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On occasion of Diwali, all the employees at my workplace got a 1ltr glass bottle nicely gift wrapped from the HR department. When I opened mine, I learned that the bottle is already broken(not by dropping but it looks more like a manufacturing defect)

I want to know what would be the best thing to do in this situation because I'm a little sad though and I would really love to get a proper bottle. How can I professionally approach this situation with HR? Or, is there any potential downfall in doing so?

Update: I'd like to thank each and every one for guiding me on this. I feel motivated and proud at the same time to contribute others who might run into a dilemma like this today or tomorrow. Also, I got a replacement for my bottle and the HR didn't mind it. They appreciated letting me tell them about the broken bottle I received. :)

shuberman
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7 Answers7

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Talk to whoever gave it to you. Explain that it appears to have been broken before you opened it and politely ask for a replacement.

It should be as simple as this.

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    Okay. I mean I just dont want to painted as a petty person. But what you say also seems right. – shuberman Nov 12 '18 at 13:14
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    No, it's just about being fair. You shouldn't be expected to receive a broken gift and not say anything about it. –  Nov 12 '18 at 13:21
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    @user7841468 When they gave you the gift, they wanted to make you happy. I'm sure they'd rather sort this out for you - than have you feel disappointed. If you go in being friendly and conscientous like you have here - nobody's going to think anything negative about you. –  Nov 12 '18 at 13:25
  • Just explain it as you did in your question, that it mad you sad when you saw the defect. – JustSaying Nov 12 '18 at 15:24
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    @user7841468 they will most likely get a free replacement from whatever source they got it from so it's really not much of a hassle for them. – Summer Nov 12 '18 at 15:57
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    @Summer And whatever hassle there is is the fault of the manufacturer, not the unfortunate recipient of the broken item. – David Richerby Nov 12 '18 at 17:36
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    Furthermore, if they purchased such a large bulk order, the manufacturer has every incentive to keep them pleased so that they buy again the following year. Thus, your request for replacement should not be the sort of thing that causes HR any significant hardship to accommodate. – Pyrotechnical Nov 12 '18 at 18:07
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    If something is broken or defective, such as the glass bottle is cracked, you should ask for another one. It would only be petty if you complained about minor cosmetic problem such as the glass of the bottle containing too many small air bubbles. – jcmack Nov 12 '18 at 18:32
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    One last thing--your company will understand that you're upset with the manufacturer, not with the company or their generous gift. I'm sure the company would also be upset to learn that you got a broken gift from the manufacturer and would like to get a replacement so that you are pleased with their gift. – A N Nov 12 '18 at 20:08
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    @user7841468 if you give a gift to a friend, spouse, child or other family member, even just a small "thinking of you" item, you want them to be satisfied with the gift. If they mention to you that it was broken, would you think they were being "petty"? Yeah, HR won't think that either... – FreeMan Nov 12 '18 at 21:00
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    This answer seems to imply that because it "should be that simple" that it actually IS that simple. Asking for a replacement may cause some people to view you as petty or ungrateful. Are they right for seeing it that way? No... but that is irrelevant. If these people have influence over your career path, then you probably don't want to appear that way in their eyes. – WalkerDev Nov 12 '18 at 21:19
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    I receive a mug that the design was shifted and the design and most part of the company name was blurry. I ask for a replacement and received a replacement. Simple as that. – Gabriel Mongeon Nov 12 '18 at 21:47
  • @Snow if we're talking about fairness it's not really fair that a gift-giver should feel obligated to spend more money replacing a broken gift - seems more unfair than receiving a broken gift imo. The point of a gift is the gesture. – ESR Nov 13 '18 at 00:59
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    No, the gift giver wouldn't be out of pocket - they'd simply raise this with the supplier in the same way that you or I would return a damaged item back to whoever sold it to us. –  Nov 13 '18 at 06:54
  • I wouldn't even ask for a replacement. Most people would give you a replacement if there's one available, or apologise and contact the supplier to get one. – jwenting Nov 13 '18 at 12:19
  • @ESR I don't see how it's not fair to anyone to contact whatever place they bought it from to ask for a replacement, which they have every right to, since it was broken. No money, no costs, no nothing. – Summer Nov 15 '18 at 11:19
  • @Summer whoever bought the gift may not want the obligation of having to return it, so putting this burden on them, when they have given you a gift, could possible be unfair. – ESR Nov 16 '18 at 01:10
  • @ESR whoever funded the gift is having an employee buying them, handing them out and also handling the returns. So whoever has to return the gift is getting paid to do so and really has no right to complain. I feel like you're looking at this too much from an IPS perspective instead of a workplace perspective. – Summer Nov 19 '18 at 10:23
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I agree with Snow♦'s answer and I would also add, make sure to express that you are thankful for the gift (and not just that you are disappointed that it was broken). I'm sure whoever picked it out will be happy to hear that you like it so much you would want a replacement.

I really like the glass bottles that were selected as our gifts this year! I was a little disappointed on opening mine to discover it was broken - are there any extras I could change it for? Thank you!"

charmingToad
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HR bought these presents. They paid money for them. They paid good money, and at least one of the presents was broken. Nobody likes to pay money for broken stuff, so HR will want to know about this, and then get a replacement from the vendor.

