Favorite Quote from a Customer Today

[signpro]

just got off the phone from this... regular customer, but this was someone else ordering this time that i've never dealt with.

Customer: i need a banner to match what you did 5yrs ago. but with our new logo, and new information, and different text. I did up a sample layout is MS WORD, i'll send that over

me: (sigh...MS WORD...) ok, so not really the same at all, just the same size

Customer: well, we want it the same, but we changed names, and the new look is completely different, so we need to match our new look, but still the same as the last one

me: ok, email me the info, and i'll work up a proof for you

customer: our new logo was made specificially for us by a design firm, we need a font that matches our logo, it's very unique, and the font needs to match perfectly for the rest of the sign

Me: Yup, i've seen the logo. I have a font very close and looks great with your logo. "then me trying to explain that the logo was custom made, its not an actual font anymore"

Her: well, the text needs to match the logo. but it's unique, and we cannot find a font to match

Me: i know, it's not a font anymore, they started with a font, but stretched/skewed it around, its no longer a normal font. and to make every single letter of the alphabet match that perfectly would take quite a while to recreate every single letter

Customer: well, it needs to match perfect. if you don't understand this, maybe i can have our designer tell you what font it is

Me: it's not a font anymore. i've seen your logo. I have something that looks great with it. we did a banner for you last week.

Her: i'll find out what font it is, since you apparently don't understand

Me: ok, thanks. email the info over, and i'll use your information for what font to use. thanks for the help (i know of a font VERY close that looks great with their logo. did a banner for them last week, but i dealt with my usual guy over there, they were very pleased!)


apparently i don't understand anything past MSWORD anymore. argh....
thanks for listening.

 

[slappy]

Had a guy that worked for a pool company drop off a truck for us to letter. Came to pick it up later that day laughing that we'd screwed up and put the driver's side layout on the passengers side. After a ten minute conversation with me getting more and more frustrated he finally just slammed down his cell phone and said "Look, the L is toward the front on this side...it should be toward the front on that side." I grabbed a piece of paper, wrote "ECIVRES LOOP" on it and held it up to the truck, he finally cheerfully yelled "EXACTLY!"

Cheerfully I stripped the lettering off the passengers side door and relettered it with everything in reverse order...not reversed mind you, just in reverse order. He left happy.

I've often wondered if he got back to the shop, told his boss the whole story, then let his boss look at the truck.

you should have taken a picture of that one

 

[Jillbeans]

"You got anything worked up for me yet?"
Phone call from a customer whom I have told at least 3 seperate times that I do nothing without a deposit.

 

[Kwiksigns]

^Almost had the same thing here the other day. I designed a menu for a restaurant...email it, they want changes made, I make changes and email new proof (friday). Monday morning comes, the guy calls and says, "so, is my menu ready yet, there's a ball game tomorrow night and we need it up.."
DID YOU FORGET THE PART ABOUT ACTUALLY APPROVING IT!!!!??? ARGGGGH!

this happens all too much...

i dont know if it is just me... but I hate it when people tell me they need a sign and thats all the information i get.

 

[Arlo Kalon 2.0]

One of my shop locations had a phone number one digit off from a Holiday Inn up the street. EVERY DAY I got calls from people in airports, etc, asking me if this was the Holiday Inn AFTER I answered the phone Kalon Signs. My standard reply became "yeah, and we're full up too!" before slamming the phone down.

 

[Bigdawg]

"When I took the truck back to the shop and told the guys a coupla broads did this they couldn't believe it!"

That was supposed to be a compliment... I think.

 

[cOrKinSA]

Okay here's one.
As soon as I get back I meet with this guy who wants the works (shirts, Flyers, window decals, etc...) because the people he used before gave him crappy products and all the wrong sizes of decals for his door.
I price everything for him and he is ready to do it but tells me that he wont be able to pay me and ask if I will barter with him. I tell him that that is a definite no since I have no interest in going 20 miles out of my way to his business that specializes in a single inflated castle centered around knockoff Disney characters that he was so proud to tell me he painted himself.
I really should have saw it coming when he told me the other sign shops he contacted would never return his call or go back and see him.

