Customer rant....

[Red Ball]

Please review this email chain.

Hi Jim, Can you give me a quote? I need a logo in plastic letters at 12 inches tall to mount on my wall. I will email the logo.
It’s the name KERASTASE with PARIS underneath but much smaller.

Thanks



I reply.


Good afternoon,

Something like this?
<image001.jpg>

This is just a clip file and cannot be used for reproduction. It is only a convenient way to define what we are speaking of.

A few questions before pricing…

1. Cut out acrylic letters?
2. Thickness?
3. Interior or exterior.
4. Color? Acrylic comes in 33 different colors or would they have to be painted to hit a certain color?

FYI. For estimation purposes a .25’’ thick acrylic letter at 12’’ is 18.40 each. 3’’ are 5.10 each. The accent mark is 6.15.
Mounting patterns are 4.25 per letter. Double sided tape add 5%.

Installation, Sales taxes and inbound freight are additional.

Jim


I get this back.


Yes. What are mounting letters


I respond.


I don’t know. 37 years in the business and I don’t recall that term.
Of course I like to think that I learn something everyday !

Jim



Return email from customer.


So are mounting letters an option?

It is really getting painful now.

Sorry, as per my previous email you are using a term unfamiliar to me.
Please call.
972-xxx-xxxx.
We are here today until 11am.
Open at 7am Monday.
Jim


Customer emails next.


Sorry its mounting patterns.


My response.


Good morning,

We always use a mounting pattern for individual letters.

Are you looking for:
1. Cut out acrylic letters, metal or custom molded?
2. Thickness?
3. Interior or exterior.
4. Color? Acrylic comes in 33 different colors or would they have to be painted to hit a certain color?

Please call.


So my questions to you ladies and gentlemen are...
Did I sound snippy on the last email or should I have sock or bookcase for lunch?

 

[mortil]

think you went well with it.

 

[HulkSmash]

We get those all the time. We did a whole job, where the customer asked for a sign to be made. So we told him coro was the most inexpensive for his short term sign he wanted. He was cool with it, the price and everything. He comes to pick it up.

Customer: That's not a sign
Me: Yes it is?
Customer: I wanted a plastic one you put on the wall.
Me: That would be this
Customer: NO! i wanted FABRIC.
Me: You mean Banner?
Customer: YES BANNER.

 

["Deposit Please"]

Sounds fine to me on your part , but i think the customer needs to be educated a bit. I would probably ask for his ph# and call him direct instead of continuous emails thats going nowhere fast

 

[Rooster]

The only problem I see is that you should be picking up the phone to call him and not asking him to call you.

It's your sale to lose if you don't call and get to the root of the miscommunication.

 

[Red Ball]

Very good comments. Problem is this guy won't take call to save a life.
Everything goes to VM.
I did ask twice to call me.

 

[Techman]

o answer for yoru question just a statement.

The exact reason why I do not use email for this. I hate it. A short phone call would have resolved this whole episode in an instant.

I also do not use text messages. A complete waste of MY time. A phone all gets it done so much faster instead of waiting for a return text.

If they do not have time to take a phone call then they can rot in cyberspace. My time is just as important as theirs.

 

[Si Allen]

+1

 

[TyrantDesigner]

I wish people would e-mail me once in a while. For tiny jobs it would cut out some of the time if I could form letter them ... sadly most want to spend about 15-20 minutes on the phone for a 3 minute call so mine is the exact opposite.