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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/DungeonsAndData on 2025-02-27 22:52:17+00:00.
I finally have a story for this sub.
So, background. I work in US Customs Compliance, which...due to the current administration is annoyingly unstable. Tariffs are being changed left and right, as well as the definitions of what products count as what kind of products or materials being classified as specific exceptions... It's a mess.
However, there's this thing called "duty drawback" that ended up being a big deal at my company. To REALLY water it down, if Company A imports products to the US but then immediately ships it to, say, Canada to their franchise stores (Company B), then technically Company A was simply a stop on route and not the ultimate receiver. Company B pays taxes (called "duty") on the product, but because Company A ALSO paid taxes, Company A is due a refund for the duty paid. Hence, Duty Drawback.
So after MONTHS of chasing down this information, going back five years, learning we had holes in the info, trying to patch that up, trying to figure out the math, making it accurate, finding errors, etc etc... Up to 16 hour days because "someone" promised we could get this done in two months when we needed five, and weekends torpedoed by work calls, we finally submitted the application.
And it worked! We got a great return, but because we missed the deadline by a day and it was a rocky process, my boss was "let go" over "poor performance" and "missed opportunities." Nevermind the fact that this project was his idea and he was the one who got it rolling in the first place!
And then the higher ups decided that they wanted records of everything covered. Not digital, though! That's not official enough. Printed, in binders, with official letterhead. Sealed and signed, if you would. Well, my boss's superior, who is covering his desk, came to us livid at the extra work we had to do and said, "They want paperwork? They get paperwork! Find the biggest binders you can find and put everything on hold until they get what they want!"
"And, just to make sure they see everything...print it single sided."
So far, we have about 3,600 printed pages, hole punched by yours truly, stuffed into six binders, and that got us through June of YEAR ONE. Of five. The binder pile is three feet tall already and I get to do more of that when I get back to work.
Compared to what I've been through recently, this is practically a vacation! And I can't wait to see that jerk's face when we drop all of these on their desk.