Tell them about it, so they can go back to the vendor. If not, then make sure that they never find out, because they will be annoyed if they find out later they paid good money for broken presents and were not given the chance to fix it.

gnasher729
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I don't see any answers yet that quite capture the approach I would take to this.

I think the only danger to avoid is being seen as a "problem employee" if you seem ungrateful for what they gave you, so make it clear that you appreciate that the company was willing to buy you the gift. A company has no obligation to give gifts (at least in the U.S.), so they are already acting generously. But if you are as thoughtful and polite as you have been here, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

I agree with others that the company wants to show appreciation and did not intend to give you a defective gift, so they'd want to replace it to make sure you don't feel snubbed (even if only because a disgruntled employee is bad for morale). So it is worth bringing up with HR.

(As an aside, it may be that other employees also received defective bottles, yet the company may not be aware of the issue. And if the fault was with the supplier as you suggest, they may even replace it at no cost to your company. I don't think that changes your approach, but maybe helps to convince you that it's worth bringing it up.)

I would try to be as polite as possible and avoid making a big deal out of it. Ask if they happen to have an extra bottle or if it they'd be willing to get a replacement for you, but don't push the issue if they say no. It was free to you, after all, so you do not have any right or entitlement to it.

So you might say:

I'm so glad that the company gave us these lovely bottles! They are a very nice gift! But I am a little sad that mine appears to be defective. Is there any chance that there is an extra one left over, or that the supplier might replace it for us? If not, don't worry about it, but I'd be very happy if there is, because I really like the bottle.

If they are willing to take the extra steps to replace the bottle for you, then I would also consider sending a thank-you note or some other extra token of appreciation to show your gratitude.

Of course, I'm American and don't know much about Indian etiquette (assuming you are in India as your reference to Diwali suggests), so take my advice with a grain of salt and use your own discretion as to how you expect them to handle it.

Sean the Bean
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    If you're going to thumbs-down my answer, could you please provide some constructive feedback as to how it could be improved or why you don't think it's a good approach? Thanks! – Sean the Bean Nov 13 '18 at 19:14
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There is a small chance HR will think you broke the bottle, that's the only potential downfall I can see. If you're worried that this may affect your reputation within the company then perhaps it's not worth asking for a new bottle.

However, if you explain honestly your version of events then I'm sure they'll replace it. I'd ask for a replacement if they have a spare, do not ask them to send it back to the manufacturer:

"I was so grateful to receive this gift but when I opened it I discovered it was broken. I guess it was a manaufacturing defect or maybe it got broken in transit. If there's any spare bottles do you think I could swap mine please?"

Pixelomo
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    I think it would be perfectly fine to leave out the theorizing about the cause, it feels - to me - rather obseqious or as trying to hide the fact that you did actually break it. Just report it as broken and ask if they can swap or exchange it. – Mark Rotteveel Nov 13 '18 at 16:24
  • yeah good point :) – Pixelomo Nov 13 '18 at 23:09
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I would leave it as it is and just move on.

As they did not do that on purpose and it's just a simple gift, so why bother anyone replacing them? Probably HR would have to contact this company to do replacement or so, it just not worth it I guess. I am pretty sure you will get many gifts in your life you will enjoy way more!

undefinedman
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    "Aww, heck ... it's just a bottle," so please don't over-think this thing. Undoubtedly, the folks in the HR Department bought it from some supplier before they gave it to you. (Hey, perhaps they have another one in their storage-closet!) Otherwise, it's really no big deal for them to call said supplier and tell them that the shipper screwed-up and would they please send another one. In a couple weeks at most, you're sure to have the gift that HR intended to give you. "These things happen..." – Mike Robinson Nov 12 '18 at 20:09
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    That's only true if he "did not really want it anyway". If it makes him minimally sad, it's different. Both from his, and the perspective of the company - which intends to make him more happy, and definitely not more sad. – Volker Siegel Nov 12 '18 at 20:16
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    Frequently, when such presents are ordered in bulk, they often have some spares just for this situations if they know what they are doing. – Rui F Ribeiro Nov 12 '18 at 20:57
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    The companies intent behind the gift is to show appreciation. A broken gift does not achieve this goal. On the contrary, an employee might become upset ("Why am I treated worse than the others?"). If employees are important to a company, it will order a new bottle even if it costs extra. The yield in happyness for the emloyee is much more worth than a bottle. So even if you just look at this from the companies gain perspective, it is in their interest to get that bottle. – problemofficer - n.f. Monica Nov 12 '18 at 23:00
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There was a similar incident in our office on Diwali occasion, We received personalized silver coins as a Diwali gift. One of the employee noticed that his coin was smaller and weighed less. So, he just requested our manager of the incident and manager quickly reported Issue to concerned person and his replacement was in an instant.

You should take a similar approach and report this to your direct manager. Mostly when ordering these gifts 2/3 extra items are ordered in case there are any defects in any of them so they can be quickly replaced.

nightfury101
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