advice: very vocal customer

[poizenkat.livejournal.com]

Ive taken upon a customer who is VERY vocal about the badges i made for him. now, thats a good thing in a way, but he doesnt agree with some things i do. such as the fact that i cut a hole instead of holepunching them (NOW i have something though, just got one). the thing is i left PLENTY of room so that it wouldnt rip and ive had my own for months without ripping and it was done the same way. PLUS hes VERY new to commissioning, i think im the only one hes commissioned so far, so he wouldnt know that MANY badge makers do what i used to do.

so basically he called me to ask me about fixing his badge (which i agreed to do for free) and i heard him talking to someone about my badges. the person he was talking to seemed to be complimenting it very nicely but then the customer complained about the holepunching issue and the other person sounded very disappointed about that 8/ im worried that hes spoken to others about this and is convincing people against commissioning me.

another problem is that he ordered a $1 chibi badge, but never specified that he'd wanted it laminated. and well i never asked. so what do i do? do i laminate him for free or risk him talking to others about how horrible it is that i 'decided' not to laminate it?

im probably just being paranoid, but i get most of my commissions locally and i really dont want to lose potential customers over a simple misunderstanding.

[edit] i guess this can also be considered a beware in a way. the user is tomxwolf http://www.furaffinity.net/user/tomxwolf/ but hes new to commissioning so he just doesnt know how to act i guess.

also, what do i say to him if he keeps pestering me for updates? ive told him the same thing over and over and he wont give me a break 8/ im just finishing it now to make him stop, but for future reference what do i say when someones like this?

Comments

[hamburger.livejournal.com]

Why not just ask him if he wants you to laminate the badge, and mention that it would be no charge to do so?

[wereguitar.livejournal.com]

For badge, I always mention that lamination costs extra (although not that much more at all) you could always just do it for him for free as good customer relations. If you feel like you're being paranoid I would write up a TOS for future transactions :)

Oh man, once I tried to cut a hole in my badge without a holepuncher, such a bad idea XD Im glad you picked one up! There's no reason for the other person to not commission you if you have fixed this problem :)

[mrst4nkr.livejournal.com]

I had a customer do this at my AA table at a convention. I cut a slit, instead of a slot, or instead of paying major bucks to buy a slot hole punch. (In my experience, the slits I cut into the badge don't rip the badge. They leave a lot of the picture exposed when you take it off the clip to scan it.. instead of having a big slot punched through it or in the laminate surrounding it. )

I calmly explained to him that I would be happy to cut a slot into his badges, because it was what he preferred. He continued on about how "I need to start doing my badges another way, because they are going to rip for everyone" loudly, in front of my table with people wandering past and so on and so forth. I have been selling badges since 2004. He is the first person to complain about the slit cut in his badge instead of the slot. He is the first person to complain about nearly ripping his badge. (Save for one that did actually rip in 2008 because I tried a new kind of laminate that was way thinner than I had first thought.) I have to take my 6-7 years of experience and hold it against him. No, I will not change my method for one person. I will change their specific badges because they have asked, and are a paying customer. This person has done this to multiple artists, and I have decided that I won't be doing any further commissions for him in the future.

The guy you are dealing with should stop complaining since you offered to fix it. Also, if other people are goofy enough to not want to commission you over the way he is reacting to his badge (that he could have worn while rolling around on the floor for all we know, or could have torn it up some other way.. since it was one of his first badges, probably..) .. you might not want them as customers. :/

Laminate it if it's worth it to you. If it's not specified that it comes with the badge, I don't think you owe it to him. Not all badges come laminated. True story.

I mean, if you want to go above and beyond: fix his badge, laminate his stuff. Call it good.

Make sure to specify in the future what comes with things.
If you sell $1 chibi badges, be sure to describe them as " One character badge done on "x" paper with. "x" materials". Not laminated." or "Laminated. " or "Laminated for an additional fee of "x." You get the idea.

Good luck!

[torikonero.livejournal.com]

If possible, you may want to branch out into non-local commissions. While it is easier to do commissions for people who are near you, local drama often gets in the way of things very quickly. When you are dealing with the internet it is much easier to brush off one person who posts a journal about you, because there is no way they are affecting your entire pool of commissioners. You also have a chance to have your own say if they post something publicly, and people have a chance to visit any websites you may have to judge for themselves. I hope this one person doesn't poison your potential local customers. :C

[mrst4nkr.livejournal.com]

^THIS. HARD.^

[temrin.livejournal.com]

^ this.

If the $1 charge covers lamination, then ask him if he wants it. If it doesn't cover the cost lamination then contact them to let them know this. Double checking isn't a bad thing.

I also agree with Wereguitar about the ToS. They are VERY helpfull.

[wereguitar.livejournal.com]

^This!

As much as I enjoy drawing for locals, sometimes it can easily turn drama-filled. Either they expect more out of you (because they're "auto-friends" with you) or expect higher treatment (finishing their artwork first, etc.). These are just my own bad experiences. I had one local I had to refund because what they wanted went against my TOS, it was a smooth, understanding transaction until I found out at local meets he was telling everyone not to commission me because of my "horrible business practices" even though it was him who did not read my TOS and agree to a refund.

[sigilgoat.livejournal.com]

Oh god, I was there for that guy. I don't think he realizes how much slot punchers cost!

[sigilgoat.livejournal.com]

It also seems that people are MORE nitpicky on cheap stuff! Price your stuff up a bit. 5$ is still a very very cheap price for a badge, hon!

