Rant Customer Rant

[gnubler]

They think the depictions of computer-based tech they see on CSI: Miami is real. Just rattle some gibberish into a computer keyboard and the design spits out instantly.

LOL, so true. "Don't you just hit a few buttons and it's done?"
This is how 'starving artists' must feel, after spending hours and hours working on a beautiful painting and then getting offered 10 bucks for it.

I'm thinking of instituting an automatic Canva surcharge, built into other charges.

 

[Creative Sign Guy(s)]

DIY artwork is the worst. The amount of times someone sends over a low res small jpeg then says they want it printed 6 feet wide. 'But it looks ok on my computer screen, why can't you print at that size....'

Every time I see a ticket come in that says "customer supplied art" I know it will have problems, and likely severe ones. Our design department screws up enough and they are legit designers. Clients have absolutely no clue what we need to print well, with a few very very rare exceptions.

 

[Gino]

Another possibility......... you said this is the first time you've entertained doing a job of this nature. More than likely, you don't have any red flags for references. There are a lotta things you need to set in place and then follow your policies. Without getting burnt here & there, you're bound to hit problems with imbeciles like you're describing. Once you get this streamlined, it'll go like clockwork.

 

[gnubler]

I think it's a simple answer. 3 weeks from approved artwork and deposit. That's it. If that is past their deadline, it's their fault. They're already unorganized and went past their first "deadline". In the end it probably won't matter if it's another 3 weeks. I tell my customers that samples can be made but the turnaround time starts once they approve. Grow a pair of balls and handle these people.

I always include that language in my quotes. "Turnaround time around x days/weeks after proof approvals."

I had to stop letting customers dictate my workflow and scheduling. If they can't compromise and hold up their end of the deal, I really don't want to work with them and refer them elsewhere. Live & learn. I sometimes feel disrespected, like I'm just a lowly sign maker..."How hard can it be?" is the attitude I get, and I don't want to work with those people either. They must think we pull their custom designed sign off a shelf somewhere, easy peasy.

 

[gnubler]

Another possibility......... you said this is the first time you've entertained doing a job of this nature. More than likely, you don't have any red flags for references. There are a lotta things you need to set in place and then follow your policies. Without getting burnt here & there, you're bound to hit problems with imbeciles like you're describing. Once you get this streamlined, it'll go like clockwork.

Gino nailed it here. It took me a good year & a half or so to really get my operation running smoothly. Before that it was chaos, where I was essentially letting my customers run my business. No more.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Gino is correct. It seems like every time that we land a new decent sized account, we bump heads on the first few jobs until our expectations for each other fall inline. A few of our oldest and best customers started out with some pretty heated conversations but business is very smooth once that is out of the way.

 

[Creative Sign Guy(s)]

LOL, so true. "Don't you just hit a few buttons and it's done?"
This is how 'starving artists' must feel, after spending hours and hours working on a beautiful painting and then getting offered 10 bucks for it.

I recently was reading through a YouTube comment section on a video about printing and laminating signage. So many people were amazed that it took more than "pushing a button" to create prints/signs.
So many comments akin to, "Oh wow! I thought they just pushed a button"!

I was very gentle.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Gino is correct. It seems like every time that we land a new decent sized account, we bump heads on the first few jobs until our expectations for each other fall inline. A few of our oldest and best customers started out with some pretty heated conversations but business is very smooth once that is out of the way.

I have a new national account that started using me a few months ago. Their expectations are beyond ridiculous. Order a set of channel letters and can they be installed next week? No, that's not reasonable. It's bad on the first few locations my signs got there in a week and the day they show up at the installers they want to put them up that day. Those first orders got installed within 2 weeks of ordering... I'm not starting off on the right foot.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Gino is correct. It seems like every time that we land a new decent sized account, we bump heads on the first few jobs until our expectations for each other fall inline. A few of our oldest and best customers started out with some pretty heated conversations but business is very smooth once that is out of the way.

I have a new national account that started using me a few months ago. Their expectations are beyond ridiculous. Order a set of channel letters and can they be installed next week? No, that's not reasonable. It's bad on the first few locations my signs got there in a week and the day they show up at the installers they want to put them up that day. Those first orders got installed within 2 weeks of ordering... I'm not starting off on the right foot.

