Real quick survey.....................

[Gino]

Need someone else's thinking on this.


Doing a sign for a customer. Site survey was part of the deal. We received a deposit of 1/2 down for entire job. Met some snags along the way and the customer feels a little put out. He left some things out of the original quote request and I'm thinking he wants to shop around a little more and maybe pull the job.

So, the job is not complete, but he wants to know the exact final measurements of the sign.



My question is this... we haven't completed the job and have gone a little beyond his initial deposit because he's added some additional things in which we said we would collect on the second half.

Since nothing is paid in full, I'm thinking I shouldn't give him those measurements, just in case he pulls the job out and says F/U to what remaining balance there is ??



So, would you just hand the measurements over to the guy...... or just say they are part of my records which have nothing to do with you. He has contracted us to measure it, but I see no reason for him to have those sizes. They were for us to get specs, not for him.

Gino
​

 

[Billct2]

Did he say Why he wants the measurements?
and I think I would give him some measurements, just not the correct ones, an inch or two short will mean if he pulls the job
at least they'll have to do a new survey or use those measurements you provided

 

[Techman]

Why is there even a question on what to give him? We all know what is going to happen. He gets a quote for a few hundred less because you did all the work.

Your work files are yours. Your measurements are yours. They are never given up for any reason. That is why we invented our own reverse notation to put measurements onto our quote sheets.

 

[petepaz]

what is the potential with this customer, are they new or have they done other work with you before, do you sence any other business opportunities with them? if not just don't give him the info what does he need it for like you said tell him it's part of your internal files or something like that but if this is an existing customer or someone who could have additional work discuss the situation with him. see what he needs the dimensions for (it's his sign and he hired you to do the job so he must have a rough idea of the size) if it's a money thing maybe you have to renegotiate so you don't lose the job.

 

[Gino]

Yes, he already knows the size is basically 30" x 168". When I asked him if was he sure, he said.... I do not know this. Well, because if it's wrong, it will cost you dearly for us to cut or glue on shims to make this face work, he told me he wanted me to measure it to avoid extra costs in the end. I told him he was off, but never gave him the exact size. So between yesterday and today, some things have come up and they are all going to cost him extra to the tune of $ 650.00 more. Now, a little background.... he is I think....Pakistani and this is a franchise and he is being told, I'm taking advantage of him by the Subway people at corporate, when in fact, he keeps changing his mind on things and it's always costing him. He already told me to stop with the hidden cost hikes and I said.... stop with the frickin' changing your mind all over the place. Today he came in and we ironed everything out and he agreed that corporate is being hard on him and in turn with me. So I got this e-mail a few minutes ago, requesting the exact size.

I'm not going to give it to him, but I'm just trying to figure out how to say it nicely without insulting him. Communications are not easy when the other guy speaks perfect 'English' but doesn't understand it.

Yes, I think 100% he's gonna shop it around with my measurements and until he pays me in full, I cannot give out vital information for my part of the job.

 

[player]

Send him a bill for what you are owed to date, and let him know you know he is shopping it around.

On the other hand, corporate may be asking for that info just for their files, but not likely.

If the guy is screwing you, don't bend over for him...

 

[John Butto]

I think that this person likes to bargain with people. You are too "by the book" with him and he thinks it is OK to make changes and does not realize it will cost more for that. Call him back up and tell him you do not deal in inches and measurements. You use a computer program hooked up to your camera that figures it out and cuts it automatically. And if he is from where you say he is then English is his second language and do not be such a typical American to him and tell him how you realize how hard it is to run a business now.
You know that most people use circle hooks and let the fish run and it will hook itself without you making that decision by jerking the rod because then you will lose him.

 

[Mosh]

The size is Approx. 29"x167"...that is my reply.

 

[Gino]

You're close. I already wrote in 131.5" x 169.5"

I asked him what he needed it for and he said his files. :ROFLMAO:

He's gonna call me later on the latest change he made.

