Not a "what would you do?" But a "should I do..."

[Pat Whatley]

I've got this customer who isn't from this country. He speaks English, kind of. He's okay to deal with, just a little pushy sometimes but I can deal with it.

I'm currently working on a project for a hotel he owns (the kind of place that would rent by the hour if it could). In his "dining room" he wants to put pictures of food. I told him to tell me the food he was looking for and I'd find stock photography or he could bring me the pictures. he told me he would have his web designer take the pictures and send them to me. We figured the price based on that (12 2'x3' digital prints on 1/4" pvc) and he pulled out the cash and paid me in full.

Well...I got the pictures and EVERY ONE of them was a watermark of a stock photography site across the picture. No big deal, I thought, I'll just tell him to buy the images and send them to me. I call him and tell him I can't use the pictures, I need him to buy them and send me the files. He tells me he took the pictures, there's nothing to buy. I asked him about the Corbis and Istockphoto logos on the pictures and his quote was "That's just something the camera puts on there, it won't matter, print them like that."

I'm really, really tempted to just print them exactly like what he brought me. I know it's wrong, I know it's going to look ridiculous, but I'm really convinced he wouldn't care one way or the other.

 

[Fred Weiss]

I would suspect that you would be a party to a copyright infringement if you print them with the watermarks.

 

[HaroldDesign]

I don't think I would do it. If somehow he were ever asked about it, you can bet you'll end up in the mix. I really doubt it would happen, but I still don't think I would do it. I'm surprised he doesn't print a tiled image off a home printer and tape them up on the sneeze guard.

 

[imagep]

I would print exactly what he brought you, and hope that they are low res so that they look horrible (in addition to the watermark).

I don't mind dealing with anyone from any race or religion, but I cant stand dealing with anyone with a foreign accent. Nearly 100% of the time they try to hoodo me. Just a few minutes ago I had a (Mexican) guy to come in and pick up his order, I tell the guy that it is $45 total, he tells me that I only told him $33. I explain that it is $33 plus the $12 that he shorted me last time. He hands me $40. I asked him if he expects to be able to pick up his sign today, he said yes, I told him that he better pay us the other $5 then.

One of my customers once told me that when he gets a call from someone with a foreign accent that "all they hear is dialtone" (he hangs up on them). He is in the moble mechanic business, so it seems that this issue is not limited to graphic industries.

 

[weaselboogie]

LOL.... oh man that is hillarious. He really thinks he's snowing you with the 'camera puts them there".

 

[onesource]

I may be wrong but wouldn't you be charging him for material and labor with a customer supplied artwork addendum with a signature. Just my thought

 

[gabagoo]

what a lying sack of %^%$. Print it, he paid cash, theres no paper trail.

 

[Just Another Sign Guy]

if you can't do the job and be proud of the product you are sending out the door...don't do it.

 

[slappy]

a.) print one to be a ass, charge him for it and show him how "pretty" it's going to look or b.) tell him you cannot and will not print copyright material unless the rights have been purchased.

 

[onesource]

Pat, I would invest in those cameras.
I'll be in your town in a couple of week hangin some signs.
Print them!

 

[Marlene]

tell him that as a professional you are well aware of where the photos came from and that they did not come from his camera. tell him that it is an insult to you that he thinks that you are so stupid that you would believe a BS story like he gave you. refund his money and tell him to hit the road.

 

[Pat Whatley]

if you can't do the job and be proud of the product you are sending out the door...don't do it.

Don't be coming in here with your logical answers.

 

[Bigdawg]

tell him that as a professional you are well aware of where the photos came from and that they did not come from his camera. tell him that it is an insult to you that he thinks that you are so stupid that you would believe a BS story like he gave you. refund his money and tell him to hit the road.

I think we have a winner in the what would you do part of the category...

and I think it answers the "should I do" pretty good too...

 

[Mosh]

Give him his money back, tell him to hit the bricks.

 

[cptcorn]

I may be wrong but wouldn't you be charging him for material and labor with a customer supplied artwork addendum with a signature. Just my thought

what a lying sack of %^%$. Print it, he paid cash, theres no paper trail.

If someone brings me in a picture of a $100 bill wanting them reproduced in the same exact size and cloth/paper... I won't get off the hook just because my work order says customer supplied artwork.

As much as I'd love to print this job, I wouldn't do it... Not for the money, but because of the shear stupidity of the whole thing. But then again, I still wouldn't do it.

tell him that as a professional you are well aware of where the photos came from and that they did not come from his camera. tell him that it is an insult to you that he thinks that you are so stupid that you would believe a BS story like he gave you. refund his money and tell him to hit the road.

I like this the most... It is an insult for him to say his camera does that... wow.

 

[signrios]

I don't mind dealing with anyone from any race or religion, but I cant stand dealing with anyone with a foreign accent. Nearly 100% of the time they try to hoodo me. Just a few minutes ago I had a (Mexican) guy to come in and pick up his order, I tell the guy that it is $45 total, he tells me that I only told him $33. I explain that it is $33 plus the $12 that he shorted me last time. He hands me $40. I asked him if he expects to be able to pick up his sign today, he said yes, I told him that he better pay us the other $5 then.

I don't mind dealing with anyone from any race or religion

so just about every race speaks english with no accent?

you and your mechanic customer are not good business man
you are closed minded and ignorant.
one doesn't loose the accent just by setting foot in america, i've lived half of my life here and still have an accent.

you are one of the bunch who gets pissed when someone next to you speaks a foreign language and then again gets pissed when they try to speak english and they do it with an accent

crappy customers don't come in one race or with accent only!!
i have a good korean customer that owns several stores, he has very limited english, but we communicate with e-mail and green money!!!

i don't run away from potential clients just because of their accent.
this is america and is very diverse when it comes to foreing accents.
you are limiting yourself.

 

[ddarlak]

i'd print them all day and twice on sunday

cash in hand is better than a bird in foot.... or something....

 

[imagep]

so just about every race speaks english with no accent?

you and your mechanic customer are not good business man
you are closed minded and ignorant.
one doesn't loose the accent just by setting foot in america, i've lived half of my life here and still have an accent.

you are one of the bunch who gets pissed when someone next to you speaks a foreign language and then again gets pissed when they try to speak english and they do it with an accent

crappy customers don't come in one race or with accent only!!
i have a good korean customer that owns several stores, he has very limited english, but we communicate with e-mail and green money!!!

i don't run away from potential clients just because of their accent.
this is america and is very diverse when it comes to foreing accents.
you are limiting yourself.

Virtually all, people with foreign accents, tend to be problem customers. I cant explain why, I have to assume it is a cultural thing. I don't have anything against foreigners, but they just tend to be pain in the arse customers. I dont know if my mechanic customer is limiting myself as much as limiting problem customers.

I treat them with respect, and have never actually turned down an order from a foreigner for the reason that he/she is a foreigner, but I get reall tired of them trying to negotiate price or getting a quote for one thing and then trying to place an order for something totally differnt (expecting the price of the cheaper item).

And it's not the accent that bothers me. It is the actions and attitudes that those who happen to have foreign accents have.

 

[Letterbox Mike]

Come on Pat, even Mosh wouldn't touch this one... You know what to do...

 

[Just Another Sign Guy]

Virtually all, people with foreign accents, tend to be problem customers. I cant explain why, I have to assume it is a cultural thing..

my guess is that it has nothing to do with the customer or their ethnicity..but everything to do with you.