What to do about a failed install?

[Dr. Decal]

I manage the graphics department for a printing company, but sometimes I will do installs for people outside of work. I have been doing this for years, never had a real issue.

My uncle (by-marriage) 's brother, has a 1973 Ford Maverick. He bought a graphics package online and had me install the side stripes around 6 months ago. Everything on the sides was pretty flat, and the install went easily. I didn't pay much attention to the quality or make of the vinyl outside of it being 3m designed for a gerber edge. There were no air egress properties, but had no problems with the sides.

Fast forward to last weekend, he got a "Grabber" hood put on the car and ordered the matching graphic. The install didn't seem like anything tough. I saw the instructions recommended a wet application, but I assumed that was for amateur installers and I would be fine. The front half of the decal installed just fine, but when I got to the hood scoops, where the vinyl had to dip into the recessed area, it seemed it would rather crease than flex.
I grabbed my rapid tac and sprayed the back, thinking this was the only way to work it out. As soon as I wet the back of the vinyl, it started releasing from the application tape. The outer edge was a 1/4 in. pinstripe that was now just loose vinyl. The air/liquid would not squeegee from underneath the vinyl, even piercing the vinyl wouldn't release the bubble. I gave up and decided there was no saving this graphic. It was definitely not the wrap material I've gotten spoiled with.

Now he wants me to replace the ruined graphic. I did this as a private cash job, and don't have the personal cash to buy another from that website, which I didn't like the vinyl of anyway. They are the only site online that has this particular graphic. He wants me to make my own for him from wrap material, but I do not have a template for a 1973 Ford Maverick or this factory decal layout, and he is one of these car guys that has to have perfection. He keeps texting me asking what I plan to do about it, and I don't want to be rude...but I don't think he could have installed the product he bought himself, and I can't create/afford a replacement.

What would you do in this situation?

 

[fresh]

how much is the graphic?

this is why I don't like to install other people's graphics. The few times I have, I warn them that if there is a problem I'm not liable to replace.

 

[Johnny Best]

Don't answer his text. But he did hire you to install it, and you did not.

 

[fresh]

ALSO your Uncle's brother really needs to get a grip. He has a fancy old muscle car, and he's crying because he has to spend a tiny bit more money to get the pretty graphic. What a loser.

And I hate dealing with car people because they are so f'ing anal about everything. Like, dude, if you want to pay me $125 hr and use a micrometer to measure where the stripes are going AND then use advanced calculus to determine the area of the scoop on the hood, then sign me up. Otherwise, i'll do my best and that is that.

 

[unclebun]

The first thing I do when someone brings me a mail order graphic is tell them I don't guarantee that we can install it perfectly and that I will not replace a graphic we didn't make. I've found most of them are crap, and usually they don't fit either.

But you're already past that. So in this case, you have two choices: either do what he wants and buy him another new piece of crap graphic and try to install it (but it won't go any better the second time) or tell him to pound sand. But by pound sand I mean that he needs to go to a vehicle graphics shop that has the capability to do what he wants done and do it properly. He will, of course, have to pay what it actually costs instead of trying to be a cheap schmuck and get things for his "collector" car from ebay and then guilt a semi-relative into doing the work for him cheap.

 

[equippaint]

I try and stay away from peoples hobbys, especially cars. They're usually picky, cheap or both.
Depending on how much it was, its best to suck it up and replace it then tell him you're out of the install business. After, Id go tell my wife what a d*ck he was to be sure she gives him the stink eye at all family functions. For future reference, tape wont hold narrow striping when it's wet, its not the material.

 

[Gino]

Whether you were hired on the side for cash or doing this as a business..... like mentioned, you were contracted to do something, but you didn't deliver your end.

You really don't have any choices other than to pay for what you ruined and either try it again or tell him to find a professional who can do the job properly. Being able of affording to replace something or not is not his problem. He put his faith in you. You're on the hook for something here. Your call, but don't be a jerk and snub him. That won't look good at Christmas dinner or the next wedding reception.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Buy him another graphic and tell him to find someone else that can install it. Take this as a lesson learned NEVER to accept this kind of job again.

 

[TammieH]

Like others have said, I refuse to apply someone else graphics unless it is super simple. You only have one shot at it.
Also, he wants perfection and pays someone on the side to install, because he does not want to pay what the job is worth.

As far as what is morally correct to do at this point, that's up to you, and whether he is mentally unbalanced or not . LOL

Good luck!

 

[Johnny Best]

Hey TammieH good to see you back.

 

[Dr. Decal]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I mean I would like to think of myself as professional, I have been designing, printing, and installing for 9 years. Been through many wrap classes and done many full car wraps. He may have "hired" me to do the job, but he hasn't paid me either. The way I see it, I lost my saturday and he lost his low quality vinyl. This is not a close relative that I'm ever going to see again, had never spoken to the guy before this. I don't think there are many shops out there to point him to (that will have the exact graphic he wants without a design from scratch charge), and I personally don't of know any better installers in this state. I feel like I was fair by not charging him anything for the attempt of installing his ebay vinyl. I'm definitely not taking on anymore customer supplied vinyl installs. I'm trying not to be a jerk to him, but I have explained the I don't have the funds to pay $170 for another graphic that I was never paid to install, he won't pay enough for me to create it from scratch. He is now asking if he buys a paint template of the hood stripes, can I make the decal from that, and I'm honestly not even sure what that means lol.

 

[AF]

Ask him what he thinks is an acceptable resolution.

