Can you believe.............??

[Gino]

Had a customer come in last week and order quite a few name plates/panels for a professional building we take care of. Some of the replacements were for an electric sign at the front of the building. He also said, he needed replacement lamps for the electric sign. I told him, since we didn't originally make the cabinet, he'd hafta get me the size, cause I don't know it and instead of paying me to do it, he can just tell me what's on the lamps needing replacement. He comes back with a photo and said, they are 5'..... 60". Okay, so I ordered them, they came in the next day, he picked up all the panels and 3 lamps, paid and was on his merry way.

Got an e-mail today when I got in that the lamps are the wrong size. He ordered 60" and only got 48". Whada.... ?? Those lamps came almost up to my chin, they were no 48"ers. Called Glantz and they said, you were billed correctly and our files show they were picked correctly. We'll send 3 more. Thanks. Called him and said, they'll be here tomorrow, thanks for understanding. So, he says, yeah, when I went to put them in, they were a few inches too short. Huh ?? A few inches, whatda mean by a few inches ?? Not 12" ?? Okay..... go take an old lamp out and tell me what it says. Your story now doesn't make sense. Turns out, they are 64" lamps.

I told him they were gonna cost a little more and he said, well, I can bring the others back, right ?? Nope. You ordered them wrong and they don't like taking lamps back without total confidence they weren't used or abused. Sorry, but they're yours now.... and you hafta pay for the 3 new ones. Needless to say, he didn't like that, but it was his mistake all the way and I'm not gonna go through the hassles for his neglect to tell me right the first time around.

I have no problems whatsoever making him pay for the new ones and his keeping the old ones. Would any of you ??

​

 

[Kottwitz-Graphics]

No issues with that decision here. He should have pulled one out the first time around, and brought it in, much less when he called back and said they were short.

 

[Marlene]

customers who do their own surveys get what they ask for, plain and simple. it's why we charge to go look as it saves them money in the long run.

 

[GB2]

I would have confirmed the size marking on the old lamps the first time around. I would never have ordered lamps based on their measurement or guesstimate. I'd probably charge half price to replace them now.

 

[Gino]

I would have confirmed the size marking on the old lamps the first time around. I would never have ordered lamps based on their measurement or guesstimate. I'd probably charge half price to replace them now.

This is precisely why I asked him to go back and check the lamp size on the lamp itself, thus confirming the lamp size when he placed the order. I have no control over someone giving me wrong information. I expect a grown person whom is given specific directions on how to do something, to do it as requested. If he/she can't..... too bad.

Like I said, I didn't take the old ones back and I'm charging him full price for the new correct sizes.

• So, if someone asks you for a dozen lamps.... all wrong, you'll replace them for 1/2 price ??
• If someone asks you for 4 vehicles worth of magnetic signs and order all the wrong size, you'll do them over for 1/2 price ??
• If someone orders 20 banners and then when they get them say, that's wrong. I told you wrong. You'll agree to do them over for 1/2 price ??

Most of this stuff cannot be used for someone else. It's ruined materials and wasted inks and time.

Granted, not many mistakes are made of this nature, but having a policy such as yours can get someone in hot doo-doo rather quickly, if they rely on Joe Blow to tell them what they need.

So many of our orders come in as customer tell us what they want. If I tell them to go back and make sure they are doing it correct...... I don't see how it is 1/2 my fault.

We just did 528pcs 2' x 3' for a good customer. We did another 105 for another customer last week and still another 264 just picked up today. If they come back and say they're the wrong size, how is that 1/2 my fault ??

 

[hardlyjw]

No one said it was your fault lol. You asked "I have no problems whatsoever making him pay for the new ones and his keeping the old ones. Would any of you ??"

I'd make them pay personally. Ignorance costs.

 

[Gino]

No one said it was your fault lol. You asked "I have no problems whatsoever making him pay for the new ones and his keeping the old ones. Would any of you ??"

I'd make them pay personally. Ignorance costs.

And I am not taking any responsibility for the blame. I was pointing out some flaws to his thinking, not really defending my thinking.

Sometimes around here, people will say something as it pertains to the moment, not their actual beliefs. Many people will say one thing in one thread and lose their entire focus in the next thread and say something to the contrary.

Perhaps it is better said..... this could be viewed as a small sample of how to handle yourself when costumers f*ck up royally and try to pin the blame on you. Make sure all your 't's are crossed and your'i' are dotted. I have the paper where he wrote 60".​

 

[hardlyjw]

Had a client email me last week asking to have his logo made in to a back glass decal for his new Tahoe. Requested measurements 36"t x proportional width. I got a little satisfaction in asking where he buys his tape measures.

 

[Imakesigns]

This is precisely why I asked him to go back and check the lamp size on the lamp itself, thus confirming the lamp size when he placed the order. I have no control over someone giving me wrong information. I expect a grown person whom is given specific directions on how to do something, to do it as requested. If he/she can't..... too bad.

Like I said, I didn't take the old ones back and I'm charging him full price for the new correct sizes.

• So, if someone asks you for a dozen lamps.... all wrong, you'll replace them for 1/2 price ??
• If someone asks you for 4 vehicles worth of magnetic signs and order all the wrong size, you'll do them over for 1/2 price ??
• If someone orders 20 banners and then when they get them say, that's wrong. I told you wrong. You'll agree to do them over for 1/2 price ??

Most of this stuff cannot be used for someone else. It's ruined materials and wasted inks and time.

Granted, not many mistakes are made of this nature, but having a policy such as yours can get someone in hot doo-doo rather quickly, if they rely on Joe Blow to tell them what they need.

So many of our orders come in as customer tell us what they want. If I tell them to go back and make sure they are doing it correct...... I don't see how it is 1/2 my fault.

