A Funny One!

[Suz]

I got an e-mail this afternoon from a Customer who offered to "store" all the files I have ever created for them.

It was explained to me that they were just organizing all the files in their office and thought it was just a good idea to collect files from everyone who has ever done anything for them, they told me.... "You know, like if your shop or house burns down, or you die or something."

Funny, I thought to myself. Took a couple hours to think of how I would respond. I decided to call, didn't want to explain a million things in e-mails about what I really thought about the idea. :ROFLMAO:

What do you guys think of that? What would your response be?

 

[SignosaurusRex]

Of course they did. They've probably already collected, sorted and stored certain elements of your trash as well.

 

[Suz]

Of course they did. They've probably already collected, sorted and stored certain elements of your trash as well.

Haha! Your comment reminds me of the time I was doing errands in town and some guy pops out from the store I was in (I did not know who he was) and thanked me for throwing away a couple of cones of faulty metallic silver embroidery thread in the dumpster. Geesh! Now I sort through my own trash before throwing it.

 

[Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?]

Aargh! We allow 3" x 3" 72dpi jpegs of logos to go to our customers if they want to use them for advertising purposes and we really shouldn't even do that. My response would be simple. "No thanks. We have a back up hard drive and Carbonite for that."

 

[MuhammadOsta]

"You know, like if your shop or house burns down, or you die or something."

what an elegant way to explain :ROFLMAO:

 

[Suz]

Aargh! We allow 3" x 3" 72dpi jpegs of logos to go to our customers if they want to use them for advertising purposes and we really shouldn't even do that. My response would be simple. "No thanks. We have a back up hard drive and Carbonite for that."

Oh yeah, nothing wrong with giving them a proof, I do that. I do allow them to use it for advertising, I think that is a good idea. Your response is how I responded. I also told him that this is my business and the files belong to me. Explained to him that if I am fully compensated for my work, and the agreement is that the Customer would own the file, then I would gladly send the files. He gets one file, they own that one.

 

[Suz]

what an elegant way to explain :ROFLMAO:

Yes, so elegant! I'm sure it was awkward is why it came out that way. There is no comfortable way to ask for something like that, I suppose. I am told I have "another voice" when I'm miffed. I think that voice came out. :ROFLMAO: Oh I feel better!

 

[copythat]

Your work Your files

We've come across this issue many times. But on our invoice and order forms, which customers gets. It stipulates...

"To keep our top quality designs affordable, we retain the rights to the finished design. If you require a copy of the files, an adjusted creative service and archival fee will apply"

This way if it comes up, we first verbally explain and then refer to their signature and invoice.

In your situation, it looks like they have already made a decision to take their business elsewhere. Make a package deal for them. For the preparation of all your jobs and to provide you with print quality files. The charge will be $________.

And end it with a Thank you, and if ever you need us we will be happy to serve you.



Sign Up!

 

[T_K]

Oh yeah, nothing wrong with giving them a proof, I do that. I do allow them to use it for advertising, I think that is a good idea. Your response is how I responded. I also told him that this is my business and the files belong to me. Explained to him that if I am fully compensated for my work, and the agreement is that the Customer would own the file, then I would gladly send the files. He gets one file, they own that one.

At my first sign shop, our policy was that if we have been PAID to create their file (or if they provided us the original anyway), then they are allowed to have a copy of it. If however, we were not compensated for the art creation (which my boss did every once in a while), then we retained the rights to the art.

I do understand their concern for maintaining their art files. I can't tell you how many times we had a customer use a designer to create files, including vector art, and then the designer closed up shop, leaving the customer with a crappy .jpeg as their only logo. So they'd have to pay us to recreate their artwork.

At the same time, I'm not wanting to willingly supply the customer with the knife to stab us in the back when they find a cheaper-instead-of-quality internet deal.

It all depends on the boundaries set with the customer. If they're clearly defined (shop keeps artwork or customer keeps artwork), then there's no issue here. But I know that we didn't discuss these boundaries with most customers who walked through our door.