If someone paid 1$ for something, that barely covers materials WITHOUT laminating. And that doesn't pay your labor either.

[teahound.livejournal.com]

Seconding this, the badge you did for me a while ago never ripped! xD

[poizenkat.livejournal.com]

the problem is i usually charge more for lamination, but i totally forgot to ask if he wanted it laminated or not so he assumed that it would be laminated. im probably just gonna laminate it for free though.

[poizenkat.livejournal.com]

oh no i do have a TOS XD i guess i never mentioned laminating so i will change that right away!

haha it works VERY well for me.

[poizenkat.livejournal.com]

im glad that im not the only one XD ive had one or two that were cut instead of punched and they didnt rip one bit!

yes ill laminate for free this time to avoid drama, but i wont work with him again, thanks for the advice!

[poizenkat.livejournal.com]

ive been trying for a while now, im not the best artist really so i generally dont get many commissions at all. its just easier for me to get commissions locally though i take them online as well.

[poizenkat.livejournal.com]

heh my arts not really worth it in my eyes, i still have a very long way to go before i can charge more. thank you though!

[ryunwoofie.livejournal.com]

Would probably be best to just do it and get him OUT of your hair. :\
Who is this person? I really would LOVE to avoid them. :3

[poizenkat.livejournal.com]

http://www.furaffinity.net/user/tomxwolf/

[ryunwoofie.livejournal.com]

Cool, thanks. :3

[anjel-kitty.livejournal.com]

1. Raise your prices. Sweat shopping yourself for art that people then bitch about does no one favors, especially your fellow artists who have to contend with the fact you don't actually care to be paid for your hard work.
2. Lamination costs money. Make a point that if he wants to throw you 2-3 more dollars you'll laminate the badge for him, but there is an extra charge.
3. Don't sell badges at cons you can't laminate. Its not a badge then but just a piece of art for your scrap book. Wearing non-laminated badges is a BAD idea that always leads to the commissioner losing, tearing or destroying the badge which they then blame on your. Badges as wearable art should be in a protector or laminated.

[poizenkat.livejournal.com]

1. if i do then i really wont be getting commissions at all. Besides i do need the practice and some commissions actually help me.

2. i will do that for next time, thanks!

3. it wasnt at a con, it was online. but i know him irl from meets and hes in the general furry crowd in the area and they're the ones that i make the most money by. i can laminate it, but i was not originally told to nor would he accept that he has to pay more for it. i had thought that he hadnt wanted to use it as a badge, as the previous commissions hed ordered were specified to be laminated by him.

[anjel-kitty.livejournal.com]

Come up with a more creative and novel concept and charge at least 5 dollars, at least. As long as you continue to believe your art is not worth it, it won't be, people won't pay a lot of money for it and you'll continue to drive down the market and cheapen art. If you're going to do art for these rock bottom prices, do it for "free" and take donations. Or better yet join an exchange community, improve your skill, trade art with other artists, come up with new ideas, and then put yourself back on the market. con_badges has been running for years now and it is modded by the fantastic team Westly and Kayla. I don't even buy art for that cheap, and if I do happen to see something on teenycom for rock bottom prices, I always add in extra money as a tip. I feel like the price for art, especially on the FA banners has just consistently gone down, and it has all this new influx of people into the fandom believing that art should be cheap as possible with out even money to offset the cost of the marker ink or the color pencil lead. It makes it hard for my good friends who are artists to make any sort of money, or when they try to charge reasonable prices they get disrespected by these commissioners and told "But so and so charges 50 cents for badges". I know its hard for you to think about beyond you wanted to make a little extra money, but what you are doing is ultimately contributing to harming the entire artist market of this fandom. Please either go back to trading for your art so you can improve and then charge more for your art, or raise your prices.


As I read this post I envisioned this happen at a con, but that is my own bias on this matter. If he is new to commissioning, I would mention to him that if he wants a Badge it has to be laminated because you can't wear a piece of paper and expect it not to get messed up. I would hope that would be common sense but this is furries we're talking about, so I guess you have to make sure your information is implicit to the lowest denominator.

[wolf-goat.livejournal.com]

What, $8 with shipping on eBay? O_o

[wolf-nymph.livejournal.com]

"if i do then i really wont be getting commissions at all. Besides i do need the practice and some commissions actually help me."

That's the trap though! If you have SUCH low prices that you aren't even covering your costs, you honestly might as well be drawing gift art for people you know. You basically aren't getting any commissions, you're drawing for free. Taking these commissions is a job. How much would you like to be paid an hour at your job? $8/hour, $5/hour, $1/hour, less than that? It's totally ok to charge more than a buck, Even $5 per badge is insanely cheap and anyone will take you up on it. I guarantee you, if you up your prices just a LITTLE, advertise online in various places for your work, you WILL get work! You really will, don't undersell yourself! =)

[kayla-la.livejournal.com]

I'm confused about these comments that make them sound particularly expensive.. I have a fairly nice hole puncher for my badges and I think it was like, 5 bucks. It has a thing on the bottom to hold the cut-out paper so it doesn't just fall wherever and everything.

[poizenkat.livejournal.com]

i improve on my own and take classes occasionally from my aunt and uncle whom are both professional artists. i understand that im cheapening art but to be honest sometimes i just need some pocket money and its very hard to get a job at the moment so i take cheap commissions. when my art does improve to the point that people would actually buy it when its not so cheap then id raise the prices. i do trades at the moment as well and if someone would ask id usually say yes.

hes a bit stubborn and doesnt like to listen 8/ but yes i tried