what action should i take?

[tomence]

You shouldn't have accepted the job at all but what happened probably was you over quoted the job thinking he is not going to order but then he did and you probably liked the profit and did the job anyway so i guess you got greedy little bit right. If i don't like somebody i wouldn't do the job no matter how much money they offered.

 

[tintguy31794]

It sounds to me like you should wait two days for them to deposit the money. If they do not deposit then confront them and ask why.

This will give you the opportunity to explain that the banner is as good as it gets and guarantee that it will serve his purposes well.

You might even call him up just to get a jump start on fixing his problems.. pretend he is not an ass clown. I would not ask about money in that phone call .. .its intended for customer service.

If they have not paid after you have talked with them and everything you would have to go pick your stuff up and keep the 20% deposit.... or just write it off. (my brain would not let me do that).

 

[rushworks graphics]

as i said in one of my replies, i want to be as professional as possable..the guy seems to be a bit of a jerk and my wife said if i had phoned him up like i wanted to that he probably would have been in a not so good mood and would have no doubt started saying all sorts over the phone...thats what i meant by a swearing match....thats why i didn't make the phone call and would have preferred to go see him face to face to try and sort out his "issue"...but i wouldn't have had the time due to him being an hour away (at rush hour traffic)and his store being closed by the time i got their.
as for being called greedy by tomence...well, its an open forum and i wanted to see others people opionions on what i should do, plain and simple...we've all had difficult customers and wanted to know the best and most professional way of handling it is all. i do take offence to being called greedy, as thats not what this whole thing is about. yes i over quoted the guy because i didn't like his manner from the get go, his wife was very nice and friendly and i had no issue with them at all, and since i had made the 40 min drive out their i thought it polite to offer a quote as i said i would, so if that makes me greedy because i over quoted someone because i didn't like their attitude to much then......... all i'm asking is what you guys would do and whats the best action to take, everyone has their way of doing things and i'm not sure why you'd think i'm greedy just because i excepted the job after i gave a quote! it was a very simple and easy job for not alot of money....money wasn't a factor in this.....its the now hes being an a$$ and may not pay whats owed for a job thats been completed part, thats the issue.

 

[Pat Whatley]

First, a 20% deposit is ridiculous on a small job like that. 50% should have been the minimum deposit, 100% would have been better.

Second, as soon as you knew there was a problem you should have called. Face to face isn't necessary, prompt attention is. A simple explanation that banner tape is stronger than stitching would have taken care of that part of the problem. Any other problems he had could have been quickly, and politely, handled while he was still in "deal with this banner problem" mode. You getting in the car, driving 40 minutes both ways, just to save a 3x3 banner order is ridiculous.

Now....my biggest problem with this whole thing is TELLING THE CUSTOMER TO DEPOSIT THE CHECK FOR YOU. What the heck is that? If a vendor told me to do that I'd laugh in their face.

Come on man, sack up, call the guy, and take care of the problem.

 

[Jillbeans]

I would personally go out and see him.
Collect your money or collect his banners.
He sounds to me like one of those types who complain until they get something for nothing.
Then he'll use those banners for the next 5 years or until they literally rot right off his building.
What your wife should have done was to not leave the banners with him if he did not pay, and send you back to answer his questions immediately.
Even if it was a 40 minute trek.
Your gut instinct was right. I doubt you will ever see your money.
Love....Jill

 

[JR's]

First, a 20% deposit is ridiculous on a small job like that. 50% should have been the minimum deposit, 100% would have been better.

Second, as soon as you knew there was a problem you should have called. Face to face isn't necessary, prompt attention is. A simple explanation that banner tape is stronger than stitching would have taken care of that part of the problem. Any other problems he had could have been quickly, and politely, handled while he was still in "deal with this banner problem" mode. You getting in the car, driving 40 minutes both ways, just to save a 3x3 banner order is ridiculous.

Now....my biggest problem with this whole thing is TELLING THE CUSTOMER TO DEPOSIT THE CHECK FOR YOU. What the heck is that? If a vendor told me to do that I'd laugh in their face.

Come on man, sack up, call the guy, and take care of the problem.

JR

 

[Sticky Signs]

First thing I would do is address the problem and explain to him that what you've done is normal industry standard stuff and people buy it all the time.
If that doesn't please him, ask him what he thinks should be done to resolve the issue. Listen to what he says and "try" to accomadate - you've already over charged him so there should be some left over money there for you to try and please him. OR, you can offer to give him what he wants at an additional cost.
adrressing the issue, listening and understanding can go a long way when trying to build trust between you and your clients.
I'm guessing he will not want to pay an additional cost however he may see things differently after you explain that what you've done is correct. Hopefully he'll feel more confident in his purchase and have no problem paying the bill.
If he's still not happy, you could offer him a discount - maybe the amount you over charged in the first place?
Wait and see if he pays the bill. If not, go over there and punch him right in the ear. That'll learn em.

 

[rushworks graphics]

pat i'm 100 % in agreement with you sir, the check/payment was something my wife and his wife agreed on for payment, i would not have done that myself and my wife is kicking herself for A) doing that and B) leaving the stuff with them in the first place! and again yeah, a 20%deposit on a small job should have been 50% and that will be the case from now on...lesson learnt their. thats what i like about this forum, you get great advice on what you should be doing from people with years of experience and i fully appreciate everyones input. when my wife told me about the whole check thing all i could do was roll my eyes...why she did that....and she knows better, is anyones guess!!
i think the best option is to just get the banners back, and be done with the whole thing.....as jillbeans says...hes just one of those customers that wants something for nothing and is just trying his luck now. i did try phoning the guy this morning but no answer and i left him a very polite voice mail to call me when he has a minute so we can sort out the issue he has or i would phone him again this afternoon. my wife was saying he said hes had banners before and they were stitched and because these aren't stitched they are cheap and nasty etc! my wife explained to him about the differences on banner tape/stitching/heat welding etc but all he did was go on and on about how cheap and "chintzy" they were and how hes not happy with the look of them! ..sometimes you just can't win