Opinion Never really happened before to me.............

[2B]

his problem, his mess to clean up.

you can offer a price reduction on THIS order, maybe to wholesale but no lower. all future order will be regular price.
custom items have a ZERO return policy

ask if there is a person who can be added to the ordering process on their end as a check and balance valve.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

I knew Gino was going to have a happy ending...

 

[ColorCrest]

so I'm going to have to generate a quote sheet or a work order beforehand to see if any red flags go up. It's an extra step, but it might be worth it.

Maybe helpful going forward...

A quote form will not typically call for a PO because the process is only in the quoting stage. (There has been no actual order until approved.)
When a quote gets approval, the customer might generate their PO number and then the sign shop generates their work order. The work order form should have a place for its own ID number and also a place for the approved quote number. (The two are different entities and need to tracked differently.) Ideally, the two numbers should should not be close to one another, series-wise.

A work order ID number can be used straightaway as a job / invoice number.

 

[Gino]

Thanks, but it doesn't quite work that way in this situation. They generate the PO with the full work description and we then go to town, billing out accordingly, afterwards. No questions ever really asked, unless we're all going down a new road with something new and exciting. Then, we simply put N/A in the PO box and they'll again, generate a PO and we're off again to the races. This customer has been with me, since the mid 70s. This advertising guy has been with them about 24 of those years. There's always new faces coming and going, but we're like family with them, when it's all over.

 

[equippaint]

Thanks, but it doesn't quite work that way in this situation. They generate the PO with the full work description and we then go to town, billing out accordingly, afterwards. No questions ever really asked, unless we're all going down a new road with something new and exciting. Then, we simply put N/A in the PO box and they'll again, generate a PO and we're off again to the races. This customer has been with me, since the mid 70s. This advertising guy has been with them about 24 of those years. There's always new faces coming and going, but we're like family with them, when it's all over.

40+ years and 1 $1500 minor issue. Id say youre both doing something right and owe each other a drink. Not much to fix there. Glad it worked out

 

[ColorCrest]

Thanks, but it doesn't quite work that way in this situation. They generate the PO with the full work description and we then go to town, billing out accordingly, afterwards. No questions ever really asked, unless we're all going down a new road with something new and exciting. Then, we simply put N/A in the PO box and they'll again, generate a PO and we're off again to the races. This customer has been with me, since the mid 70s. This advertising guy has been with them about 24 of those years. There's always new faces coming and going, but we're like family with them, when it's all over.

Gotcha. In your case for this particular customer you are skipping a quote all together and jumping straight to a work order form.

I’m saying, if / when you decide to design and create new forms, it’s not necessary for a quote form to include an area for a PO number, but you want to be sure to include both a work order ID number and a quote number ID on a form used as a work order.

You might imagine the virtues of doing so.

 

[Gino]

40+ years and 1 $1500 minor issue. Id say youre both doing something right and owe each other a drink. Not much to fix there. Glad it worked out

We've had many drinks over the years. However, he's into wines and I'm into Irish whiskey.... but they all work.

As for the templates, I've created quite a few and have all the bases covered, except that PO interceptor, Vander mentioned. I'll be implimenting that tomorrow. Color..... I understand your reasoning and appreciate your input.

 

[ColorCrest]

I understand your reasoning and appreciate your input.

My input is also for the benefit of thread-readers as well. I find some "free templates" available on the internet which can become a serious problem for especially small businesses as they scale up. Poor concepts can become ingrained to their detriment.

 

[TimToad]

If you have to take them back, save them and charge 50% more next time the reorder them

Your shop would punish a client sending you thousands worth of work every week for a clerical error with a substantial surcharge?

There are loan sharks who treat their clients better.

If they order this same item repeatedly only weeks or months apart as was stated, why wouldn't just pack them up and store thrm for the few weeks or months until they re-order them and just fill the order with the already produced signs?

Hell, we have contractors who order things and get busy on projects out of town for months on end and we just wrap things up and store them until they get back to pick thrm up. They usually pay for them long before they pick them up.

Aside from the need to confirm every purchase order and double check when something looks weird, especially with a client who makes the same error 4 to 6 times in several months time, I'm not seeing the big dilemma here.

 

[Gino]

Your shop would punish a client sending you thousands worth of work every week for a clerical error with a substantial surcharge?

There are loan sharks who treat their clients better.

If they order this same item repeatedly only weeks or months apart as was stated, why wouldn't just pack them up and store thrm for the few weeks or months until they re-order them and just fill the order with the already produced signs?
Hell, we have contractors who order things and get busy on projects out of town for months on end and we just wrap things up and store them until they get back to pick thrm up. They usually pay for them long before they pick them up.

Aside from the need to confirm every purchase order and double check when something looks weird, especially with a client who makes the same error 4 to 6 times in several months time, I'm not seeing the big dilemma here.