 

[SoCalN8V]

A customer who likes to do her own vinyl graphics installations in our parkinglot said,

"Can I borrow your alcohol?"
"Can I borrow some paper towels?"
"Can I borrow a squeegee?"
"Can I borrow a ruler?"
"Can I borrow a grease pencil?"

And then she gives me all the trash to throw away.

 

[Dice]

"You spelled my name wrong" (After they get the sign)

(We send a proof to every client, and it says to DOUBLE check spelling)

-You approved your Proof

"Ohh I thought you would correct it"

 

[signpro]

Names are the WORST thing to have to proof, even simple names can have weird spellings at times.

LOL @ SoCalN8V.... wow. i'd ask if you could borrow $10 when she's all done, without intention to return.

 

[mark in tx]

Guy with an older ice cream truck comes in and wants a giant Spongebob Squarepants for the side.
I tell him I can't do that because it is a copyrighted design.
He says "So what?"
I say "So I'm not going to do it."

He says he has 11 more trucks he wants worked on.
I tell him I would be more than happy to sign a contract for the work on all 11 vehicles, and he will need to put 50% down on the entire contract.
He says that's unfair to him!
I told him I thought we probably won't be able to work out a deal and to have a nice day.


Long story short, everyone else in town calls me to tell me the guy is going around bad-mouthing me, and they all pretty much told him the same thing about copyright.

1 month later the guy comes back in, this time he wants an American flag, no problem I say.
$200 per side for printed vinyl, $300 for laminated vinyl, $500 for laminated Controltac.
He asks about cut vinyl, I tell him I don't do that.
He says my prices are too high.
I told him he was welcome to go to everyone else in town and tell them what a horrible person I am.

Again.

Guy looks at me and I swear I saw the lightbulb go on over his head.

He asks me how much to clean all the old decals off the van.
I told him $1000.
His mouth dropped open, then he asked "Why don't you want to do business with me?"
I said "Now you get it!"
He stood there for at least a minute.
I pointed and said "Door is right there."
He finally walked out.

He came back in yesterday and asked for a Spongebob decal again.

I told him to get out and don't come back or I will call the cops.

 

[Dice]

Wow Mark, what a crazy PITA.

 

[J Hill Designs]

yeah wow

 

[NazGraphics]

Had a customer come in last week and he was measuring a sign with his hands "you know make it 2 foot by 3 foot" I said you sure you dont want to measure it first and call me with the dimensions, "no no just print " ok so I print he pays. Comes back yesterday. "you were right It dont fit"
so he gives me the dimensions 10"x94" inch WOW and he works for a mechanical engineerring company

go figure

 

[jiarby]

"Can I borrow your alcohol?"
"Can I borrow some paper towels?"
"Can I borrow a squeegee?"
"Can I borrow a ruler?"
"Can I borrow a grease pencil?"

NO
NO
NO
NO
NO

 

[Jillbeans]

"How much do you charge for a 33" by 3' green banner?"
~you know she's called every shop in town if she knows the hemmed length.

 

[Mainframe]

Had one today, guy has a fight club, he just spent 15 grand for a cage, I did his logo a year ago and now he wants changes, he is promising me he is going to buy a lighted sign from me later on but he just needs his logo redone, He showed me a picture of his butchered logo on his cell phone (which means he was already some place else), I told him to email it & I will take a look at it & quote it because I charge by the hour.

He left in a huff, stunned that I can't run my shop on promises!

quote "I thought you could just update it for me since I plan to buy a sign later"

Unfreekin believable!

 

[Shovelhead]

Three weeks and five revisions later (upon approval)
"Can I have that (post and panel) installed tomorrow"?

 

[J Hill Designs]

Just had this today - a few alum signs to go with a lit sign we installed last week -- sent proof off with updated pricing, havent heard back until today - "where's my signs? I said we trusted you..."

ugh. Sure, but I dont trust YOU

 

[Shovelhead]

CUSTOMER: "Can you install this for my 9:00am photo shoot tomorrow"?
Shovelhead: "I will try but I can't promise at the last minute."
CUSTOMER: "Come on, I jump through hoops for you all the time."
(referring to deposits to start other jobs at the drop of a hat.)

 

[Border]

"I must be one of your best customers!"..usually spoken in the moment of silence where they are waiting for you to shoot them a price on something.

Usually these are the WORST customers.