what would you do?

[Phill Fenton]

Explain to him that it’s not very good but you can use if that’s all they have or as already suggested you will trace it and clean it up yourself – let him decide.

[Jason Davies]

Can’t you print the hires image?

[Peter Normington]

quote Jason Davies:

Can’t you print the hires image?

I could, but even the high res is not that good, and needs to colour match the text on the van, its not a problem to do it, just that he thinks I am ripping him off by charging for doing the artwork, that was the point of the post.

Peter

[Jason Davies]

Peter, I’d ignore it and just charge him twice as much to re-draw it as you were going to.

[Nigel Hindley]

If anything like this happens to us, we simply offer a choice, this is pretty much word for word what we say ‘we can use what you have given us but we wouldn’t recommend it, the choice is yours though if you want it top quality it needs work (and quote the amount) if not we can go with it but wouldn’t be liable for the result’ we would also offert them the chance to get the image tweaked elsewhere to let them know we are not ripping them off. Whilst we do not dis designers we readily say that most designers deal with different file types and are generally not familiar with vectors.

I think its reasonable for a new customer to be wary abut getting ripped if they haven’t any idea about file types. particularly when they don’t really care about quality as well as not understanding.

The customers manner isnt very nice though and it wouldnt take much to make me tell him to go, but as it is i think hes just trying to see whats what.

Nigel

[Peter Normington]

I was going to send this reply, it’s in keeping to what you guys have said.
but maybe needs a tweak?

xxx.
It still needs some work to make it happen,
And I am not being a pain in the arse so I can charge you more,
quite the opposite I am trying to keep your cost down by not having to charge you for my time, if you allready had a usable file.
I have been in signage for many years, I only supply a quality product and value my customers, as and I am sure in your business you do the same.
I advise my customers the most cost effect, and best way to go to achieve vehicle signage to suit their purpose.
The file you have just sent has many different colours, and rough edges. It is usable, but the quality is not great.
to redraw will take some time, and that is what we all charge for.
I am not critisising your designer, but he probably specialises in web design and not large format print. or vinyl graphics.
I think he has used a tracing program to produce the vector from a JPG, I quite often do this myself, and did so from the jpg that was first sent but the results are not always good, and needs finishing to a greater or lesser degree.
I can quote you £60+vat to finish off the logo to a suitable standard for your purpose. I will get back to you tomorrow with a quotation to produce and fit the signage to the two vehicles.
then if you want to go ahead we can arrange a date to suit.
Kind regards.

Peter what do you think?

[Martin Oxenham]

We come across this quite often, Your reply is good but I would emphasize the fact that these designers work on business cards and stationary and there is nothing wrong with the artwork for this purpose but when it is blown up big enough for a sign or van graphic then it is a completely different story, you’re a signmaker and what you require is different. These people work at 2" high and we work at 2′ high, theres a big difference. And get a decent deposit.

[John Harding]

yes fine peter although I wouldn’t pigeon hole the designer as a web designer in case he is not and reads your email – You dont want to go up setting more people 😀 😀

I would say something along the lines of Martins as a simple explanation

John 😀

[Hugh Potter]

quote John Harding:

yes fine peter although I wouldn’t pigeon hole the designer as a web designer in case he is not and reads your email – You dont want to go up setting more people 😀 😀

I would say something along the lines of Martins as a simple explanation

John 😀

I agree Peter,

I would be tempted to have a snide jibe too but, we’re bigger than that 😉

[John Harding]

quote :

I would be tempted to have a snide jibe too but, we’re bigger than that 😉

just because Im only 5′ 10"

Snide me never and Peters my mate – Hughs (bully) having a go at the short people now Rob take Cover

[Cheryl Smith]

aw Peter …I know you are not a pain in the ~~~~~~ quite a gentleman in fact. dont let the bugger get you down and just ignore what he said and charge accordingly. Rise above it good man

[John McNickle]

Peter i get this quite often, and whats worse is they will happily pay a designer £50-£100 per hour to sit there in his office but when we ask our hourly rate its "chancing our arm"

id just bite my lip on it and let him realize that hes going to get the same request wherever he goes

[Steve Morgan]

Peter,
I had an almost similar situation some while a go, tried to explain that it takes a long time to separate colours and create a cutting file from a low res matchbox size image but the fellow was sure his 56Kb file was adequate etc etc etc.
I became a bit obsessed with proving the point so I spent a couple of hours, at least, and made and cut an some vinyl based on what I been provided, printed a paper version of the jpeg to about half the intended size, pixels like sugar cubes, and sent it all off in the post.
It was one of those ”I’ll show you who’s right” moments and of course nothing came of the whole exercise other than it made me feel better.
It seems like you could be in for a lot of unpaid time so I wouldn’t go too far because it sounds like the type of customer who will never be satisfied.

Steve

[Warren Beard]

happens all the time, it’s one of the hardest things to try explain to a customer how to ask for a vector file (and not just stick the jpeg in to an eps file 👿 ) I like your response but would be in 2 minds weather or not to add the sarcy comment (even though I would feel better) depends on my current mood 😉 and how much I want the job 🙄

I recently went through the same issue with a customer and his design, couldn’t even get something good enough to print even though he wanted cut vinyl, we went back and forth with different files and emails for weeks then heard nothing, it was one of those jobs where I was charging to fix the artwork or wasn’t going to do it (sometimes will just fix for nothing if only a few minutes job but not this time, one of those moods I guess :lol1: ) So I chased him to find out what was happening and he tells me that his mate who is doing his shirts has offered to do it as mates rates 👿 Thanks for wasting my time then you ………. filthy ………. grrrrrr…… and breathe

good luck Peter

[Peter Normington]

Thanks for the comments guys n gals
I sent the email, as it was,
Job booked in for tommorrow 😀

Peter

[Darrell Wootton]

Very diplomatic email and it’s paid off for you, excellent.

[Stephen Morriss]

Good to see you got the right result Peter.
I thought their wording wasn’t too bad considering they’ve just had to junk 2 vans worth of sign writing and were perhaps just asking someone Else’s advise.

They didn’t actually call you a pain in the A$%e, just asked some if you were being one :lol1:

Steve

[Stuart Miller]

In this situation I will sometimes try and talk to their designer direct as they usually understand what you are talking about.
If will often have a vector that they haven’t sent to the client.