Tweet
This is an old one, actually.
I used to work in the frame shop of a chain craft store. Our particular shop was the busiest in the region, with one of the top salesmen in the country, we'll call him T.
One night, while T is getting ready to leave work and I'm getting ready to face the hordes alone, this SC comes in. He steps up to the counter and puts down one of those large, foam core posters they display at parties for attendees to sign. This one had a picture of a kid dressed up like a king, and all his friends had signed it, and ribbons cascaded down the side. Now, these things are large. I take one look at it and know it's going to cost a ridiculous amount of money to frame -- most people would gag at the price for framing something like that and walk out. Frankly, the store and framers want them to -- with something that large, the store loses money and the framers lose time.
Anyway, he plops this thing on the counter and says he wants it in a black shadowbox with a burgundy suede mat behind it, showing 8 inches around the piece (remember that).
If you're not familiar with it -- a suede mat is adding even more cost than a regular mat, and it's really not necessary for something like this, it doesn't enhance the image at all. It's also the wrong color for the picture.
I take out the tape measure, and while I'm taking the basic dimensions, tactfully say that burgundy is not the color that we would recommend for this piece, because it doesn't enhance the picture --
He cuts me off at that point to say that he has one framed just that way at home and That's How HE Wants It.
Right-o.
So I go on to ask him, does he mean 8 inches of mat showing on each side, or 4 inches on each side, so 8 total? 8 on each side, I explain, is an awful lot of mat to be showing -- the piece will be absolutely huge, and for no good reason.
8 on each side, he says.
At this point, I use the tape measure to show him the dimensions he's going to get if he adds 8 inches on each side, and ask him if he's sure, reiterating that it's not what we recommend.
He's already pissy with me, but he gets even more annoyed now and says yes, that's exactly what he wants.
I put the information into the computer, and discover that the overall dimensions will, in fact, be so large that we don't have glass in that size. I explain this to him, and he immediately says he'll take plexi-glass.
I explain that we don't have plexi-glass.
The SC says he'll buy the plexi-glass and bring it in.
Ok... not much I can do to stop that. So we proceed. I tell him if he is going to buy the plexi-glass he'll need to either make sure it is *exactly* the dimensions i have written down for him, or larger so that we can cut it down to size. I suggest he get a piece that is slightly larger and that he be extremely careful with it, because plexi-glass can scratch very easily.
He huffs and is annoyed sounding with me the entire way through, but we finish the sale. Now, T is there the whole time, though he doesn't say anything.
A week or so later he brings in the plexi-glass. I wasn't there to receive it, but T was and noticed that there was a large chip taken out of one corner. He points it out to the guy and explains that since the plexi is the exact size of the piece, the chip might be visible once it's framed. Does the guy want to take it back to the store and get a new one?
No, the SC wants us to just use this one.
So T makes the guy sign a statement noting the condition of the plexi when he brought it in
fast forward to when we receive the frame components. The piece is so large that we have to re-order the frame twice because, between the length and thickness of the wood, it keeps coming in warped. Now, here the SC has a valid reason to be annoyed -- his order was delayed, but that wasn't ever the issue he really raised.
We finally get the frame in in reasonable condition. It takes me 2 full days to put the piece together. I have to use our entire work counter for both days, because the piece is so large. I can't even lift it up until it's done, for fear the frame or plexi will break.
Finally, Finally it is finished! Thank goodness, because SC and his wife have been calling every single day to ask if it's done yet for the past week and a half.
I make sure to call them immediately and leave a message saying it's done.
(naturally, they take a week to come pick it up).
Now, I wasn't there when they came in to pick it up, but T was.
SC and his wife come in to pick up the piece. T brings it out and proudly shows it to them. Are they pleased? Of course not.
The first thing out of SC's mouth?
It's Too Big. It's not supposed to be that big. *I* did it wrong.
(remember how he was very specific, remember how he brought in a piece of plexi-glass the *exact* size of the finished piece?)
