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Unrealistic requests/deadlines

Boudica

I'm here for Educational Purposes
I'm leaving tomorrow for the rest of the week to go camping with my family and about 25 others. Anyway -- some guy came in 15 minutes ago asking me if I could make him a banner by Friday...it's printing right now...

I could not turn this last minute order down...too funny!

View attachment 160639
I have a couple of questions...
1. What is his business that he needs one? Not a sign maker I'm guessing, since he needed you to print it
2. Did you make one for yourself? Lol



Have a great camping trip!
 

caribmike

Retired with a Side Hustle
I got an email and voicemail last Friday after 4pm asking if I could install decals on a plane that's going to be grounded for one day before flying off to its customer. The plane was just painted and the graphics are being overnighted, with a request to install them tomorrow so the plane can be delivered the following day. I passed on the job.

Would any of you have taken on that job, and with any special conditions or surcharges? What's the craziest or most unrealistic request you've ever gotten, and did you get it done or laugh it away?
I don't do planes at all. I don't want to be responsible for some vinyl coming off and going into an engine or some such thing.
 

Stacey K

I like making signs
I have a couple of questions...
1. What is his business that he needs one? Not a sign maker I'm guessing, since he needed you to print it
2. Did you make one for yourself? Lol



Have a great camping trip!

Just some random scruffy guy that walked in and said he made one with a sheet and his buddies picked on him so he wanted to show off with a professional banner lol I didn’t have any banner blanks and the banner roll was on the printer so I just printed it quick. Thanks! Just sitting here waiting for the last kid to shower and we’re off!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Scotchbrite

No comment
Just some random scruffy guy that walked in and said he made one with a sheet and his buddies picked on him so he wanted to show off with a professional banner lol I didn’t have any banner blanks and the banner roll was on the printer so I just printed it quick. Thanks! Just sitting here waiting for the last kid to shower and we’re off!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Here I figured it was your boyfriend. :big laugh:
 

gnubler

Active Member
I don't do planes at all. I don't want to be responsible for some vinyl coming off and going into an engine or some such thing.
Interesting point. Another shop nearby has done their planes in the past, wondering why they contacted me this time.
 

gnubler

Active Member
I've been going back & forth for the past couple of weeks with a customer who's remodeling their office and wants a new lobby sign. Yesterday they said they were ready to move forward and asked if I would be able to install the sign by next Wednesday. I just laughed (privately). It hasn't even progressed to the proofing stage yet. :D Not sure what people are thinking we actually do. It reminded me of the old easy button...

asset_674_StaplesEasyButton20160425105727.jpg
 

Texas_Signmaker

Very Active Signmaker
I've been going back & forth for the past couple of weeks with a customer who's remodeling their office and wants a new lobby sign. Yesterday they said they were ready to move forward and asked if I would be able to install the sign by next Wednesday. I just laughed (privately). It hasn't even progressed to the proofing stage yet. :D Not sure what people are thinking we actually do. It reminded me of the old easy button...

asset_674_StaplesEasyButton20160425105727.jpg
I can make it as fast as they can afford. Give them some crazy price and get it done
 
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Shred_signs

Lost Member
I have better things to do with my Saturdays than chase every last dollar.
Unless it's a couple extra thousand then i'll give up my saturday
I can make it as fast as they can afford. Give them some crazy price and get it done
I had a customer ask why a job was considerably higher than last time. I claimed inflation, which did run up the materials but this customer turned a two week job into 8 months. There might have been a bit of an inconvenience/headache fee added.

lo and behold, 6 months in on this second project... Should have been a 2 week project...
 

gnubler

Active Member
I can make it as fast as they can afford. Give them some crazy price and get it done
I have no problem doing that, but in this case it literally isn't possible (letters outsourced from Gemini, CNC work, etc)

I've seen this from customers for so long now that I just laugh, as if their custom project/graphic design is simply plucked off the shelf with no effort or work required.
 

gnubler

Active Member
I had a customer ask why a job was considerably higher than last time. I claimed inflation, which did run up the materials but this customer turned a two week job into 8 months. There might have been a bit of an inconvenience/headache fee added.

lo and behold, 6 months in on this second project... Should have been a 2 week project...
I had one of those last year, it was the first customer I had to fire. It was a such a simple job, and at six weeks in when she was disappointed because she expected to be able to make "a million little tweaks and changes" I decided it was time to part ways.
 

Stacey K

I like making signs
It happened to me Wednesday. A newer customer called Tuesday and I answered the phone from Mexico. I said I would call him back when I got in Wednesday about his semi. He called me at 8:30am Wednesday needing me to look at his semi immediately. I did. He expected that I not just put the logo on the doors but design a swooshy thingy in multiple colors and have it installed for him before Monday. I apologized and said it's not going to happen by Monday. If it was just the logo and I had the vinyl in stock I probably could but not with ordering vinyl and the swoosh and all that. Then he made a comment if I hadn't taken a whole month off of work...well, I was gone 7 business days which is more than I have ever taken at once but it's also not my fault he didn't plan ahead. I highly doubt he didn't know he was buying a semi in advance...
 

gnubler

Active Member
A newer customer called Tuesday and I answered the phone from Mexico.
That's way too dedicated. When I finally closed for a week for a much needed vacation, I told all my regulars about it ahead of time, and everyone else reached a voicemail message or got an auto responder email. Everyone was fine with it...your customer sounds like a d!ck.
 

