threats from printer..how would you react?
Discussion
About a month ago I contacted a printer regarding having new business cards and flyers produced for my business, we discussed his charges and different prices on quantities etc.
The service offered was mock up/draft of the layout and payment once the final proof was agreed, "your the boss, and obviously if they need changes before we go ahead with the order just let me know !" ..the guy wanted to get it all done in 4 days before he went on holiday and emailed me everyday requesting information, but I was busy and he was told this just wasnt going to happen and i would contact him after his holiday.
I told him I wasnt in a great hurry, but didnt want to mess about with repeated changes as i just didnt have time so would prefer to get it right at the first draft and gave a lot of information afer he returned from holiday.
The first proof came through the same afternoon which was blatantly an online template flyer with a couple of pictures from my website copied and pasted onto it. It was dated, very 80's and the template tag lines terribly cheesy. The business card mock up was ok, but some changes requested.
The second proof came through and the flyers were just as bad with only very minor changes done, obviously he is limited in what he is doing if sticking with the template flyer - so I informed him that I was still unhappy with them and would get back to him with my thoughts on how to change the design/layout when I got time.
After this I have recieved multiple emails complaining that he knew he should have teken a deposit and has done a lot of work and should have invoiced me... he simply hasnt and it now gets to look like desperate attempts to get the order, I already told him I wasnt going to look for someone else and he would have the information when I had time.
This morning I recieve another email stating that he should or may be invoicing me for his "design work " to date and he is cancelling the job off his system and would require full payment up front before going ahead with the order.
I find this all completely ridiculous , the guy has lost an order because he couldnt wait and sent multiple complaining and now threatening emails. I have never dealt with a business card/flyer supplier like this previously.
At the end of the day if I am not happy with the proofs and he is unable to provide proofs that I am happy with there is no order.
I produce multiple plans for customers on a daily basis and until the they are happy with the plans there is no order - the plans are produced to get the order.
If he had either produced a proof I was happy with or just waited until I had time to go through it and work out my own layout he would have the order, but I am now pretty sure I will go with another printer purely due to the silly emails.
The really daft thing for him is that I drafted all the required changes on Wednesday afternoon and just needed to put them in an email and send them over to him over the weekend.
The service offered was mock up/draft of the layout and payment once the final proof was agreed, "your the boss, and obviously if they need changes before we go ahead with the order just let me know !" ..the guy wanted to get it all done in 4 days before he went on holiday and emailed me everyday requesting information, but I was busy and he was told this just wasnt going to happen and i would contact him after his holiday.
I told him I wasnt in a great hurry, but didnt want to mess about with repeated changes as i just didnt have time so would prefer to get it right at the first draft and gave a lot of information afer he returned from holiday.
The first proof came through the same afternoon which was blatantly an online template flyer with a couple of pictures from my website copied and pasted onto it. It was dated, very 80's and the template tag lines terribly cheesy. The business card mock up was ok, but some changes requested.
The second proof came through and the flyers were just as bad with only very minor changes done, obviously he is limited in what he is doing if sticking with the template flyer - so I informed him that I was still unhappy with them and would get back to him with my thoughts on how to change the design/layout when I got time.
After this I have recieved multiple emails complaining that he knew he should have teken a deposit and has done a lot of work and should have invoiced me... he simply hasnt and it now gets to look like desperate attempts to get the order, I already told him I wasnt going to look for someone else and he would have the information when I had time.
This morning I recieve another email stating that he should or may be invoicing me for his "design work " to date and he is cancelling the job off his system and would require full payment up front before going ahead with the order.
I find this all completely ridiculous , the guy has lost an order because he couldnt wait and sent multiple complaining and now threatening emails. I have never dealt with a business card/flyer supplier like this previously.
At the end of the day if I am not happy with the proofs and he is unable to provide proofs that I am happy with there is no order.
I produce multiple plans for customers on a daily basis and until the they are happy with the plans there is no order - the plans are produced to get the order.
If he had either produced a proof I was happy with or just waited until I had time to go through it and work out my own layout he would have the order, but I am now pretty sure I will go with another printer purely due to the silly emails.
The really daft thing for him is that I drafted all the required changes on Wednesday afternoon and just needed to put them in an email and send them over to him over the weekend.
Edited by hedgefinder on Friday 7th October 11:49
Spoonman said:
But would the printer agree, or would he say you're an awkward customer who's never satisfied?
Can't you send him some examples of how you'd like it to look and agree to sort it out later?
I hardly think so as he only altered a little of the wording and very little of what I actually said I didnt like.Can't you send him some examples of how you'd like it to look and agree to sort it out later?
768 said:
I'd move on and not ask the next printer to do design work.
I shall, its not really an issue with the design work which could have been sorted quite easily, its the fact that he repeatedly sent me complaining emails and wasnt able to wait for the information which he would have recieved when I had time to review it... jesus if I threw my toys out of the pram with every customer who took 2 weeks to come back to me to place an order after I produced plans I wouldnt have any customers.hora said:
But you took his time. You can't apply your business area/what happens in your kind of work to his. He's a printer not a designer too. I can see his point of more.
My mates a Graphic Designer and often has to do free mockups for potential work. A printer doesn't.
BTW I too thought the topic was about a printer attack!
They actually listed Free graphic design/mock up on their website........My mates a Graphic Designer and often has to do free mockups for potential work. A printer doesn't.
BTW I too thought the topic was about a printer attack!
Hackney said:
Why would you draft the changes then wait days to email them over?
pretty sure I already stated that I didnt have time and wasnt in a hurry, and that it needed putting into an email..... I had already told him that as soon as I did have time I would email it over.But lets look at it another way..
maybe I wanted to check it over again,
maybe I just couldnt be arsed to do it in the quarter of an hour I had spare last week...
maybe I am wondering what difference it makes to you?
Jez m said:
OP - Post up the 'designs'.. give us a laugh! 
best not...he might get upset if he sees this.Funny thing is I just looked at one of his original emails with a sample flyer he said he did for another company as an example of his work, and its much more modern and doesnt have a terribly dated tacky strap line or 80s feel to it, unlike the blatant template design which he sent me.
Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff