A company claimed my use of their software library was outside what I paid for, so they wanted 17 years back pay at a ridiculous rate. I had an email from back then from them saying my usage was within the license. It didn’t even occur to me they might claim the opposite almost two decades later.
This is exactly why I save all of my business email and I don’t mince words about that. I’m very up front with my customers that email is important and that both parties should save our correspondence. Whenever I’m asking for/proposing/communicating about changes to the terms of our relationship I always explicitly say “you should keep a copy of this email as evidence of [...]”
On the flip side, when a company refuses to acknowledge things like arbitration opt-outs that comply with the requirements articulated in the ToS (you know who you are), I email myself a copy of the Exchange trace report showing that the server never recorded a reply. I’m also usually open that I’m doing that, too.
Generally speaking records are an asset not a liability, unless you’re up to something shady. Generally.
Comments
This is why I save documents like this too, but I've only had receipts for small bills come in handy.
If it's possible to give any detail without giving too much, I'm curious what the nature of the situation was and what the saving document was?
A company claimed my use of their software library was outside what I paid for, so they wanted 17 years back pay at a ridiculous rate. I had an email from back then from them saying my usage was within the license. It didn’t even occur to me they might claim the opposite almost two decades later.
This is exactly why I save all of my business email and I don’t mince words about that. I’m very up front with my customers that email is important and that both parties should save our correspondence. Whenever I’m asking for/proposing/communicating about changes to the terms of our relationship I always explicitly say “you should keep a copy of this email as evidence of [...]”
On the flip side, when a company refuses to acknowledge things like arbitration opt-outs that comply with the requirements articulated in the ToS (you know who you are), I email myself a copy of the Exchange trace report showing that the server never recorded a reply. I’m also usually open that I’m doing that, too.
Generally speaking records are an asset not a liability, unless you’re up to something shady. Generally.