Yesterday, I was at my main dealership and was asked to remove a double line that I applied last week on a brand new Toyota. The color of the vehicle was a charcoal pearl w/ a grey interior and I striped it in a grey which was close to the color, and a coffee color to match the wood console in the interior. The people who were buying it asked if the striping could be removed because they felt it was too subtle. Of course the owners said they would get them another vehicle as the striping was there for life. I've been using 1-Shot lately with its catalyst and even though its only been on one week, removing it would certainly leave an image behind no matter what I used to remove it. I thought to myself if I spend time removing the striping, I would leave an open door for future removals when a future buyer didn't like my color choice. I never have anyone choose colors except maybe work out a design or two which may enhance the vehicle to their liking. Except for dealership work I choose everything right down to mini graphics if I see fit. Believe me, I never had a problem with anyone not liking what I've done. Saturday is my main day of working for that particular dealer and the ten vehicles they have me scheduled for Saturday hasn't changed because of one person disliking my work. If it weren't for this particular dealership, I would be on the bread line.
I'm explaining, not complaining.
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
Know what you mean, Joey.
Taking off the One Shot most likely would have done more harm than good.
Not sure what your standing is with the dealer, but maybe they could have the customer contact you to make the changes they want at your shop. Sounds like they want some more added so it stands out more, and that might be doable.
Ocassionally, I do stuff like that with a couple of dealers near me and it works out pretty well. I usually have a lot of freedom to pick colors and designs. The dealer makes the sale and the customer usually sends out some good "word of mouth" references for you.
Rapid
Posted by Monte Jumper (Member # 1106) on :
I know this breaks your heart Joey...but if it were me I mask it with fine line (slightly wider) put on the colors they like and move on.Give it a good rubbing when your done (to get rid of the edge).
Might be a good idea to have them leave it with you a day or two somewhere you can do it without anyone looking.
if they are like the average bear they will never know the difference.
wadayathink
Hey just a thought!
Posted by Ron Percell (Member # 399) on :
I think you might explain what occurs when removing and offer to modify the colors seeing that you do put it on to last as said above.
Good luck Joey
Posted by Jeff Ogden (Member # 3184) on :
You're bound to have someone every once in a while, who basically doesn't like what you did, but fortunately, that doesn't happen very often, at least with me. But it's funny how those incidents stay with you. I know I should just shrugg that stuff off, but it still seems to stick with me.... must be the artist thing coming out. So I can sympathize how something like that can bother you, 'cause I'm the same way.
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
I'd say:
"I'll be glad to come over with my belt sander to remove it!"
Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
"We like tape stripes, that way if a customer doesn't like it , we can just pull them off" I can't tell you how many times I've heard that when trying to sell a new dealership on doing painted work
I rarely get complaints about color choice either but just last week I was doing a bunch of sold cars at a Cadillac dealer. Normally I don't deal with the salesman directly but this one twit somehow managed to get involved. The car was a black Escalade, the customers wanted decorative striping, no straights. The salesman picked gold and red. He watched me do the ENTIRE job. AFTER I get done, he goes over to the guy I always deal with and asks if I can't darken the red up a little,"these folks are conservative" Lucky for me I work with urethane, lucky for me these lines were finer than usual, lucky for them I've mellowed in my old age. I darkened the red a bunch, went back over all the red and charged them an extra 50%. They were happy... therefore I was happy. I thought it looked much better with the bright red...but then I wasn't the one paying $60,000 for a Suburban either!
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
I agree with Monte here- coat over it a tad wider with the colours they prefer- and charge them for it. We've had that same circumstance on a couple of occasions only, thankfully. One job I did, the owner (woman) said to pick any colours I liked for it, 'she trusted me'. When she came back the next day she said 'I meant to tell you- any colours except for green, I can't stand green'. This was said while looking at a stack of nice green lines! Anyhow she decided it was a nice job in spite of being a horrid colour, and eleven years later she still has it. No problems with the payment either.
Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
What fools these people are. Little do they know what they have. A beautiful pinstriped job by the great Joey Madden. I have removed 1-Shot lettering enamel for the same reasons, and it always, always leaves a ghost image of the old job. I would just change the color. These are the things that cause me to drink and lose sleep over.
Posted by Joey Madden (Member # 1192) on :
The answer was remedied by getting that particular customer another vehicle while that vehicle got sold the very next day to another couple. I could have easily gone over the stripe where-as most of my lines are 1/32" wide maximum, even with an 1/8" space, so it would have been easy. But the fact remains that I'm the pinstriper which striped for the dealership and not to please just one person. Onward and upward!
A few years ago I did a custom job on a Chevy Tracker for a Minister and his wife. I believe the photo is on my site. The vehicle was dark green, after doing somewhat of a mini graphics job, I outlined it in a simular green. The wife called me and asked if I can go over the outlines a little brighter. I then told her I also did portraits and can do one of her and her husband, with a nice gold frame, so when persons would see it they could say Wow, who did the frame? That was the end of it.
Guess these days I'm still a little different and at 60 cannot seem to please everyone but I'll try and do that on the next job I still don't paint in straight white, black, silver or bright red and if someone wants metallic gold I only use HoK, and an appointment is always needed, so they better be darn sure Gold is what they want because a week later, you'll need more then reducers and cleaners to remove it, more like a heavy arm, lacquer thinner and 1500 wet-dry.
Posted by Jillbeans (Member # 1912) on :
Hi Joey! Some people are too picky for their own good. I get defensive when people pick at my stuff, then lose sleep over it for days. Once someone asked "Why are there brush marks in that?" I replied, "because I used a brush." I have had 3 dissatisfied customers in 18 years, but I remember them more than the ones who raved about my work. Once I did a funky mini-splatter wrap-around stripe on a Blazer. I was pleased, so was the dealer. I don't stripe much. Next week he calls & sez the potential buyer liked everything but the stripe, how could he remove it? I told him it would have to be sanded off, etc. He sold the customer a similar Blazer with an icky sticker stripe. Oh well. I am sure that the person who purchased the original vehicle that you did is tickled pink with your work. Love- JILL
Posted by Bill Diaz (Member # 2549) on :
Joey, you probably ran into an interior decorator and of course they know everything about colors. Good thing it got resolved. I like Si's reply about the belt sander. You could have also added, "so you want me to run it to the body shop to get it sanded and buffed. Mention (body shop) and see how fast they get the identical vehicle at the dealership.
I did have a customer bring back a pickup I striped with HOK, because I had a small dribble that I didn't see. He called the day after I did it, and thought it would be O.K. to bring it in the following week. I told him to bring the thing in pronto. He was here in an hour and I had on hell of a time getting that little spot off. HOK and it will stay.
[ December 19, 2003, 03:36 PM: Message edited by: Bill Diaz ]
Posted by Bob Burns (Member # 268) on :
I always told the Dealers "I put em ON.....I don't take em OFF!" But when push came to shove, I'd charge em the same to take em off as I did puttin em on!
Posted by John Deaton III (Member # 925) on :
I had a customer last week that I did a residence sign for, and she wanted a brown background with rust trim, and I carved the house number out of HDU and painted it with one shot gold. The background piece was sandblasted and the letters glued on. To me, it looked perfect, and to them also, until they got home. Called me up and said, "Could that brown be made a little darker on the background?" After I told them it would be almost impossible without almost redoing everything, they said they would touch it up themselves. Oh well.
Posted by Brian Diver (Member # 1552) on :
Yeah I had my friend server papers just yesterday to a lady who thought my signs were the cats meow! She even helped me install one of them. Told everyone in the complex how much help I was. Since she had wanted me to do some window stuff I didn't have a bill made up. By the time I got home she'd called and left 3 messages cussin me out 1 side and the other saying she couldn't read them, I'm not paying, your a bad business person, no help, etc. She even got a mediator and walked out before we even started because the mediator wouldn't side with her. I'll ruin her credit or get something out of her. Some peoples children... Posted by Jereme Gauthier (Member # 4351) on :
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