We had a middle easterner type who haggled over an order for 3 cheap vinyl on metal signs. When Diane delivers them he claims that he only ordered 2 but she should leave the third one with him since she couldn't use it.
Did Diane 1) Meekly hand over the free sign? 2) Load up all 3 and tell him to stuff it? or 3) Rip all the vinyl off the 3rd sign?
I don't remember, and she's off giving blood so I can't ask her.
In any case, we fired that customer and all the rest of the haggle prone cheapskates.
Some of the local shops have a $150 minimum order. Sometimes I think thats the best policy.
What do you do?
ernie
Posted by Steve Nuttle (Member # 2645) on :
We have minimum price for certain types of jobs. Routed, sandblasted and vinyl. Diane should have smacked him up side the head, taken the cash from hi s bill fold, charged for the time to deliver, and left two on his bloody corpse. Ok little extreme but these type are what make this biz not fun!! I would have taken all three back and told him good luck.
Posted by Bob Burns (Member # 268) on :
$35 minimum just to say 'hello'. Digital is $100 minimum......Logo designs $225 min.
Posted by ScooterX (Member # 2023) on :
I would have said _"Oh, i must have misunderstood. i'll just take this sign back" and charged him for the two. if he called for another job, i'd add the price of the "dead" sign into the next job.
i don't have a minimum for good customers. for new customers my minimum is $60 (one hour).
Posted by VICTORGEORGIOU (Member # 474) on :
Was it Yogi Berra who said "Verbal agreements are worth the paper they are written on" ?
In a case like this it is most emotionally satisfying to fire the client, and I've done it once or twice.
Notwithstanding that it feels soooo gooood to fire the client, Scooter gets my vote for the most businesslike answer. Eat the third sign and get it in writing the next time. Vic G
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
ernie howdy.....middle eastern(from lebonon to india) these people all do that kinda stuff, its there "way". i had 2 brothers in sarasota from that area, and the 1st job i did...he beat me up real bad. but since iam 1/2 italian, id rather get even then walk away(italian way of doing business)hehehehe.....so the next time he called, he figured he could get another good deal.....i was ready for him. this time when i gave him a price, i included "haggle room", meaning say i really wanted $100 for the job, but i quoted him $150 knowing that he wont like the $150 but his way of doin business is to try for less. so we go back and forth, couple times and he finally says...."ill give you $100 and no more!" so i tell him how bad hes beatin me up and i cant eat because he wont let me make any money...bla bla bla....hes laughing and i got what i originally wanted. between him and his brother, they paid me a lot of money, over the 4-5 years i did work for them, and everytime they called we did this little routine....but they always paid in cash....and always called me, they are very loyal customers....once you get over their way of doin business. as for minimum order price...my other half is jewish, if you got $10 and i can get it.....then it will be done!(i.e. cut weed tape RTA boat letters $10 a set, small stuff for stock cars, sponsor names) these people remember the guy that did the $10 job, when they need a $300 job!!!!
[ October 31, 2002, 01:48 PM: Message edited by: old paint ]
Posted by VICTORGEORGIOU (Member # 474) on :
Ernie was making a point about people who flat out cheat you. By and large, people are good to their word, but there are people out there of all colors who have the attitude that, if you don't have it in writing, then they are under no obligation to honor their verbal commitment. Some of these folks make lots of money and appear to the world as respectable people. So you can either fire every client who acts dishonest, or you can get everything in writing and take their money. The ones that drive me crazy are the ones who sign off on proofs with their own name misspelled, or something equally obvious, and then argue you should replace it for free because you should have known it was wrong even with a signed proof. As Jackie Gleason used to say "To the moon!!, Alice, to the moon!!!"
Posted by Ted Nesbitt (Member # 3292) on :
Minimum charge---ABSOLUTELY!
Shops I've worked in won't turn their router on for less than 110 bucks, or their EDGE for 75 bucks.
Yes, sometimes these can turn into bigger jobs, but quite often I found that you spent as much or more time doing the 50 dollar job than the 500 dollar one. And do-overs, don't even start me on that one on the cheap jobs.
We are the graphics professionals---our time is all worth $$$ to us. Try to get a plumber or appliance repairman out to your house. 75 bucks to show up, then another 75 if they actually do anything!
Remember, charge for your layouts too!
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
tuff to charge for a layout when it is FL 3456 AA, 3" tall and 18" long and hes gona apply it. but when that same guy moves up to the big boat...whos he gona call??????
Posted by Roy Somers (Member # 403) on :
Ahh, Hmm, Ghostbusters???? Is this a trick question??
