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Client emails that make you crazy!

AUTO-FX

AUTO-FX

New Member
I have a job I'm working on that involves several different people on the client end. It occurred to me today that the emails are really piling up on what seems to be a relatively simple project. So, after counting, the tally is 31. 31 emails sent to me with various questions and concerns. All of which I have had to take time out of working on the job to respond to. Is this out of hand or do you find this normal with your clients? I'm thinking, maybe it's just how people justify their jobs or validate their lives or something???
 
M

m_s_p

New Member
I find that this happens a lot when people design by committee. One person will send one idea to the entire group and copy you then someone else replies to the entire group. This isn't normal and I have had to request to be left out of the email chain until they decide what they want.

I usually will call my contact and explain to them that each time I get an email and make a little change it has a minimum cost of $15. If they wait and get a bunch of little changes at once it could be $20. They quickly get the point and remove me from the email chains and come to me with all of the ideas at once.
 
Jillbeans

Jillbeans

New Member
I hear you on the committees as well as "big" workplaces where the emails go back and forth thru several channels.
My worst for the past ten days has been with a second cousin who is opening a hair salon.
Every sketch I send her bounces back, I call her to empty out her email box and it still bounces back.
Today I told her to drive over and pick up a print out of the pdf I tried emailing her at least 4 times.
Love.....Jill
 
threeputt

threeputt

New Member
Feel your pain. Been down that same road with certain clients.

But, my favorite gripe about emails and clients is when they don't read the body text, but only open and view the attachment you sent.

To wit: In the email you might explain that the colors may not appear correct because display monitors vary. Or you might address other concerns they might have. Or you might make suggestions, or explain the reasons you did what you did with the layout, etc, etc.

But they look at the attachment, and quickly fire off a bunch of questions which you've already anticipated and answered in the text portion.

Grrrr.....
 
iSign

iSign

New Member
yeah.. 31 must be a record, but you gotta nip it in the bud, which was over 21 emails ago...

I too have advised groups to pick ONE person, and if they don't I will use the guy writing the check, and refuse to respond to anyone else, BECAUSE the size of the check that one guy has to write is going to go up if a job that was quoted to include 1 email proof & revision, will become a different job with a different price if it exceeds the terms of the original agreement. ("Scope creep" is what Jon Aston taught me to call it, and we must not allow it or profitability will be sacrificed)
 
C

CanuckSigns

Active Member
Yeah, I've come to the conclusion that some people are what I like to call "Professional Meeting Attendees" these are the people who seem do do absolutely nothing all day except go to meetings and participate in email chains.

For some reason, these are the types of people who get to look after their companies signage requirements. I am constantly being bombarded with requests to "see it in blue" or "modify the quote from 35 pcs to 33"

The "professional meeting attendee" is completely incapable of making a decision on their own, often requiring "committee approval" to for everything from a name change on a banner, to deciding what to eat for lunch that day.

Can you tell I'm a bit fed up with them?
 
AUTO-FX

AUTO-FX

New Member
iSign said:
yeah.. 31 must be a record, but you gotta nip it in the bud, which was over 21 emails ago...
Click to expand...
Yup, you're right. I have been rather patient.
As far as proofs, I've only sent one, one revision,and one color confirmation, so I'm not letting anyone really run me through the ringer, but yeah about 21 too many! Geeeez!
 
Si Allen

Si Allen

New Member
My method is to attend the 1st meeting with the "committee" and get their ideas. Then I tell them to select ONE PERSON to be my contact!

I also make it very plain that if anyone other than the contact calls me ... they will be billed for the time spent so far ... and they can start over with a new sign company!

You must establish that you are a professional, and not a hobbyist! So far (44 years) it has worked well.
 
weaselboogie

weaselboogie

New Member
I have had several in the 50 range, but I do most of my work by email. I don't mind this too much because everything is in writing if I forget anything.

The ones that I loathe are the ones that feel that they need to call after EVERY single frickin' email. These are usually also the ones that LOVE to talk.
 
Custom_Grafx

Custom_Grafx

New Member
I feel you.

I had a client like that who... at the end, said OK, see you on Thursday then. (when they said something like 25th, which was not a Thursday), and that led to another 5 emails to figure out if it was the Thursday or the 25th. I really don't want to go back into my archives to find out the exact number of emails with that person... but I think it was around 20 or so.
 
SignosaurusRex

SignosaurusRex

Active Member
Si Allen said:
My method is to attend the 1st meeting with the "committee" and get their ideas. Then I tell them to select ONE PERSON to be my contact!

I also make it very plain that if anyone other than the contact calls me ... they will be billed for the time spent so far ... and they can start over with a new sign company!

You must establish that you are a professional, and not a hobbyist! So far (44 years) it has worked well.
Click to expand...

:rock-n-roll:Works for me. Time is money!
 
S

Salmoneye

New Member
31 emails @ $5 ea. = $155 added to the ticket. Awesome! Unless you actually had to do something with one of those emails, then it would be more of course. I hope that my clients put me on their joke forwarding lists as well.
 
O

ova

New Member
After five back and forth email conversations, I tell the client they have to come to the shop and finalize the proof. If I get the " I can't make it for a couple of days" answer, I tell them we'll wait.

It's amazing how much time is wasted when the customer isn't making up their own mind, but getting opinions from others in their work place.

Dave
 
TheSnowman

TheSnowman

New Member
The ones that I loathe are the ones that feel that they need to call after EVERY single frickin' email. These are usually also the ones that LOVE to talk.
Click to expand...
I hear that! I have a customer right around the corner that will email it, I will get it and have it half done, he'll call to make sure I got it, explain to me what I already have done, then he'll even sometimes drop by to talk to me about it...and it's done by that point. He's my biggest customer, so it's not TOO bad, just unreal.
 
V

VizualVoice

I just learned how to change my title status
a BIG +1 on the answering 1 of the <multiple> questions.

I have one client that was notorious for that, so after the second job and much frustration on my part I actually sent the 4 or 5 questions I had as separate emails, one right after the other to see if that would help.

He replied to the last one. :banghead::banghead::banghead:
 
jiarby

jiarby

New Member
I had a customer my 1st year that got pissed off at me when I suggested that for her next order I would charge her by the email instead of by the piece. I think she did 20-25 emails all over a set of cut vinyl 12x24 mags. Oy Vey!
 
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