We just did 528pcs 2' x 3' for a good customer. We did another 105 for another customer last week and still another 264 just picked up today. If they come back and say they're the wrong size, how is that 1/2 my fault ??

I would offer to help out in some sort of way, if I were able to (margin). youre helping, not claiming responsibility.

 

[iSign]

And I am not taking any responsibility for the blame. I was pointing out some flaws to his thinking, not really defending my thinking.

Sometimes around here, people will say something as it pertains to the moment, not their actual beliefs. Many people will say one thing in one thread and lose their entire focus in the next thread and say something to the contrary.

FYI, it reads entirely like defending your thinking, and in a rather defensive way at that. I don't see where you can claim "flaws in his thinking" either.

None of your exaggerated apples and orange comments of lost inks on 20 banners have any relevance, nor does your Joe blow deep doo doo comments about someone's alleged "policy" ...Gary simply responded to your invitation to hear how others would handle this SPECIFIC issue of 3 bulbs...

..and given a client that orders quite a few name plates/panels for a professional building you take care of... I'd consider foregoing the markup on a reorder for a client like that too. That's not "flawed" thinking.... it's just someone else's thinking!

 

[Techman]

take the damn tubes back,, and save them for the next customer... I mean, as busy as your shop seems to be it should be a no brainer that the tubes will be needed elsewhere.

Sometimes marketing skills come in to play for the long term value.

 

[CanuckSigns]

I would take back the 60" tubes, and offer him a credit (not cash)for the value of them, use them in another project, win/win

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

I would resell him the new correct ones for full cost and give him a break by discounting the old ones from 30% markup to 10% or so. That way he feels like I am at least trying to help him out in the ****ty situation he caused himself. That way everyone's still making money. We might take a little hit on the profit side, but same token if he ordered correctly you would have never got the chance to make that extra 10% off of him.

 

[signage]

You told him to get the info off the lamps! Did he give you all the info off the lamps, if not you should have told him that if you order in the lamps they will be his, because he didn't give you all info off the lamps! It sounded like you had a good idea he didn't get the info you requested!

 

[Gino]

Yes, he was told exactly where to get the information from on the lamps. He told me he took the back off the sign, removed the bulbs and got the information.

Evidently, this was a lie, as they were 64" and not 60". He never looked and took down the information.

For anyone working with these kinda things routinely, his response about them being a few inches too short alerted me to what he had done. No bulb is actually the length you request. They are slightly shorter. The 64" lamp is really about 61.5". He most likely measured the light while still in the cabinet and saw 60 or 61 and guessed it to be 60" not knowing so many variables are possible, thus not reading the actual numbers. With his confirming he read it and it was indeed 60", I had no further reason to question him. I ordered.

Good relations, being a kind hearted guy and whatever else.... does not have anything to do with his neglect on his part. I don't stock a lotta lamps. I have a few, most of them 8 & 6 footers. At any size, they are so readily available, I have them in hand the next day, so I use my vendors as my inventory and not my money sitting on a shelf.

 

[CanuckSigns]

Yes, he was told exactly where to get the information from on the lamps. He told me he took the back off the sign, removed the bulbs and got the information.

Evidently, this was a lie, as they were 64" and not 60". He never looked and took down the information.

For anyone working with these kinda things routinely, his response about them being a few inches too short alerted me to what he had done. No bulb is actually the length you request. They are slightly shorter. The 64" lamp is really about 61.5". He most likely measured the light while still in the cabinet and saw 60 or 61 and guessed it to be 60" not knowing so many variables are possible, thus not reading the actual numbers. With his confirming he read it and it was indeed 60", I had no further reason to question him. I ordered.

Good relations, being a kind hearted guy and whatever else.... does not have anything to do with his neglect on his part. I don't stock a lotta lamps. I have a few, most of them 8 & 6 footers. At any size, they are so readily available, I have them in hand the next day, so I use my vendors as my inventory and not my money sitting on a shelf.

At the end of the day do whatever you want, but your OP asked people how they would handle it, people chimed in and you got defensive when some people didn't agree with you.
If this was me, I would do as I stated above, offer a CREDIT on the 60" lamps, it makes you look caring and sympathetic, and it really doesn't cost you much of anything (6 bulbs @ $10 each, or $0 if you can find a use for them, which you will)
Or you can stand your ground, demand he pay for them, and maybe it will will be the tipping point where he starts looking at other companies to service his signs, it happens all the time.

 

[FS-Keith]

I would have probably charged them full price again and went and made a post about 25 dollars in lamps on a sign forum in the middle of my work day

 

[GAC05]

He was probably estimating their length in millimeters, always tricky - same thing that crashed the Mars orbiter.........


wayne k
guam usa

 

[player]

When I was making and servicing electric signs I had a box or two of every bulb including the expensive welded 10'ers. I think you could at least put them in your inventory, and offer to refund him less 20% when you sell them down the road. This would give you an opportunity to give him something back down the road.

Or just take them back less a restocking fee of 20%.

He was stupid, but he is a customer.

 

[CreatedDesigns]

I would think if I was the Sign Company that "Takes care of the building" I would have a file about everything I have sold or took care of. Meaning all lamp sizes, lamp quantity and ballast Part Numbers etc. And verifying the printed information on the lamp would have been the best practice to follow.

On the other hand it seems like it was laziness of the shop to go and do a job, Going with excuse's that it would be cheaper if they did it themselves and look what happened. So in the end it is completely your fault the wrong lamps were ordered. If you would have done your job in the first place this post would never have happened. We call it Root Cause Analysis.

 

[iSign]

I would think if I was the Sign Company that "Takes care of the building" I would have a file about everything I have sold...

you obviously missed the part where Gino didn't make or sell this sign...
can't find the right "root", if you don't follow backwards from the "outcome" more carefully