 

[visual800]

I think it's a simple answer. 3 weeks from approved artwork and deposit. That's it. If that is past their deadline, it's their fault. They're already unorganized and went past their first "deadline". In the end it probably won't matter if it's another 3 weeks. I tell my customers that samples can be made but the turnaround time starts once they approve. Grow a pair of balls and handle these people.

this right here! handle your people, do not let them dictate to you their urgency and lack of action. tell them a deadline for them t get art from you and then screw um if they dont make it. Customers are ALWAYS in a hurry until its time for them to get crap together to get order out, dont make their stress and rabidness yours

 

[Notarealsignguy]

I have a new national account that started using me a few months ago. Their expectations are beyond ridiculous. Order a set of channel letters and can they be installed next week? No, that's not reasonable. It's bad on the first few locations my signs got there in a week and the day they show up at the installers they want to put them up that day. Those first orders got installed within 2 weeks of ordering... I'm not starting off on the right foot.

We have a truck dealer like this. They always want to have meetings which is basically a passive aggressive brow beating session. Doesn't bother me now. The excitement of gaining a new customer has already worn off so they might as well talk to the wall. Their tactics have morphed over time from straight threats of finding a new vendor to blowing smoke up my skirt about how great we are. After our last meeting, I think they finally realized that IDGAF. There is no more squeezing and they don't have enough work to change that.

 

[Johnny Best]

That Gino is one smart guy! He has free kool-aid in red cups on the table by the back door on your way out.

 

[JBurton]

One of my favorite customers is a regional shipping company, they go for partial 'wraps', by that I mean cut/masked slx, around $300 a set. I convinced him his best price would be for me to run a whole roll, whatever the count may be, and he agreed. Started as 12, but I can squeeze 14 out of a roll if there are no mistakes. I've also convinced him that he should be ordering when he has 5 sets left, so that I can squeeze them into our down time on other projects at a discounted 'no rush' rate. It's a win-win all around, but he's a one in a million customer that has ears and uses them to listen.

 

[Stacey K]

I have a newer customer who sounds like the same customer you have! They switched sign shops to me because the last one would just print what they sent.

They are a cheese company and have a bunch of small labels they made into banners. The artwork consists of many smaller parts with multiple smaller jpegs. Most of them look like crap. I had a big list of new art I needed and they seemed to be frustrated with me - yet were happy I didn't go ahead and print them. I cannot tell you how many times we went back and forth. I asked her multiple times if I could just talk to the graphics person or if she could send a link to their online storage area so I could just grab what I needed. I explained the difference between jpegs and eps, etc. I was just ignored. She just kept sending crappy art back. I finally got beautiful pngs AFTER she sent the same ones with the bottoms cut off each one of them! Some of it was ordered on a Monday with a Friday deadline. A couple things had a longer deadline and it ended up extending past. The jobs got done, they looked great but holy balls...what a nightmare working with them!!!!

Sometimes you can offer help but they just don't want it. I'm not a magician, nor am I a counsellor, or a business organizer person. I charge extra but in reality, I don't make my money chasing down artwork. And I sure would rather be lettering a truck than emailing about jpegs LOL

 

[gnubler]

"My last printer didn't have a problem with my files."

 

[Goatshaver]

Another possibility......... you said this is the first time you've entertained doing a job of this nature. More than likely, you don't have any red flags for references. There are a lotta things you need to set in place and then follow your policies. Without getting burnt here & there, you're bound to hit problems with imbeciles like you're describing. Once you get this streamlined, it'll go like clockwork.

Yes exactly. I'm doing my best dealing with it and when this job finishes then I'll decide if it's worth it. Right now it's a back and forth. I have to be more strict with my policies as you said. I take everything personally so I'm giving myself a hard time about it everyday that passes without positive progress. Think I'll take a couple days off after this job is complete to decompress and readjust. Right now just focused on working through this to get them product.

 

[Goatshaver]

Does anyone know a wholesale/trade print company that does roll labels and can do spot gloss and dull effects? I'm in need of a serious rush order for a waiting customer.
The company I was working with neglected to tell me limitations of their process and the labels did not come out as expected and I'm having a hard to getting any answers from them on how to resolve this quickly. They also mixed up quantities on their end and had to reprint a short part of this nightmare order. This whole job has been a nightmare, I've done everything I can possibly do to make sure everything in the files was correct and triple checked proofs.

 

[Boudica]

sounds like this job is a gift that keeps on giving

 

[gnubler]

Label Specialties labelsp.com

I've only used them a couple times but was pleased with the quality & prices.

 

[Goatshaver]

sounds like this job is a gift that keeps on giving

Yes, unfortunately it is. Just trying to get this finished and to them. They have all their products ready and waiting for the labels. *bangs head on desk* Probably going to end up costing me a a lot of money with no profit on this one at this point.