another pita customer complaint

[Shawn (EIP)]

Had an arugment today with a customer that has a design with 5 shades of the same color grey, priced it as a 5 but the customer (who knows more about my job than I do...) proceeded to tell me Im ripping them off it's 1 color just different shades. No matter how I explained it, it wasnt doing any good. I think from here on out I'm going to ditch "colors" and go with "screens" but that might be even more confusing for the stupid. 1/2 tones wasn't an option.

The kicker is when I get asked if white and black are considered "colors" 

[mk162]

Wait, why couldn't you do it as halftones?

[Shawn (EIP)]

Wait, why couldn't you do it as halftones?

they thought it looked like crap on the computer screen which it does...

[mk162]

ahh, makes sense.

so they thought it looked bad, you recomended a way to fix it and you are ripping them off?  Sounds normal to me.

[Northland]

Give him a handfull of Gray ink (-or- grey) and ask him to divide it up into the 5 shades he wants. 

[Fresh Baked Printing]

Give him a handfull of Gray ink (-or- grey) and ask him to divide it up into the 5 shades he wants. 

Perfect!

[Shawn (EIP)]

I think he was trying to save money having it printed as a grey scale rather than in full color but to us that doesnt mean shiit , a color is a color, a screen is a screen.

[mk162]

but black and white aren't colors, so don't bill him for those

[terryei]

Had an arugment today with a customer that has a design with 5 shades of the same color grey, priced it as a 5 but the customer (who knows more about my job than I do...) proceeded to tell me Im ripping them off it's 1 color just different shades. No matter how I explained it, it wasnt doing any good. I think from here on out I'm going to ditch "colors" and go with "screens" but that might be even more confusing for the stupid. 1/2 tones wasn't an option.

The kicker is when I get asked if white and black are considered "colors" 

I'm going to assume you are using CorelDraw, or another program that does not render Half tones very well.  For this reason we keep a few samples of printed half tone stuff, and the art to show what it looks like on the monitor and how nice it prints.
That aside, there are more customers out there, go get one of them.

[Command-Z]

Maybe give them a tour of your shop. Show them how the process works...

[mk162]

And when you get into a room where nobody can hear their screams...

[Fresh Baked Printing]

Maybe give them a tour of your shop. Show them how the process works...

I'm constantly surprised how many people think that screen printing is a 15 minute process from start to finish. After explaining to them just what's involved, they have a little bit more empathy for me
I guess we shouldn't assume that customers know our profession any more than a pharmacist assumes we don't know theirs.

[RICK STEFANICK]

This really does sound like the customer had a lack of understanding of the process but why did it matter how many screens colors etc. after the fact. Did your client agree to the charges up front and sign off on everything befor you ordered shirts and printed?

[Shawn (EIP)]

This really does sound like the customer had a lack of understanding of the process but why did it matter how many screens colors etc. after the fact. Did your client agree to the charges up front and sign off on everything befor you ordered shirts and printed?

I sent the customer packing. Felt kinda good but sure wish I had my hour back. The cheapest of the cheaps are coming out of the woodworks today.

[Dottonedan]

but black and white aren't colors, so don't bill him for those

Well,

Gray is a shade of black so (FREE PRINTING). Just have him pay for screens, but then he will want to take the screens home since he he did pay for them.