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Thread: Is it time i discard this customer? Would you?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
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    NC Piedmont
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    192
    Sounds like most of us agree you are responsible and should pay for replacement costs for the mugs. It's the right thing to do regardless of how your pricing structure was. But then send out emails to all customers with your new fees for work and packaging. Make it like it is across the board not just aimed at this customer. If you kinda want to get his goat then give him a "special rate" just slightly below what the going rate would be from other engravers. Then he would have some decisions.

    I know nothing about engraving but I do know about service businesses. Funny thing but I have done work for some people at discounted rates and even completely donated services. And if things happen to not go just right they often forget how nice and generous you were and cause just as much difficulty.

  2. #17
    First rule of engraving: price your work to make you happy! If that's not good enough, so be it!

    Your mistake and why did you continue to make it. Pay for the cups. Stop using spray and use a foam brush.

    Depending on the size of the logo, you can fairly easily, remove the cermark with 3M 240 grit wet/dry sandpaper. I just ran 48 yetis yesterday with 2 bad marks. It took me about 10 minutes each to refinish the cup and re-apply the cermark. It is undetectable. I have a couple more from other jobs that I need to fix but the logos are large enough that I deemed them to be too large to fix.

    In all cases, the fault was mine--bad application or not secured in the rotary device.

    This entire problem is your fault, going back to your original pricing strategy.
    Mike Null

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  3. #18
    I'd write the check immediately no questions asked. To answer your question, yes it's well worth $184 to be rid of this customer if that's your choice.

    Now, you can think of it this way, your customer has just put a price tag on how they values your services. They are willing to loose your services for $184. Don't take it personally. Look at it as a blessing that you know now before it came to a much larger project, a bargain if you will. Continue to be grateful for the business they sent you during the earlier years and do small stuff for them if you choose or not. You don't owe each other anything really but you know not to trust them and that is a valuable thing.

    I would be ready to refer them to one or two other engravers.

    David

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Grand Rapids, Minnesota
    Posts
    305
    Thanks guys for all your helpful advice.
    It’s tough, sometimes, my making the right decisions; running this business by myself ‘n all; ‘thousand other things on my mind! Guess I felt that my refunding the full engraving price of all 43 mugs seemed sufficient. (23 of which engraved fine; 23 ruined).


    Can see, now, where I should go ‘head and reimburse their cost of the 23 unusable mugs.($184). - or, ‘least, apply this as a discount to future projects, if ‘n when? (which I think would be acceptable to this guy.) But, only, as you all suggested, he gives me those mugs to own.


    Think I was letting my emotions get in the way of making the proper decision, as I didn’t care one bit for this guy’s confrontational way of addressing this issue; his threatening tone via e-mail. It’s quite clear to me, now, that this guy, this outfit, doesn’t at all appreciate, or value, the time ‘n efforts that go into handling their jobs - nor, value my not charging for unpacking/re-packing ‘n all. So, while I’ll probably pay ‘em - simply for my integrity’s sake - afterwards, I may tell ‘em to find another engraving shop! (My knowing the one he will most likely use will be charging him for shipping to ‘n from!)


    Other thing I’ve learned from your replies: not to allow customers - nor selling price of their items - to dictate what I charge for engraving jobs! And, not to allow customers to take advantage of my good nature without their ‘least “paying” for it! Also, that my cleaning the cups, first, may have made a difference? (what with? denatured alcohol?) Losing this account may, indeed, hurt a bit - but, ‘least my self-esteem would stay in tack! Will try ‘n let you know how it all turns out!

    Have 'great Day! - Bill
    (Using Epilog 35W Mini 24)

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Iowa USA
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    4,438
    Oh so he has got usable product, then screw the entire buy back. Let him pay for the ones that are done right.... perhaps adjusting the price a little higher and just buy back the ones that are bad. Do you still have the mugs or does he? Yes I always at least use DNA before coating.
    Retired Guy- Central Iowa.HVAC/R , Cloudray Galvo Fiber , -Windows 10

  6. #21
    Im on the Pay back, Ditch Him Train. If he benefited from your good nature all this time only to turn on you when you had a problem, then my reaction would be to invite him over to my shop so I could give him a real Irish telling off that left him with no confusion as to what I thought. PS Mayo Pardo's analogy of the Old Car is absolutely perfect. If somebody wants to make a silk purse out a pigs ear, thats none of your business : )
    355 - 10400 : )

  7. #22
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    Do you have a photo to share of the "defect"?
    Tim
    There are Big Brain people & Small Brain people. I'm one of the Big Brains - with a lot of empty space.- me
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  8. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    Shohola, PA Pocono Mountains
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    I make FRP tags for Firemen called Accountability Tags. A few years ago I saw that epoxies etc had a new thicker epoxy for doming. I got a sample and loved it.. Did some testing and all was well. Bought a Gallon and switched from the standard I had been using for 5 years. About 8 months later about the time Sandy the Hurricane was washing up the East Coast in late October 2012, I started getting phone calls... As the tags were exposed to colder weather they started warping.... Every single one.... Even some in my shop with the heat off due to the power being out... The Gallon was just about empty....

    I did every single tag over... Took some time but I did not think twice about it.... When I first posted about it, one of our Members said I missed my easy out... Just tell them it is my new "Parabolic, Anti Glare tags"... No extra charge.... LOL...
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  9. #24
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    My business coach told me this - every company makes mistakes, the difference between a bad company and a great company is how they handle them.