Get a load of this. It's a 30" x 168" 1 sided electric face. I quoted him as his picture denoted of a two color logo on a white field. At this size, the logo becomes about 8' wide, leaving around 3' on each end.

His newest change is an all green background with letters punched out. His question is.... why will that cost more than an all white background ??

 

[Moze]

I would wager he never said "I'll pay you $XXX.XX to give me the exact dimensions of the sign face", correct? If so, there's no way I would give them to him because there's no reason he needs that "for his files" at this given moment. When the job is complete? Sure, then I'd give him a full copy of the survey and he can run to the low-ball sign shop down the road the next time he needs the work done. Probably better for you that way anyway.

 

[Drip Dry]

You're close. I already wrote in 131.5" x 169.5"

I asked him what he needed it for and he said his files. :ROFLMAO:

Why would you give him measurements just slightly larger than the actual size? If someone else does the job and finds out it's an inch too big when installing it, it's easy to cut off the inch.
If you give a smaller size, it won't be so easy to add it.
Give him enough of a smaller size that it will be unusable but not so noticeable from the ground.

And oh yeah, sounds like he's definitely shopping it, and your already out ( wait till he asks for his money back... it's coming )

 

[FS-Keith]

Im not sure why there are so many changes. subway has specs for their logo that need to be followed as far as size and color. We do a ton of subways in the northeast pa and always have to have the customer get a sign-off from the the territory rep if anything changes. So make sure you get that done. Its a bottle green background with yellow "way". not sure how many variations of that they could want.

as far as them shopping around, what makes this customer think you would give him his deposit money back if he decided to go elsewhere? If he wants to go somewhere else tell him you already cut the plastic and he can **** off

 

[Gino]

No, I told him I'll add $125,00 to the bill to figure all the sizes correctly and he agreed. He's only 3 minutes down the street from us. It was a little steep, but hey, business is business.

Now, maybe it wasn't written correctly in my post, but between what he owes for what we did so far, if he pulled out now with the correct measurements, we get screwed. If he pays up, I'll give him the right numbers.
​

 

[GAC05]

He paid for half - give him half, either the vertical or the horizontal, just not both......


wayne k
guam usa

 

[Gino]

Im not sure why there are so many changes. subway has specs for their logo that need to be followed as far as size and color. We do a ton of subways in the northeast pa and always have to have the customer get a sign-off from the the territory rep if anything changes. So make sure you get that done. Its a bottle green background with yellow "way". not sure how many variations of that they could want.

This is what is happening and taking so much extra time. I'm dealing with a guy named Wayne and he seems weird.

as far as them shopping around, what makes this customer think you would give him his deposit money back if he decided to go elsewhere? If he wants to go somewhere else tell him you already cut the plastic and he can **** off

I don't think he'll want his deposit money back, but with all the additions, he owes me more than what the deposit originally came to. He's gonna be owing a few hundred dollars more and if he walks, I know it will be hard getting it from him

What's different about this situation is..... he's moving into a shopping center and the empty box is already there and the owner of the mall doesn't want a traditional Subway pan face there. If that happens, then everyone will want do their own thing and he loses control of the uniformity of his center. It's a relatively new center. We've hung many of the signs here already, but corporate is being a PITA for this guy, so I don't know whose lying to me.

As for making it bigger, I usually go smaller, like mentioned, but he already knows it's a 30" x 168". He just doesn't know the exact size. Someone else gave him that measurement. I think the landlord on his spec sheet. Bigger made more sense and seemed more realistic. Regardless, if the sign is too large, cutting 14' off is a pain in my opinion and worth the laugh.

 

[Mike Paul]

Doesn't really matter if he has exact measurements or not.
He has close measurements already if he wants to shop around...

If he decides to go elsewhere charge him a service call and bill him for design work completed.

If I was contracted to do the face, I always measure the box myself anyway so he wouldn't be saving any money there. I believe most shops would do the same...