Artwork Approval

[Artistikat]

Hi all, I am just asking the question, what do you do when your customer has approved artwork and a mistake is not noticed until after the piece has been produced. We have had a number of these over the last couple of weeks ans it is driving me nuts. One was from another sign company and we used their artwork, all we did was resize it and send it back to them for approval, approval was given, process was done and mistake was found on the morning of pick up. Because we have their approval they realize that they will need to pay for the item to be made again,but what would you do?

 

[printhog]

My contact makes this quite clear.. they pay for it. But I'd consider the client history before I bid the replacement. Long term clients that repeat would get an at cost pass, but a competitor would not.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

 

[Artistikat]

We are trying to come up with an ideal compromise for this client, they are a competitor in some areas of our business but this particular item is not something that they produce. They are not regular clients and only come to us for this time of work.

 

[printhog]

the biggest competitor of McDonalds is not a burger shop.. its taco bell.. so i'll make this simple.. if they arent a regular loyal volume client and they serve tacos to your burgers you really dont owe them any break.. if they cant properly compose a file without error, its not your fault. They lacked the professionalism, process, or intelligence to find the error, so why take food of your table..? and if you give one break whats next? they'll assume you'll cover their butt again..

 

[printhog]

standard terms

Im not an attorney, but i've know a few... lol.. so I'd suggest you adopt a standard terms of trade for all your clients.. with that, these issues are all pre-planned.. i'd post a copy but it wont help you now and mine cost me $3,000.. with the TOT in place you'll define who's responsible for what error.. Ive had several small claims cases from designers tossed out for this issue.. their mistake is not mine by the terms.. without that, its a gamble. they could pay you, and then come back on you... in one case of mine the indian tribes name was the "yokuts" tribe, but the designer set the file for the "yokut" tribe.. go to court, show the terms, judge reads terms, case gets tossed. saved me more than $3000.

 

[rossmosh]

I don't cast bronze plaques. I send them to Gemini. If I send Gemini a file and they send me a proof back. I approve it. They make it. They ship it to me. I notice I spelt a word wrong. Do I expect Gemini to fix it for free? I think that answers your question.

If they're a sign shop and they sent you a bad file, they should know it's going to cost money to fix it. If they give you even a little bit of a hard time, tell them to pound sand. Working with local shops is nice because you can help each other out at times but there's an understanding that you're going to treat each other as professionals. If they can't be bothered to be professional, then you shouldn't work with them.

With all that said, it sounds like you need an improved message when sending out proofs. I took Gemini's statement and edited to suit my needs. Now I have it saved as an HTML file and can insert it into an email message in about 5 seconds.

 

[visual800]

been there!

We usually fix it UNLESS the information was sent to US spelled wrong. But if I spell something wrong, I didnt catch it and the customer doesnt catch it we go back and fix it.

 

[Gino]

Which side of the fence do I wanna stand on this morning ?? Hmmmm, let's try this approach.

Why supply a proof, if it's wrong ?? They send you a file and it has and mistake in/on it........ you just repeat the mistake for monetary gains ?? Is this a game......who can find the typo ?? Other than difficult names, foreign words or wrong data provided....... it's pretty much a slam-dunk.

 

[Marlene]

on our contract there is a line item that says artwork approval is required. on the artwork approval form, there are several places to sign off on the this is one we have for concerning copy. if an error happens and they do, we can at that point depending on the customer make the choice to replace on our dime, split the cost to replace or hold to the agreement.

 

[ams]

They pay for it unless they are a really good customer or if I type everything myself. Like if I don't have a usable file and have to remake it.

 

[myront]

We've had clients tell us we got their phone number wrong after getting their emailed approval that included the proof. "Did you view the attached proof?' "Well honestly, I din't even look at it"
If I receive a file that I have to re-typeset or alter in some way (happens way too often) and I make a mistake then I eat the cost. If they send the file and no changes were made i.e. it's in jpg format and a mistake is discovered we offer to reprint at a reduce rate if it's a good customer. AS a 1 off, charged full rate again.

 

[Pete Moss]

To me it's pretty cut and dry for the client whom sent you art that you resized and proofed out. They should pay for it on the two counts of supplying and approving the art. I would look at making sure the verbiage in your proof sheets are very legible. I'd also look at how much of a loss you are taking if you were to redo it or give a discount and ask yourself if it is worth it considering whether the client will use you again depending on your decision. You say this has happened a number of times in the past couple of weeks. I would look to see why exactly this is the case and see what can be done on your end to prevent this. No one likes to do things twice, especially if it is at a loss. I would also look at an in house spell check person whom proofs all work prior to production. Some shops will price their products as though every job will be done twice or three times to insure profit is always the bottom line.

 

[rossmosh]

They pay for it unless they are a really good customer or if I type everything myself. Like if I don't have a usable file and have to remake it.

See, to me that's backwards. If they can't be bothered to type it up and they can't be bothered to double check the proof, they deserve to pay for it twice. I'm far more lenient when the customer provided me a document that I have to edit and I accidentally hit a backspace or something. In those circumstances I'm way more willing to fix it for free or a steep discount.