Again, you come late to the party and bring nothing to help. The whole thing is resolved and you're wrong on seveal points, which quite frankly, I'm not even going to address. Thanks anyway for weighing in. Your attempt at input as always...... is greatly appreciated.

 

[TimToad]

A duplicate PO number is not grounds to cancel a $1500 order. Using the same PO over and over again is common practice.

Send order confirmations. Tell them you won't start production without approval. You're going to type it in QB anyway for billing so it's really not extra work. Now you've got a PO & an approval order confirmation. This is how a lot of companies work, including Gemini for letters and cast plaques.

Our school district sends us a reusable, SINGLE purchase order for all orders under $300 at the start of every fiscal year. Its meant to streamline and speed up fulfillment of the smaller orders so the administration office can focus on bigger tasks then spending time approving every little parking lot sign.

 

[TimToad]

Again, you come late to the party and bring nothing to help. The whole thing is resolved and you're wrong on seveal points, which quite frankly, I'm not even going to address. Thanks anyway for weighing in. Your attempt at input as always...... is greatly appreciated.

I wasn't responding to you. My suggestion of paying more attention on OUR end and simply storing the signs until they are needed seems to be as good of advice as half the other responses, but god forbid you restrain yourself and not be tempted by your knee jerk reflex to dump on anything I post.

 

[mark galoob]

I never begin any job without a proof approval. It takes a few extra seconds but has saved me lots of time and money

 

[Gino]

Your shop would punish a client sending you thousands worth of work every week for a clerical error with a substantial surcharge?

There are loan sharks who treat their clients better.
If they order this same item repeatedly only weeks or months apart as was stated, why wouldn't just pack them up and store thrm for the few weeks or months until they re-order them and just fill the order with the already produced signs?
Hell, we have contractors who order things and get busy on projects out of town for months on end and we just wrap things up and store them until they get back to pick thrm up. They usually pay for them long before they pick them up.
Aside from the need to confirm every purchase order and double check when something looks weird, especially with a client who makes the same error 4 to 6 times in several months time, I'm not seeing the big dilemma here.

I wasn't responding to you. My suggestion of paying more attention on OUR end and simply storing the signs until they are needed seems to be as good of advice as half the other responses, but god forbid you restrain yourself and not be tempted by your knee jerk reflex to dump on anything I post.

god forbid you restrain yourself and not be tempted by your knee jerk reflex to dump on anything I post...... it's always about you, huh ??

Seems to me, you were talking to me. You repeated some of the same things I said, but left out my name. You responded to me, not yourself.

That being said, YOU made a huge deal some time back about how nice it's been since you put me on your ignore list and strongly recommended others to do the same. However, you still chimed in here, along with other threads and are responding to me. You are many times referring to me as one of the bad apples in the barrel. I strongly urge/suggest to you to put me back on your ignore list, as you have nothing to offer....... me or anyone else. As I once said to you and you ignored me, I thought you had potential, but you've proved yourself over and over again, that I was wrong.

So, if you don't mind, unless you have something useful to contribute, please refrain from putting dumb crap in my threads. ​

 

[kcollinsdesign]

If they admit the mistake and are willing to pay for the signs, I see no problem. I would probably authorize a discount, just to show my concern.

If they do not want to pay for them, then I would just give them to them (and be more careful in the future). It makes no sense to alienate a good customer. You can't win.

 

[gabagoo]

Glad it all worked out Gino. My blood boils when I have to deal with stuff like that. Think about all the vinyl and prints you throw out because it is your mistake....not like you can charge for it... I don't want to pay for the clients mistake, but if they give you as much as you say I guess if I had to I would eat it.

 

[petepaz]

i have been on both ends of this one unfortunately. when we have an issue like that we try to split the bill or at least get the cost of the material so it's not a total loss and it shows the customer that you are trying to work with them but to eat the whole thing that's not good. you always hope that the guy who made the mistake realizes it's their fault and they just take your good will gesture.

 

[Gino]

Haha..... I forgot about this thread, but needless to say, since I wrote this thread.... they ordered some more of the same stuff. I reminded him he had some in the warehouse. Guess what he said............... ?? Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot all about them, again. How many do I have ?? So, I looked it up and told him and he still needed to order some more. Like I said, no harm was ever done. I just didn't wanna sit with money on my shelf for who knows how long. I'm not a bank or lending institution.

It's kinda funny, when you walk through their warehouse, it's full of signs we've made over the years.... some not ever used, either. Old fixtures, new fixtures, all kindsa merchandise they couldn't return for whatever reason and so many other things they have too much of. They just overbuy so much stuff, it ain't funny. They probably waste more in a years time, then we bill out totally to all of our customers in a year. They just re-opened a store and put over 15 million into it. I can't imagine all the waste from one store alone.