The email signature and the phone bill

The powers at be decided to spend a lot of money getting a design company to make fancy email signatures for everyone in the firm - logos included.

Well the first draft arrives, and I notice that my name and email address are spelled incorrectly. After debating the value in correcting it, they agreed. The signature came back a week later. This time the phone number was wrong. They told me it was the number of the team secretary.

me: but I didn't ask you to put her number...I want mine back please

them: but she's a secretary, her job is to answer the phones and put them through [note - an example of cultural them and us that I don't understand, especially for a culture that claims we are all brothers and sisters!]

me: but I didn't ask you to change it, and the secretary doesn't speak English and my customers are all English speakers.

them: but that's her job

me: but she doesn't speak English

them: but that's her job

me: but she doesn't speak English

them: but... ok we'll change it

A week later the signature comes back

me: the cell phone number is incorrect

them: but that's what's on the contact list

me: so the contact list is wrong. Also, why was the cell number correct in the last two drafts?

them: we'll have it changed

Anyway - imagine how much money it would save to just put my own manual signature at the end. This company is willing to spend on fancy signatures but has asked me to use my phone less as its too expensive. They asked me why I make calls overseas. When I told them it was because my job was to start a new international product for them, they said: oh, but still use the phone less.

Lesson: A fancy email signature with no added utility is more important than a couple of hundred extra shekels of phone calls with potential clients every month