    Quote Originally Posted by AL Ursich View Post
    I make FRP tags for Firemen called Accountability Tags. A few years ago I saw that epoxies etc had a new thicker epoxy for doming. I got a sample and loved it.. Did some testing and all was well. Bought a Gallon and switched from the standard I had been using for 5 years. About 8 months later about the time Sandy the Hurricane was washing up the East Coast in late October 2012, I started getting phone calls... As the tags were exposed to colder weather they started warping.... Every single one.... Even some in my shop with the heat off due to the power being out... The Gallon was just about empty....

    I did every single tag over... Took some time but I did not think twice about it.... When I first posted about it, one of our Members said I missed my easy out... Just tell them it is my new "Parabolic, Anti Glare tags"... No extra charge.... LOL...

  10. #25
    You really should give him $184. It seems like you should have caught this after 1 or 2 cups. I'd also tell him keep the cups. (If you tell him you want them and he says no, now you're gonna be mad all over again. Why give him another chance to bully you?) Make this right and bring it to an end. Then, raise your rates to a proper level. If he comes by again, thank him and decline his business if it still bothers you.

  11. #26
    NO I thoroughly disagree with giving him the cups. If I'm going to pay him for them I'm going to own them. Simple as that. From the sounds of this guy he'd probably sand them himself then get somebody else to engrave . NO NO pay and get the cups



    Quote Originally Posted by Frederick Skelly View Post
    You really should give him $184. It seems like you should have caught this after 1 or 2 cups. I'd also tell him keep the cups. (If you tell him you want them and he says no, now you're gonna be mad all over again. Why give him another chance to bully you?) Make this right and bring it to an end. Then, raise your rates to a proper level. If he comes by again, thank him and decline his business if it still bothers you.
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  12. #27
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Grand Rapids, Minnesota
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    305
    IN ANSWER TO ‘COUPLE OF YOUR REPLIES: 43 stainless mugs were engraved - 20 successfully. And, yes, I did hand-wash and check a few of the first ones, as I always do. Watching over the project, it sure seemed they were all engraving fine. But, as I said, upon hand-washing a very tiny (and I do mean “tiny”) portion of their logo rinsed off on 23 of ‘em. (I will, thanks to one suggestion, be sure to wipe stainless items down with DNA ‘fore engraving with Cermark in the future - may’ve made a difference?)


    Sorry, Tim, I can’t show a photo, as the image/logo would identify the outfit I’m referring to, and I shouldn’t. Also: per one suggestion, I ran to Home Depot ‘n bought 3M/240 grit sandpaper- well, actually 220 grit all that was available.Tried it. Seemed to work ok removing the Cermark - but, 23 mugs? don’t have the stamina, or time.


    So, anyway, I am, at this point - thanks to your wisdom ‘n advice - planning to pay him his $184 whole/sale loss of his mugs. ‘Though I’ll also be adding back in my charge for successfully engraving those 20 mugs, which I had voided. Only question remaining in my mind: how to react to what I considered his personally offensive and threatening way of handling this issue - ‘n his obvious lack of care ‘n appreciation for all I’ve done for this outfit over the years. (i.e. meeting their often unrealistic deadlines.) As somebody mentioned earlier, it’d almost be worth $184 to tell this customer how I really feel!


    As for the sense of my pricing so low for this outfit? - my engraving prices have worked out satisfactorily, profit versus engraving time wise - as many of their items are small ‘n don’t take long. It’s been the unpacking/re-packing hundreds of items that’s resulted in far less profitability, if not flat out ‘no profit’. So,that’s gonna change, as it should’ve ‘long time ago! If I lose their business, life goes on ... right?


    Will be discussing all this with the guy after Thursday; will try ‘n let you all know how it turns out. Good Night All - Bill
    (Using Epilog 35W Mini 24)

  13. #28
    Devils advocate--- sorta...

    My thoughts on this are along these lines: We own a mobile home that we're renting to some friends for $100 plus lot fees. Yet every time a faucet drips or the toilet doesn't flush, they expect ME to stop what I'm doing, buy new stuff and replace it. I just flat tell them, how can I afford to pay to replace the stuff you're wearing out at $100 a month? Start paying me $800 a month and I'll GLADLY fix anything that goes wrong! Otherwise, take part of the money I'm saving you and buy a new faucet and toilet, and... I'll install them...

    ------Am I out of line? We ARE friends, and when it's all said and done, they see my point...AND, I'm sharing the burden...

    This situation with these cups is very similar. Guy's been getting deep discounts for years, but no such discount is offered on the cups...?

    I'd give this customer 2 options:

    1- Offer to pay half the price of the cups (or some other percentage you feel fair), and continue doing business at your discounted rates,
    -or-
    2- Pay the full price for the cups, and kindly state prices are going up closer to 'average market' levels in order to help offset such costs in the future...

    I agree that the cups should be paid for, HOWEVER, after years of discounted pricing, there's no reason this customer can't share the burden (and risk) and take less for the cups...
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  14. #29
    Ha ha. Watching the andygriffith show as i read this

  15. #30
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    The co you dealt with did NOT set the price , YOU did .. they were your lifeline when things were tough and now you messed up a few mugs (your mistake) and you want them to eat the cost your mistake and you justify this whole dogs breakfast in terms of the customer didnt appreciate your work and low pricing YOU set
    A situation of YOUR making. You are the expert .. you messed up , you owe the guy $184 , refusing to pay and firing the customer is NOT good business.
    Take your medicine like a man!!!!
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