White Haus

Not a Newbie
It happened to me Wednesday. A newer customer called Tuesday and I answered the phone from Mexico. I said I would call him back when I got in Wednesday about his semi. He called me at 8:30am Wednesday needing me to look at his semi immediately. I did. He expected that I not just put the logo on the doors but design a swooshy thingy in multiple colors and have it installed for him before Monday. I apologized and said it's not going to happen by Monday. If it was just the logo and I had the vinyl in stock I probably could but not with ordering vinyl and the swoosh and all that. Then he made a comment if I hadn't taken a whole month off of work...well, I was gone 7 business days which is more than I have ever taken at once but it's also not my fault he didn't plan ahead. I highly doubt he didn't know he was buying a semi in advance...

The lesson here is don't answer phone calls when you're in Mexico on holidays! Lol.

I don't know what I would say if a customer would make a comment about me taking holidays, but it would probably start with "go pound" and end with "sand".
 

Texas_Signmaker

Very Active Signmaker
It happened to me Wednesday. A newer customer called Tuesday and I answered the phone from Mexico. I said I would call him back when I got in Wednesday about his semi. He called me at 8:30am Wednesday needing me to look at his semi immediately. I did. He expected that I not just put the logo on the doors but design a swooshy thingy in multiple colors and have it installed for him before Monday. I apologized and said it's not going to happen by Monday. If it was just the logo and I had the vinyl in stock I probably could but not with ordering vinyl and the swoosh and all that. Then he made a comment if I hadn't taken a whole month off of work...well, I was gone 7 business days which is more than I have ever taken at once but it's also not my fault he didn't plan ahead. I highly doubt he didn't know he was buying a semi in advance...
Tell him to go fuck himself.... With a capital FUCK. It's your business and you can take whatever off you want, AND you get to kick out any customer you want.
 

Shred_signs

Lost Member
It happened to me Wednesday. A newer customer called Tuesday and I answered the phone from Mexico. I said I would call him back when I got in Wednesday about his semi. He called me at 8:30am Wednesday needing me to look at his semi immediately. I did. He expected that I not just put the logo on the doors but design a swooshy thingy in multiple colors and have it installed for him before Monday. I apologized and said it's not going to happen by Monday. If it was just the logo and I had the vinyl in stock I probably could but not with ordering vinyl and the swoosh and all that. Then he made a comment if I hadn't taken a whole month off of work...well, I was gone 7 business days which is more than I have ever taken at once but it's also not my fault he didn't plan ahead. I highly doubt he didn't know he was buying a semi in advance...
lol.

My response would have been the email" Hello, I regret to inform you but due to inappropriate comments to staff members this order had been cancelled and the refund already started. When they want to come back with a different attitude, I will discuss working with them again, but their will be a 25% asshole tax."

His attitude isn't going to make me work any harder.

The lesson here is don't answer phone calls when you're in Mexico on holidays! Lol.

I don't know what I would say if a customer would make a comment about me taking holidays, but it would probably start with "go pound" and end with "sand".
I don't even answer calls unless I am on the clock. They can leave a VM.
 

DL Signs

Never go against the family
We all get the unrealistic timelines, and crazies. We had one go the other way recently. Had everything go on schedule for all the exterior signage on a new commercial construction, everyone seemed to have their ducks in a row, get a confirmation on an install date, a follow up to make sure we'd be there, send a crew, two boom trucks and a trailer full of signs 100+ miles away to do it. Everything went perfect... Till they got there and found the building wasn't even half constructed yet, not a single thing could be put up to make the trip not a total waste. Had to bring everything back and sit on it for over 3 months.
 

JBurton

Signtologist
Till they got there and found the building wasn't even half constructed yet, not a single thing could be put up to make the trip not a total waste. Had to bring everything back and sit on it for over 3 months.
This happens a great deal for us during national installs. That's why I always push to get the on site contractor's name and number. Always. Everyone and their mother will lie and say the building is painted, pavement is cured, asphalt set up, but when it comes down to it, he's the one on site that is going to sign off on the install, he doesn't want anything to go wrong, and he'll go out of his way to help just so you can spend an extra 30 minutes to lift a drive thru canopy into place while it gets fastened.
Worst part is, you spend 3 hours nesting a load onto a trailer, spend 3 weeks with it loaded as if you won't have more work needing the trailer come up, then spend 3 hours unloading so you can spend another 4 hours reloading, and somehow never fitting everything like it was before, necessitating a load hanging off the side of the truck...
 

DL Signs

Never go against the family
This happens a great deal for us during national installs. That's why I always push to get the on site contractor's name and number. Always. Everyone and their mother will lie and say the building is painted, pavement is cured, asphalt set up, but when it comes down to it, he's the one on site that is going to sign off on the install, he doesn't want anything to go wrong, and he'll go out of his way to help just so you can spend an extra 30 minutes to lift a drive thru canopy into place while it gets fastened.
Worst part is, you spend 3 hours nesting a load onto a trailer, spend 3 weeks with it loaded as if you won't have more work needing the trailer come up, then spend 3 hours unloading so you can spend another 4 hours reloading, and somehow never fitting everything like it was before, necessitating a load hanging off the side of the truck...
That's what this was, and we've done several other locations for them, always deal with the same people.... Ball was really dropped on this one.
 
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