 

[Gino]

Wait a minute, Dr............. He's out his $170 bucks and you ruined his graphics. You said you consider yourself a professional, or so you'd like to think. A professional does not accept something, say, forget it and go away after doing what you did. You don't need to own up to your mistake(s), but it's not his fault you couldn't do it, so why should he pay ?? The part I said about the dinner table and stuff was tongue-in-cheek. Regardless of ever seeing someone the rest of your life, is that the reputation you want ?? You're a quitter ?? You walk out when it gets over your head ??

Your credentials don't mean jack, if you can't do the job you accepted. This isn't rocket science. If these things are sold on ebay, just about any fool could do this job. Otherwise, they wouldn't be selling them.

As for losing your Saturday, that's your fault, too. This whole scenario is your fault and you wanna get outta ruining another man's property cause you now don't like him or doing his work ?? That again, is not professional.

About 3 weeks ago, I just re-did a guy's truck's graphics from the decals he bought on line. Yep, he was anal about the whole thing, too, but he bought it, I duplicated them and made them in the vinyl he specified and he was ecstatic when the job was finished. It cost him and extra $130. but it was worth it to him. Like mentioned, I said I would not use the stuff he provided, but I will duplicate them. Happy camper on both ends.​

 

[OADesign]

... I duplicated them and made them in the vinyl he specified and he was ecstatic when the job was finished. It cost him and extra $130. but it was worth it to him. Like mentioned, I said I would not use the stuff he provided, but I will duplicate them. Happy camper on both ends.

Great idea. I've been turning down these type of jobs for years. Never dawned on me to offer to duplicate for an additional charge!

 

[Andy D]

If it were me I would explain to him that I don't have the $ to give to him or buy the graphic & I'm not willing to go further
in the hole by retrying the install. I would tell him I will pay him back a little at a time as you can. If he doesn't like that, let him pound sand,
that's what he gets by being a cheap @$$.
Plus one on never touch a personal vehicle, they will beat up over the price and worry you to death over the design and install.

 

[unclebun]

Gino, don't assume that just because it is offered for sale online that it is going to work and if it doesn't that it's the installer's fault. The most recent job that we did which involved ebay car graphics was on a 1968 Camaro. It belonged to a guy whose offshore race boats we had done for a decade and we'd also done signs and graphics for his marine businesses. He buys and flips collectible cars on the side, and this Camaro was one of those. He had taken it to a local body/restoration shop to get it spiffed up for flipping, and they had ordered the nose graphics for it online from an outfit that claims to be selling factory reproduction graphics for old cars. They have vinyl installers at the body shop, and they went through two sets of these decals before giving up. Then they hired one of our competitors to install the decals, and went through two more sets. Finally, they called the owner and said they were giving up. They still had one side of one set of the decals on hand. So the owner called me and asked if I could rescue him and get it done because the car had to leave in a few days for the Barrett Jackson auction. I took one look at the vinyl and said I wouldn't do it using the kits they were ordering because it was intermediate vinyl. So I used the piece he had to scan and create my own. Did it in cast vinyl and went to try installing it. It didn't work--because the shape was all wrong. Nobody could ever get that decal onto the car, over the contours, without wrinkling and creasing it, and even then it wouldn't line up with the stripes on the sides it was supposed to. The angles were all wrong. So I worked from photos of what it was supposed to look like and drew my own pattern on the car, and cut them again. Then it worked. Still hard to install, but it worked. We got it done in time, too, even though the body shop and the other sign shop (which claims to be a wrap and vehicle graphics specialist) wasted over two weeks but I only had 3 days. I charged for all the time it took to design and install, with an extra 50% for the rush and putting aside other work. And the customer was happy with it, particularly compared to the bill he got from the body shop--they charged for all the time they spent and all the sets of graphics they wasted, and the other sign shop that failed also charged for their time.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I mean I would like to think of myself as professional, I have been designing, printing, and installing for 9 years. Been through many wrap classes and done many full car wraps. He may have "hired" me to do the job, but he hasn't paid me either. The way I see it, I lost my saturday and he lost his low quality vinyl. This is not a close relative that I'm ever going to see again, had never spoken to the guy before this. I don't think there are many shops out there to point him to (that will have the exact graphic he wants without a design from scratch charge), and I personally don't of know any better installers in this state. I feel like I was fair by not charging him anything for the attempt of installing his ebay vinyl. I'm definitely not taking on anymore customer supplied vinyl installs. I'm trying not to be a jerk to him, but I have explained the I don't have the funds to pay $170 for another graphic that I was never paid to install, he won't pay enough for me to create it from scratch. He is now asking if he buys a paint template of the hood stripes, can I make the decal from that, and I'm honestly not even sure what that means lol.

If you're the professional then you should be able to identify inferior vinyl not suitable for compound curves. I think we need to strip you of the "Dr." title until you at least pass Signs 101

 

[Gino]

I'm not assuming anything. That's almost what I did for the truck here a few weeks ago and it turned out great. I don't have any pictures, I forgot. The vinyl was supposed to be black, but it had quite a blue hue to it. Looked odd. I also tried fitting his decals to the truck itself and it was off a little bit, so I also altered the measurements to fit. It too, was not cast, but was some odd kind, but it was marked 3M on the backside. I used color change wrap.

Also, this is far from the first time we've turned down customers provided graphic packages. The only ones we accept are for municipalities, although most of them have converted to our making them in-house.

 

[Andy D]

I would take a look at the e-bay vendors reviews and see if it's a known issue with their product... I don't trust anything
sold on e-bay.

 

[unclebun]

You can't even trust reviews. The ones for the supplier I referenced were all so glowing they had to have been written by the vendor's shills.