What would YOU do?

[eahicks]

Customer who has ordered only a few signs in the past, who sent their logo to us back then, calls and wants to know if we have their logo to send to them. They want to send it to another sign company to get something made. They claim they can't find the logo file. All we have are the Flexi files we created for the signs we made. Would you go to the trouble to send them a logo file? When they straight up say they need it to send elsewhere for a sign we could easily make? I told our salesperson no, we shouldn't. Nor should we send them any files we created. They didn't purchase artwork, they bought signs from us.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Me personally... I'd sell it. They already went to another company. Id tell em it's my working file which is $175 and I can send whatever format they want. I'd keep it friendly and collect some extra $ from a departing client. Hopefully they remember the friendly service when something goes wrong with the new sign company.

 

[bannertime]

I've said it before and I generally stand by it. Send whatever files the customer has sent you, or paid you to create. And like you said, producing a sign is not the same as paying for graphic services. You've got no obligation to send production files and if they want those, they can pay a pretty penny for them. To appear cooperative, you can offer a "logo package" that has different variations like pdf, eps, jpg, png in a zip folder, and charge a fee for that.

 

[Gino]

Just tell them..... their work is in a proprietary format and won't work on someone else's platform. Is there anything in which we can help you ??

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Just tell them..... their work is in a proprietary format and won't work on someone else's platform. Is there anything in which we can help you ??

What!? You took MY file and made it proprietary? I didnt ask you to do that! You need to fix it back the way it was and return my file just as I sent it to you, it's not yours!

 

[eahicks]

I found the logo file they sent us. I had our girl send it back to them. Waiting to see if they say "no, we want the files you printed". NOPE. Ain't gonna happen.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Customer who has ordered only a few signs in the past, who sent their logo to us back then, calls and wants to know if we have their logo to send to them.

They claim they can't find the logo file.

Are they asking for the exact file that they sent you originally? If you do have that (sounds like you do not) then I would send that and only that without charging.

All we have are the Flexi files we created for the signs we made. Would you go to the trouble to send them a logo file?

Not from that no. You can say that you can create one from the production files that you have, but that is going to cost.

What!? You took MY file and made it proprietary? I didn't ask you to do that! You need to fix it back the way it was and return my file just as I sent it to you, it's not yours!

"No, your logo file is still yours. These are however production files that we had to create in order to create your signs. In order to fulfill our contract for creating signs, this process had to be done. In some instances, it is a "destructive" process, meaning that it isn't easy to just revert back to a plain graphic file."

Now, the "destructive" bit may or may not apply in this case (it does in mine, that's why I mentioned it).

I don't use proprietary formats, but I do use some obscure tools, some of which are CLI only, so the odds of them being able to do anything with it are another thing entirely.

 

[Billct2]

Yep, for $ I would search and find the same file they sent you and send it to them.

 

[GAC05]

If you are really upset with them upload a photo of the signs you have done for them to your online gallery. Take a screen cap of that webpage and place it into a PowerPoint slide and email it to them as an attached winmail.dat file.
Then I'd turn off my cell phone and go to lunch.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

In some instances, it is a "destructive" process, meaning that it isn't easy to just revert back to a plain graphic file."

So now you DESTROYED my file I gave you!?!?!? My property that I lent you?!? OK, you'll be hearing from my lawyer.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

If you are really upset with them upload a photo of the signs you have done for them to your online gallery. Take a screen cap of that webpage and place it into a PowerPoint slide and email it to them as an attached winmail.dat file.
Then I'd turn off my cell phone and go to lunch.

Your generous with the screen cap...I'd take a poorly focused photograph of my computer's screen with the photos of the image showing of a photo of the screen of the image on another photo of the screen with a blur.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

So now you DESTROYED my file I gave you!?!?!? My property that I lent you?!? OK, you'll be hearing from my lawyer.

No, the exact file that you sent is in the same form. I'm talking about the process in creating my production files. The source file that you sent is in the exact form that it was sent in, undisturbed (may or may not still have it).

If I still have that original file that was sent, that gets sent back, no cost.

Going from a production file to a graphic file is problematic due to the destructive means of creating the production file.

However, I am not a storage company, I'm not Dropbox. That was not part of our contract. If you are unable to keep track of your own property on your end, that's not my fault.

