Favorite Quote from a Customer Today

[Rooster]

Sent an email proof of a job to my client with the pricing for the quantities he was after.

I put the hello text up top and then a proof, below that pricing, then another proof, etc.

Customer is to approve proof and choose price/quantity they want.

I get a phone call from him about the quote and he's asking why everything's missing except the first quote. I inform him that the quote for each job is in the text below the proof of it.

His response "I never look at the pictures (proofs), why are you hiding stuff on me?

Arrrrgh!

 

[Jillbeans]

Phone rings.
"Hello this is ___"
(I do not know this person but they act like they know me)
"I need a ballpark price on a window job line one is blah blah blah"
(There are like 7 lines and two phone numbers)
"There is also a nurse head on top"
Let me get right on that.

 

[Kwiksigns]

Quoted a guy and he said he was shopping around... whatever, some odd job this guy wanted. Starts pulling out like 2 other estimates from other shops but I just told him my price.
So the guy says my price is good and has to go talk to his boss...
Figuring I would never see or hear from this guy again, he calls!...BUT
not to place an order... but to ask,

"I am at Signs by Tomorrow down the street and this guy working here wants to know how you can make the sign for that price. He says it is impossible and wants to know how you will make it... Can you tell me exactly how it will be done?" then starts repeating things I told him and asking questions.
All that after talking with this moron for 15 min. just on exactly what I was going to fabricate.
.......Told him to make a deposit and I would be glad to explain/create a detailed proof.

 

[Splescia82]

I had a client who wanted me to place their logo on a poster size 24 x 36. They sent me a 2 x 2 in. jpeg logo at 72 dpi. I told them I needed their logo in vector format (.ai or .eps). They got all "crafty" on me - re-saved that exact logo file in photoshop as a EPS file, and then couldn't understand why that didn't solve the problem...

uh...bye bye!

 

[briankb]

not sure where I found this link but the stories on here or awesome

http://clientsfromhell.tumblr.com

 

[Malkin]

Today:

Lady comes in the shop. She looks at all the photos of sign work on our counter top and says "So, you do..." and makes a wide sweeping gesture. Amused, I asked how I could help her. She says " I need something for my truck, but I don't know what. I just want it to be like..." and makes another big sweeping arc with her arm and accompanies it with this whooshing sound that defies all words.
After staring at her for about 30 seconds without saying a word (for fear of cracking up and losing it altogether) she admitted "that wasn't very specific was it?"

Later, while thumbing through books of print & cut designs, every other page turn got a full thumb-lick. Eww.

 

[Bradster941]

not sure where I found this link but the stories on here or awesome

http://clientsfromhell.tumblr.com

Holy Crap, just spent a hour reading through some of those and am still going.!!!

Page 9 and counting..:ROFLMAO:

.

 

[dwt]

Customer today tells me that my print prices are slightly higher than the guy down the road but my bid on install was slightly lower. He then asks if I would mind installing the other guys vinyl.

I believe we both came to the same final price over all.

 

[signmeup]

It's hard to believe people are that gormless.

 

[dwt]

That's what I was thinking, but it sounded like cheap skate when I said it out loud.

 

[Malkin]

Quote of the day:

"How much to change the name & number on these mags? I took 'em off my brothers truck when he died"



(and my $40 quote was apparently too high)

 

[G-Artist]

Last week we had a print order for political signs on coro.

We tell our clients that they can mix and match single and double-sided to get the best
price...hey, why pay for a side you can't see.

Order was for 100 units 80 to be double and 20 to be single (very small town).

Since the candidate was a friend of a friend we ran them all double-sided.

Guy calls me in a panic about the cops who also double as code enforcement threatening
to confiscate his legally placed signs, stating they didn't conform to state election code
(they did, I make sure) and when we were done he said he was shorted 20 signs.

Now this is where it is interesting as we pile them in groups of 50 and we count them off to
our clients as well as showing them the extras we include to cover any misprints. We did
that with his order as we do with all. He then goes on to say ..."well, I didn't find the 20
single-sided ones."

I said "really?" "Didn't we count them prior to loading?"

It took a few moments for it all to sink in.

God save the commonwealth.

 

[signgal]

Dealing with a customer at the counter, I'm by myself so he understandingly allows me to answer the phone when it rings. After a short question and answer period with guy on the phone...

Me: So when do you need this?
Him: Well, really... yesterday.
(Reaching back to my signs101.com training, without skipping a beat)
Me: Gee, my time machine's in the shop, so I'll hafta charge extra for that!

YES! That felt good! Thank you fellow smarta$$' of signs101!

Got a customer for life after the guy at the counter stopped crackin' up

 

[Jillbeans]

Feb 20 email: Jill can you do these two signs for us?
(picture sent in a Microsoft Excel file format)
Feb 20 reply: Yes I can, they will be $75 each as soon as I get a PO # I can begin production.
Feb 24 email:OK thanks will get you a PO#.
March 9 email: Jill here is the PO# how are those signs coming along?
March 9 reply: Thanks for the PO# will now begin production. Signs will be ready next week.
(this is for a factory where they do everything via PO#, no PO=no order=no $$)

 

[Jillbeans]

"My husband needs some special signs"
(husband is standing right beside her)
Apparently they also wanted cheap and special signs.

 

[signmeup]

You can have cheap or special....not both. Maybe do one cheap and one special?

 

[Jillbeans]

"the finger" is free.
hahaha
No I did not do that! I'd never make gestures at a potential customer.

 

[smott]

Several years ago, before caller ID, the phone rang.
I answer.
Caller: "Hey, remember that sign you did for me 8 or 9 years ago. I need another one just like it. Let me know when it's ready."
Caller hangs up.
To this day I have no earthly idea who called or what kind of sign it was. I guess he's still waiting for my call.

 

[smott]

Many years ago, my wife, who then ran the commercial printing side of our business had a very annoying lady customer wanting flyers. After about 15 minutes of trying to please the lady, my wife gave her a quote. The lady says "I don't understand why it's so high. It's just a little bit of paper and ink."
My wife excuses herself for a minute, goes to the back, gets a sheet of paper and slaps a dab of ink on it and returns. She holds it out to the lady and says, "If that's all it is then here, print them yourself." Needless to say we didn't have to worry about this lady anymore.

 

[WhiskeyDreamer]

"the finger" is free.
hahaha
No I did not do that! I'd never make gestures at a potential customer.

well, not at least until they're out the door and out of hearing/sight range...:Big Laugh