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Thankless Job

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PressPrintGraphics

New Member
I'll start by saying this was an UNPAYING job, and turned to be quite thankless. This will be a bit of a rant.

So, elementary school music teachers works part time at my fiances work - wanted a couple banners to hang in her class room. Went, measured, turns out 3 banners (2 - 2'x20', 1- 2'x19'). So, she asks how much and i asked if the school was paying or her personally. I've known her for a while, she said it would be her personally, so I told her I would donate them because I am not a fan of teachers persoanlly funding things, especially on this scale. So, did the designs, made several revisions, printed them, and then delivered. She installed. Went into my fiances work today and the lady didn't mention anything, go to eat with my fiance and she says she made comments about how frustrated she was that one of the banner was 1" SHORT, and the grommets were not exactly 24" apart and due to all that, it took her 10 hours to put them up, then take them down and re-center them on the wall.

So, by my calculation I did a free job which I would value probably AT LEAST $600 (full color banners), and I hear this. Yet, make banners day in and day out, charge the heck out of them, and never hear a complaint.

Talk about thankless. I guess to my proof page for banners, i'll have to now add that banners may not be exact measurements and grommets are APPROXIMATELY every 2' (which they were pretty dang close, I can understand a couple maybe being off by 1/4")

Eh. At least I won't have to worry about doing any more free jobs for her.
 
briankb

briankb

Premium Subscriber
In my own experience about 98% of the time "customers" put a value of NOTHING on something provided for free.

Had she been a paying customer she would have been the same PITA or worse.
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Usually the free ones are for friends or relatives, so you can't get mad and tell them off, either.

You probably should've hung them, did it professionally and then not had any grief. :ROFLMAO:
 
CES020

CES020

New Member
I solved all my free problems. I now tell them I'll gladly do them, what time/day did they want to come by and help make the items?

I've never once had someone take me up on it. If I do, then I'll happily work beside a human being that is at least willing to help out on their own project. Other than that, it puts the burden back on the person wanting it, and it turns out most people don't want things they have to contribute to :)
 
skyhigh

skyhigh

New Member
CES020 said:
I solved all my free problems. I now tell them I'll gladly do them, what time/day did they want to come by and help make the items?

I've never once had someone take me up on it. If I do, then I'll happily work beside a human being that is at least willing to help out on their own project. Other than that, it puts the burden back on the person wanting it, and it turns out most people don't want things they have to contribute to :)
Click to expand...

I do the very same thing myself.....with the same results. And here I thought I had the patent on that trick.

Yeah just let me know when you want to do these......haha, never to be heard from again.
 
ams

ams

New Member
Wow that is really ungrateful. Be sure to charge for any more work you do. I would have said "Well this cost me $150 to make out of my pocket and did it in a hurry because I have paying jobs pending"
 
Firefox

Firefox

New Member
I think we've all had these freebie/donation jobs. The last one I did and had nit picky non issue complaints on I picked up and politely said well then, lets just give you a full refund as it was dropping into the trash can. After some begging and pleading to give it back, I did, and never saw him again... Problem solved.
 
G

GypsyGraphics

New Member
PressPrintGraphics, I was glad to see this post, NOT GLAD it happened to you, just glad to know i'm not the only one who still seems to find themselves in this position.

I'm actually very sorry to hear your generosity was not appreciated.
People like that lady, make you feel like a sucker and take the joy out of doing something nice.

It's been a tough lesson for me... learning to be more selective about who i donate my services to.
 
M

mark in tx

New Member
Every January 1st, I set a donation budget for the year.
It covers all groups, clubs, organizations and individuals that call up out of the blue, that I have no prior relationship with, and want something for free.
Unfortunately, that budget is usually $0.00 dollars, so I can truthfully tell them that this years donation budget has been exhausted.

I do have a few charities that I do annual work for, so I'm not entirely a complete bastard.
 
dj_elite

dj_elite

New Member
Did this for a friend of mine too. He couldn't understand why when I went from part time to full time I started charging him for materials + .12% on materials I did not have in stock. I explained to him that I wasn't going to give him a free job and pay taxes on my end for it just so he could get a receipt and use it for a tax right off on his end. Needless to say he got mad at me and hasn't talked to me since!!! I'm done doing "favors" for people, they are so unappreciative. Like you said, the more you charge for something the more they appreciate it!
 
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