#customer complaint
The Complaint Tablet of Ea-Nasir
Currently on display at the British Museum, the “Complaint Tablet” is an ancient Mesopotamian cuneiform tablet dating to around 1750 BC. It is essentially a customer service complaint from a client named Nanni to the merchant Ea-Nasir. Ea-Nasir had traveled abroad to buy copper ingots and promised Nanni to sell some of them to him. Nanni sent a servant with a sum of money to buy it. The copper was of low quality, plus Nanni accuses Ea-Nasir of treating his servant rudely. The tablet was housed at the National Museum of Iraq, but was rescued from looters during the 2003 Iraq War. It was originally found in the ruins of Ur.
Tell Ea-nasir: Nanni sends the following message:
When you came, you said to me as follows : “I will give Gimil-Sin (when he comes) fine quality copper ingots.” You left then but you did not do what you promised me. You put ingots which were not good before my messenger (Sit-Sin) and said: “If you want to take them, take them; if you do not want to take them, go away!”
What do you take me for, that you treat somebody like me with such contempt? I have sent as messengers gentlemen like ourselves to collect the bag with my money (deposited with you) but you have treated me with contempt by sending them back to me empty-handed several times, and that through enemy territory. Is there anyone among the merchants who trade with Telmun who has treated me in this way? You alone treat my messenger with contempt! On account of that one (trifling) mina of silver which I owe(?) you, you feel free to speak in such a way, while I have given to the palace on your behalf 1,080 pounds of copper, and umi-abum has likewise given 1,080 pounds of copper, apart from what we both have had written on a sealed tablet to be kept in the temple of Samas.
How have you treated me for that copper? You have withheld my money bag from me in enemy territory; it is now up to you to restore (my money) to me in full.
Take cognizance that (from now on) I will not accept here any copper from you that is not of fine quality. I shall (from now on) select and take the ingots individually in my own yard, and I shall exercise against you my right of rejection because you have treated me with contempt.
The ancient art of the customer complaint….
Post link
