions and did my best, as usual, to make them as good as possible. As required, I had submitted a sample journal before sending in the whole set. The sample was approved. So in late May, 2008 I had sent in my completed order of 50 miniature journals.

Months have passed, no word from Tiny Details. I began regularly calling them in August, and it had taken many calls to finally hear that my order has been inspected, and my check and next order have been mailed to me. What I received though shortly after that call was not the check but my journals. They did not pass the inspection. That in itself is frustrating enough, but there is something worse: the enclosed letter stated that since 60 days allowed for correcting an order have passed, I can no longer replace three "bad" journals with better ones, re-submit the kit, and get paid for it.

Dare I ask whose fault it is that the 60 days have passed?? Not mine, obviously. I had submitted both my sample and my completed kit on time. It was Tiny Details who for some reason could not get my work inspected quickly enough. They have been holding it for almost 4 months! Did they hold it on purpose, to avoid paying me? It certainly seems so, and it is very underhanded of them, in my opinion.

I suppose I could call the company, try to get a hold of a manager, and try to prove my case, but I do not want to spend another 2-3 months on the phone, dialing and leaving messages - which is perhaps exactly what they count on. I am not saying that this home assembly company is a scam; as I have mentioned in the beginning of this article, they did pay me for my previous kits. However, I do not recommend Tiny Details. Whether they held my kit on purpose or not, their extremely slow processing is unacceptable.

I am free to sell the rejected set of miniature journals myself, Tiny Details says. Anybody wants one?