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Not Happy :(
The beginning of 2005 I was asked to quote on a Toyota Coaster for a full Bus Wrap.
The clients art dept was going to supply all the art, all I had to do was print and apply.
The art dept took months to make up their mind. Several drafts were sent to me, the bus was measured twice by me for accuracy. They asked for a full scale vector mockup, with accurate measurenmnets of handles etc.
I told them to take a photo of the bus, draw it to scale, and I’d tweak it here if there were any problems.
They wanted a quote on the full wrap, including 1 way vision on all the windows. It was to have a guarranteed life of 1 year, but was expected to last 2 years.
I explained that we would have to use 3951 laminated cast or similar, and because of safety issues, would need to lamminate the oracal 1 way vision too, for when it rained.
My price, as you can imagine was pretty high, but not expensive to my mind given the assurances they required.
About the middle of the year, I was told they got a second quote and I was over 15% dearer.
I said I’d look at the prices, but they said it was too late, the tender had been appointed to the other shop. I was annoyed, but realise that you can not win them all.
That was until I saw the finished product recently, some 5 months on.
It is attrocious. The 1 way vision was not laminated, and it was so dangerous in the wet weather, the driver has ripped off some of the windows so he can see to his left when approaching an intersection.
Every crease on the bus has tented or lifted, the tape is already fading.
Plus, the design I quoted on was extremely intrecate, but the design they settled on would have been so easy to lay, I would have done it in my sleep.
Really cheesed off at this one. I have been doing this bus contract for 10 years, and they give it to another contractor, that undercuts me using inferior products.
They are not even going to complain to the other shop, because he told them that my result would have been the same.
I am so peeved with the bus co, I am reviewing my prices for 2006 in relation to their contracts.
They have never had a complaint with my workmanship in all these years, they don’t deal with this guy before, and they believe him when he says my work will be the same.
sheesh… really miffed over this one..
Rant over now that I have got that off my chest.
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10 Replies
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Shane,
I would write to the company and ask them to have the bus stickered up with the other person’s company name as to who produced it. Explain to them that it is widely know that you do a lot of livery for them and that the quality of work undertaken by this other company could reflect on yourself as you could never produce such crap.
Dave
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My sympathies Shane.
I recently had a very similar problem but was fortunate in knowing the end user well enough to point out the error of his ways. I think it sunk in but I won’t know for sure until the next time.
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I really hate it when a muppet tries to drag everyone else down to explain his failings. Surely next time they’ll come back to you Shane, with their tails between their legs. I don’t blame you for being annoyed with your customer, they should know you better than that after 10 years.
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Well they’ve have had their hands well and truly bitten and it serves them right. They are not going to admit they’ve made a mistake in case you rub their noses in it ( I know I would! Id make them feel awful) At least they wont use this supplier again and as you say, you will review their prices for other work.
I would definitely write a letter stating that in no way is your work similar to this other supplier and that this would not have happened if they had used you as originally intended. -
Thanks Friends, appreciate your comments.
I am, in truth, really very upset at this one. I’ve lost quotes before, but this does annoyed me. My clients know me very well. I’ve always ‘been there’ when they have had an urgent job. I don’t recall every letting them down.
Ive decided that I am writing this up in my next newsletter.
Just checked my subscribe list, and the art dept, the bus co, and the owner of the bus co are all on my list, as well as other bus co’s and sign shops.
Might make an example of this one in the next issue, sorta like you get what you paid for type article.
I’ll also point out that I didn’t do it, because everyone in the industry knows that I have this contract here (anyone that matters anyway).
Might make me feel better, and should at least get a response.
I’m not sure that the bus owner even knows I didn’t do it either. I don’t get to see him much as he has gotten so busy.
Cheers
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Shane,
I didn’t realise from your original post that the company you quoted, and who handed out the work, wasn’t the end user. I have no doubt that the bus company is not happy about it and you MUST make him aware that you didn’t do the job. Your newsletter is probably a good way of doing this but I would suggest that you make your views known through other means as well because, let’s face it, we all get stuff in the post that we don’t read.
In similar circumstances I usually find that end users will often specifiy that we do their work in the future and take that discretion away from any intermediary.
Whatever you decide to do, just wait awhile until you have cooled down a bit! 😀
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What a bummer Shane, hope you manage to get your point over well & truly.
I like that you have your newsletter-what a way to get heard!!!
Just make sure, like John said, that you have cooled down first, nothing worse for image than sounding like sour grapes!
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Sorry John, didn’t make that clear, but the bus company owner has franchised each bus run, so the individual bus owners are different to the ‘bus company owner’. I have dealt with the bus company owner for all these years.
Followed this up since my post, and the art dept were having so much difficulty doing the artwork for the bus, they subby’ed it out to a bigger company. That is why the artwork was not the same as I saw originally.
The bigger co suggested they use this other bloke because he always undercuts other sign quotes to keep their work. They even told him my price.
Good advice about cooling down tho. I appreciate that very much. I’ll leave it a few days before do anything else….
Thanks Lorraine
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Bummer Shane!
I’m sure it’ll work out in the end. I still believe that right prevails over wrong eventually, and what goes around comes around.
You certainly are the Professional in this situation, and in the end it’ll show. Knowing you, i’m sure that you’ll handle it in the best way.
Good Luck! -
i would be a bit careful about naming and shaming another company, I would concentrate on communicating with the company and expressing why their wrap fails. Also explain that Wraps are the most difficult process a sign maker does, the materials are expensive and that the market is flooded with inferior products.
I would the suggest that in the next budget that they consider a replacement that you can do for the price, if they want to cut down on the cost then reducing the size of the wrap is an effective way of bringing the costs down as most of the costs are in material.
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