Digital forms of "property" are a little different then physical forms. It is very easy to have multiple copies of the exact same file. Even if I were to also have a copy.

 

[2B]

I found the logo file they sent us. I had our girl send it back to them. Waiting to see if they say "no, we want the files you printed". NOPE. Ain't gonna happen.

THIS EXACTLY!!!!
90% of the time that is the end of the communication and you part ways.

I have had some call or E-mail and say this looks bad, I need a better quality file.

My reply; Sorry to hear that, Please be aware that it is up to the printer you are using to make sure the file works. If they are competent there should be no issues
The prduct(s) you pruchased from us looked fine.​

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

No, the exact file that you sent is in the same form. I'm talking about the process in creating my production files. The source file that you sent is in the exact form that it was sent in, undisturbed (may or may not still have it).

However, I am not a storage company, I'm not Dropbox. That was not part of our contract. If you are unable to keep track of your own property on your end, that's not my fault.

Oh my bad...I re-read the contract and must of skipped over section 4 paragraph 3. I see now that I am wrong..

"We reserve the right to utterly destroy any file you give us. If you wana it back, you are shit outa luck. Such requests for said destroyed file will be promptly denied with a tall middle finger and a polite request to have a seat and rotate."

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Oh my bad...I re-read the contract and must of skipped over section 4 paragraph 3. I see now that I am wrong..

"We reserve the right to utterly destroy any file you give us. If you wana it back, you are **** outa luck. Such requests for said destroyed file will be promptly denied with a tall middle finger and a polite request to have a seat and rotate."

As I said, the file that you sent, if I still have it as I didn't say that I would keep it, especially not years down the line, you would get it as you sent it to me. Not from my production files.

As to not reading the contract for comprehension, your outta luck. That's what gets people into trouble when they don't read the fine print. Your the one that's wanting to drag the lawyers into this, that's why there are carefully worded contracts, just for this very reason.

 

[rossmosh]

Generally speaking, if it's a logo, I'd just shoot it back to them.

I would get on the phone with them and discuss why they are going to another vendor. I'd consider that valuable information. Maybe my competition is under cutting me. Maybe I screwed up the last order and they never told me. Maybe they don't like me or my employees. Any information they give would have some value moving forward.

 

[Christian @ Visual Graphx]

What I don't get is why should we have to send their files back? My business isn't a file storage service and if they use a modern email client why can't they search their emails?

That being said we send their files as long as it doesn't take us long as bad reviews seem to sting harder than good ones and you never know when a client will come back. "More flies with Honey"

 

[WildWestDesigns]

if they use a modern email client why can't they search their emails?

In all honesty, I see more people using web email versus an actual email client (although I still prefer a true blue email client versus the web version). Either way, as long as they have it set to where they save their sent emails, it should be indexed and searchable in either case.

 

[Christian @ Visual Graphx]

In all honesty, I see more people using web email versus an actual email client (although I still prefer a true blue email client versus the web version). Either way, as long as they have it set to where they save their sent emails, it should be indexed and searchable in either case.

We use GSuite... I can search all the way back to the inception of our company in 2009... It seriously is easy, but I digress. Just a frustration of mine.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

We use GSuite... I can search all the way back to the inception of our company in 2009... It seriously is easy, but I digress. Just a frustration of mine.

I wish I was on Google. I started out on Yahoo 12 years ago and I'm stuck with them now.

I too have every e-mail from day 1. Sometimes I go back to the beginning to see how it started and I would throw up with some of the orders and amount of time I took back when I was getting started... Like my first order, a week long conversation about a $50 door decal and I'll come by and pickup a deposit check... I was probably the most nervous and put more thought about that order then any of my other jobs. Lol

Another order just after that was totally embarrassing.. Had to drive my 1986 suburban to pickup a deposit check after getting off my 9-5 day job..oh and my 6 month old had to come with me..how professional does that look? Did I mention that my truck overheated in the customer's parking lot spewing antifreeze everywhere and I had to call my friend to pick me and the baby up? I had to sit in her office for like an hour waiting on a ride. WTF!!! I still got the job and did a good job and she was happy. Luckily my truck was fine, just had to add coolant.