derek_ramirez•1mo agoProlific Poster

Appreciation post: the coworker who caught my typo before it cost us $2,000

I was sending out a quote to a big client last Tuesday and accidentally left the decimal point off a number. Turned a $120 service into a $12,000 charge on paper. My coworker Bob walked by my desk, saw it, and pointed it out before I hit send. That would have been a disaster to fix later. Has anyone else had a random coworker save them from a dumb mistake like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor.paige1mo ago

Lol "turned a $120 service into a $12,000 charge" is exactly the kind of mistake that keeps me up at night honestly. I read somewhere that like 90% of invoice errors come from decimal misplacements or missing zeros, which sounds made up but totally believable after hearing this. Bob's a legend for catching that though, seriously. Most people would probably notice something off but not care enough to speak up, or they'd assume you already checked it. I had a similar thing where a coworker pointed out I put the wrong date on a contract that wouldve locked us into a penalty fee. Makes you realize how much we rely on just random luck and the kindness of people walking by.

noah_webb1mo ago

Nah, I gotta disagree with the whole "random kindness of people walking by" angle. Bob didn't save you because he's some saint. He saved you because he's a good employee who pays attention to what's happening around him. That's not luck, that's a guy doing his job right. Most people just stare at their own screen all day and wouldn't notice if the building was on fire. Bob saw a number that didn't look right and spoke up. That should be the standard, not some rare favor you're grateful for. You hire people to work together, not to sit in bubbles. Bob earned his paycheck that day, plain and simple.