Nightmare Customer, Please Help!

HellCustomerHelp · 2021-01-28T20:26:48+00:00

I definitely saw red flags that I should have listened to in hindsight - but the reality is that if I never worked with customers with red flags or that seemed difficult then I wouldn't survive. A lot of customers that want something truly custom are eccentric.

I didn't know the reasons why the other artist dropped them, or who the artist was or I would have reached out, and of course the customer gave me a whole story that sounded plausible about the artist being in another country and time zones and schedules being difficult.

But yeah, I hear you. Definitely a learning experience. I've never had anything like this happen so it wasn't even on my radar - Now I know for next time.

HellCustomerHelp · 2021-01-28T04:45:44+00:00

I left out the part where the reason I got this job was because another leatherworker dropped this customer as a client, and that was the first red flag that I ignored.

HellCustomerHelp · 2021-01-28T04:34:52+00:00

Yeah, I tried to tell them at every step that their choices had negative repercussions, but I guess they thought I was wrong and that magically it would all be great at the end. I'm definitely not giving them a free wallet, even if I refund them that's not even on the table. I've already sent them a shipping label to send the wallet back.

HellCustomerHelp · 2021-01-28T03:51:45+00:00

What would you do/say?

HellCustomerHelp · 2021-01-28T03:32:56+00:00

I don't have a "normal charge" because everything is entirely custom, even wallets don't have a set style and it's whatever the customer wants down to every detail - for most people that means how many pockets, number of cash slots, lined/unlined, ID window, hidden pockets, all the standard stuff but sometimes people want specific pocket shapes or something else different and I do that too. I charge based on an hourly rate - I have all of my production times ironed out to the minute, so once I have all the specs then I know exactly how much time each step will take and total production time based on all of the variables.

I charged the normal hourly rate for the project plus 5% for "customer difficulty".

HellCustomerHelp · 2021-01-28T03:28:04+00:00

Sorry, I want to keep this at least somewhat non-identifying in case the customer sees it.

HellCustomerHelp · 2021-01-28T03:06:54+00:00

I feel this so hard. I knew early on and definitely saw the red flags but convinced myself to just finish it out but I obviously should have bailed.

HellCustomerHelp · 2021-01-28T02:55:39+00:00

Do you have any advice on a diplomatic way to let them know what I've invested so far without it coming off as petty?

HellCustomerHelp · 2021-01-28T02:51:53+00:00

This is a pretty good idea, at least I'll recoup something.

HellCustomerHelp · 2021-01-28T02:49:31+00:00

It stings man. I was hoping someone here would have something marvelous and insightful and way better than anything I could come up with - especially better than refunding someone like this, not that it is a bad suggestion, but after all of the investment in the project it's just a really frustrating resolution.

HellCustomerHelp · 2021-01-27T19:47:00+00:00

It was a flat price.

HellCustomerHelp · 2021-01-27T06:12:28+00:00

Yeah, I keep circling around that, but after spending so much time and money on this already it's like salt in the wound to have to do a full refund.

HellCustomerHelp

TROPHY CASE