I look at what the big companies do, especially in this circumstance where it's for the trade. Gemini is a perfect example in this situation and here is their exact language they send with a proof:

APPROVAL NEEDED: Please review the attached layout and advise whether it is approved or changes are needed. Please verify all wording, spelling, art and sizes are correct before approving.
**Production will not begin until we receive notification that the order is APPROVED**

Please verify that all wording, spelling, art and sizes are correct before approving.

Order # XXXXXXX

Please note:
• colors portrayed on proof may not match final product due to difference between digital and pigmented colors.
• There is no charge for the first revision, any customer changes after that are subject to a $20 art charge
• Once approved, you are responsible for ½ the remake cost should any errors be found after production begins.
• Gemini is not responsible for any labor charges with installs for any reason.
*Please reply to xxxxxx@geminisignproducts.com. Replying to any other email may result in a delay in production or changes to your order

 

[bannertime]

Just to add to what everyone has said.

You don't give a re-seller a "wholesale" price simply because they are reselling the product. You give them a better rate because they did the leg work. They secured the customer and provided a job ready to complete. A retail rate has some room built in to help offset mistakes. A wholesale rate does not. If they aren't paying a discounted rate, then you could probably work with them. If they are, that's tough luck. Or... if you can't discount that product, you might be selling it for too low.

Also, once the customer approves the artwork, that's it. It's very clearly stated that they must VERIFY all information and that no changes will be made. This even applies to mistakes that we make resetting type. I don't how to spell everyone's name. I don't know everyone's number. If it's got a lot of text in the art, we make the customer read every single line.

 

[mmblarg]

In every proof we send, we include a clause that details our proofing policies. We've recently had to revise the wording of these policies to state more clearly that we do not accept financial responsibility for mistakes found after approval. Before this however, we would wiggle around with our policies depending on how well these things were explained to our clients, sometimes having to negotiate and even eat the cost on signs that had to be redone. My advice is check how well you had provided the information to your client - if your policy wasn't clear and readily available, take care of this customer. Do what you need to make them happy and then focus on protecting yourself better in the future. Have clients sign off on a contract before proofing, something to show that they had the information they needed before giving approval.

 

[2B]

We are trying to come up with an ideal compromise for this client, they are a competitor in some areas of our business but this particular item is not something that they produce. They are not regular clients and only come to us for this time of work.

Since you are the wholesale provider and you were provided a print ready file. there is no question / debate it is on them to proof the design before sending it to you.
If they want it remade they pay for the same price as the initial product

regardless if we are selling retail or wholesale, all design are proofed back to the customer and each one has the following tag line that must be signed

• PLEASE check all wording and grammar to meet your requirements.
• NOTE: Once approved (company name) is not responsible for any misspellings and/or grammar errors.
• By approving the attached file(s) you are approving the spelling, wording, punctuation, arrangement, color and compliancy of the design mock-up/ product proof.
• After the mock-up/ product proof are approved, any errors found will be quickly and willingly corrected, but the correction will be at your expense if production has already started.
  

 

[Gino]

Hi all, I am just asking the question, what do you do when your customer has approved artwork and a mistake is not noticed until after the piece has been produced. We have had a number of these over the last couple of weeks ans it is driving me nuts. One was from another sign company and we used their artwork, all we did was resize it and send it back to them for approval, approval was given, process was done and mistake was found on the morning of pick up. Because we have their approval they realize that they will need to pay for the item to be made again,but what would you do?

This is what makes me think it's your fault. How can you have so many... that it drives you nuts ?? Are all of your clients that stupid ?? Can't anyone on your end proof this stuff beforehand ?? Create a charge for this extra service, but don't turn out bad jobs. Heck, to avoid useless arguments, just look at it before you hit the print button, then call them with your findings. I could see a charge for your having to double-proof it, but turning out so many bad jobs as you've pointed out, indicates there is something wrong on your end, more so then who is paying for a re-do.

 

[eahicks]

Real simple approach we have here: if THEY sent us the artwork, and it has anything that looks suspect, typos, bad grammar, colors funky: WE let them know. See, we have done this long enough and have the talent/skill/whatever to catch these things, just as if we created them ourselves. So we get it fixed before we go to production. QC your art....I feel anyone blindly sending a file to RIP, even though a "pro" designer sent it, is stupid.
Our mistake rate is very, very low. In fact, if the customer returns with a sign we made that has an issue, it's something we did. So what do we do? We remake it or fix it. I find it very hard to think, right now, of a sign we remade and charged the customer for it because they flat out screwed up. It has happened...but not much.

 

[Sidney]

As much as we want to be sympathetic, the truth of the matter is "we should not incur costs for their error/s". My suggestion is that we should be another set of eyes for them, in order to prevent sticky situations on a simple rip and print project, etc.

 

[myront]

OMG! Going thru the exact problem as we speak. Client sent a good vector eps file. mock it up, email the proof. "Approved". "Hey that sign you made for us doesn't have the tag line under the logo!" Here's the eps file again. It's the exact same file as before, you moron. Look at the proof! Could it be that your "designer" has the tag line on a locked layer so when they make the eps it WILL NOT GRAB THAT PART?