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Lost a nice client... saw that one coming!

GAC05

Quit buggin' me
That's to bad about loosing a client that you liked to work with.
I think we have all been there at least once. I know I have.

wayne k
guam usa

I wonder if showing them your pristine "O" ring collection might not have influenced their decision in your favor...
 

GypsyGraphics

New Member
Sorry for the delay... busy day.
Here are the email correspondence, starting with the request for files from Susie Q's Affordable Design.

GG,
The Goodbars asked me to help her with some new marketing materials and have directed me to obtain all their artwork files from you. Mr. or Mrs. Goodbar can confirm this for you. Thanks for your help and time on this and please call me with any questions.
Susie Q's Affordable Design


Dear Susie,
For any client files to be release to a third party, a request must be made by the client, naming you as the recipient. However, the Goodbar’s do have all their logo and stationery files on CD and numerous revisions of their presentation handout, in PDF format. So getting the files directly from them is an option as well.
Sincerely,
Gypsy Expensive Graphics

Hi Gigi,
Hope all is well with you and your family.
You are right, I do remember a CD at one time however, I have not been able to locate it. Could you please go ahead and forward the artwork on our file, we would really appreciate it.
Thanks so much for your help and cooperation.
Take care,
Mrs. Goodbar


Hi Mrs. Goodbar,
Attached is your logo in several files formats, all your stationery and the most recent version of your presentation handout, in high resolution PDF formats. These are your files and you may of course send or forward them to anyone you like.
Please be sure to save these files for future use.
It’s been a pleasure working with both you and Mr. Goodbar, over the past few years and I wish you only the best in your future endeavors.
Warmest Regards, Gigi

Gigi,
Thank you for getting these over to us, we really appreciated all your hard work and talent.
Take care,
Mrs. Goodbar


So there you have it... the files have already been sent, i took but a few minutes of my time and i didn't charge them anything.

But before you give me a hard time about not charging them, let me just say...
I give clients their PDF files (which they already have anyway) at no charge for one of only two reasons...
either i'm anxious for them to go away or i'm hopeful that they'll come back.
Either way... free is more likely to make that happen.
 
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MikePro

New Member
that makes me feel like when I had to give back the lost puppy I found walking along the highway, and cared for it almost a week... damn 8yr old didn't even tip me!
 

CentralSigns

New Member
I give clients their PDF files (which they already have anyway) at no charge for one of only two reasons...
either i'm anxious for them to go away or i'm hopeful that they'll come back.
Either way... free is more likely to make that happen.[/B][/COLOR][/COLOR]

Good for you GG, that's how I like to do business to. A hassle on leaving means the customer you had will have less of a chance of returning back to you. I feel that they paid for it its theirs, period. Good choice as well, not dealing with the other company and sending the file to the customer for their dispersal, something I will have to adopt in the future. Been there, it's a hard one to swallow. Hope they have regrets.
 

iSign

New Member
I also agree with your choice, but I can suggest two things, for when you might choose to take this extra step... I like to give 2 CD's the first time a client gets their logo & I suggest they copy the files to a hard drive as well as getting in the habit of always making copies when someone needs their art, instead of ever giving out their copy... then I tell them that i TRY to save everything I do, and if they lose their art, i MIGHT have it, but i might not.. SO IT IS THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO NOT LOSE IT... NOT MINE!!!

I also tell them there is time involved to search through years of files & burn another CD, so my archive retrieval fee is $50, which I've collected twice this year, but i also waive that fee often... but only when I want to...
 

Rick

Certified Enneadecagon Designer
I probably would have done the same thing....

My contract says all artwork will be provided on a CD, past that they will be billed hourly with a minimum of one hour for any replaced artwork. I don't always charge that, but it covers my butt if I have a client who routinely loses it or hires out to brainless vendors (this has happened a few times) On source files I never give them up either, my contract states all source and unused concepts are mine, artwork is guaranteed to be available for 5 years. Past that, the design is charged by a percentage... have not had an issue with that either, but if the job was a larger job, I would probably only charge them the hourly to retrieve them.
 

visual800

Active Member
networking is BS, time wasting, hanging around a bunch of folks you don't like or care to be with. I like to place it in the category of Junior league, the Chamber of Commerce and Home Builder Meetings, all BS!

I take no affiliation to any of this crap and if you got denied because you did not join their clubhouse screw them. You would have probably offered the best talent in that place
 

Jillbeans

New Member
I think you did the right thing.
Oddly enough, I had a client very like yours.
They started out coming to me, loved me, told me I was a good value and they were not a bad couple.
Their artwork was horrendous but I always used it (after I fixed it)
Then....they joined the networking group and got all "corporate".
They stopped coming to me but I don't really care.
It seems to me that once someone joins a networking group they become cult-ish.
As soon as I hear the word networking from a client my net-dar comes up and I get all "Oh that's nice" and "Uh-huh" nodding, acting as if I care.
But I am thinking "Please go awayyyyy!"
:)
Love.....Jill
 
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