The first thing out of SC's wife's mouth?
And there's a crack in the glass!
Now, there's nothing we can do about them saying the size is wrong. We don't have anything that proves he insisted on the size. But T does get to say to SC's wife that the SC knew about the crack in the glass and said to use it anyway -- and had the documents to prove it.
When I came in and heard we had to re-frame the entire thing to the "correct" size, and what they had said, I turned to my manager and told her I wouldn't be touching their piece again, or ever helping them if they came back. I've never, ever said that of a customer except them, though I've had plenty of SCs. But his tone was consistantly borderline aggressive with me from start to finish, and complaining about the size of the piece after everything just smacks of a scam to get a discount/free piece. I wasn't going to put myself in line to play in their little show again.
I used to work in the frame shop of a chain craft store. Our particular shop was the busiest in the region, with one of the top salesmen in the country, we'll call him T.
One night, while T is getting ready to leave work and I'm getting ready to face the hordes alone, this SC comes in. He steps up to the counter and puts down one of those large, foam core posters they display at parties for attendees to sign. This one had a picture of a kid dressed up like a king, and all his friends had signed it, and ribbons cascaded down the side. Now, these things are large. I take one look at it and know it's going to cost a ridiculous amount of money to frame -- most people would gag at the price for framing something like that and walk out. Frankly, the store and framers want them to -- with something that large, the store loses money and the framers lose time.
Anyway, he plops this thing on the counter and says he wants it in a black shadowbox with a burgundy suede mat behind it, showing 8 inches around the piece (remember that).
If you're not familiar with it -- a suede mat is adding even more cost than a regular mat, and it's really not necessary for something like this, it doesn't enhance the image at all. It's also the wrong color for the picture.
I take out the tape measure, and while I'm taking the basic dimensions, tactfully say that burgundy is not the color that we would recommend for this piece, because it doesn't enhance the picture --
He cuts me off at that point to say that he has one framed just that way at home and That's How HE Wants It.
Right-o.
So I go on to ask him, does he mean 8 inches of mat showing on each side, or 4 inches on each side, so 8 total? 8 on each side, I explain, is an awful lot of mat to be showing -- the piece will be absolutely huge, and for no good reason.
8 on each side, he says.
At this point, I use the tape measure to show him the dimensions he's going to get if he adds 8 inches on each side, and ask him if he's sure, reiterating that it's not what we recommend.
He's already pissy with me, but he gets even more annoyed now and says yes, that's exactly what he wants.
I put the information into the computer, and discover that the overall dimensions will, in fact, be so large that we don't have glass in that size. I explain this to him, and he immediately says he'll take plexi-glass.
I explain that we don't have plexi-glass.
The SC says he'll buy the plexi-glass and bring it in.
Ok... not much I can do to stop that. So we proceed. I tell him if he is going to buy the plexi-glass he'll need to either make sure it is *exactly* the dimensions i have written down for him, or larger so that we can cut it down to size. I suggest he get a piece that is slightly larger and that he be extremely careful with it, because plexi-glass can scratch very easily.
He huffs and is annoyed sounding with me the entire way through, but we finish the sale. Now, T is there the whole time, though he doesn't say anything.
A week or so later he brings in the plexi-glass. I wasn't there to receive it, but T was and noticed that there was a large chip taken out of one corner. He points it out to the guy and explains that since the plexi is the exact size of the piece, the chip might be visible once it's framed. Does the guy want to take it back to the store and get a new one?
No, the SC wants us to just use this one.
So T makes the guy sign a statement noting the condition of the plexi when he brought it in
fast forward to when we receive the frame components. The piece is so large that we have to re-order the frame twice because, between the length and thickness of the wood, it keeps coming in warped. Now, here the SC has a valid reason to be annoyed -- his order was delayed, but that wasn't ever the issue he really raised.
We finally get the frame in in reasonable condition. It takes me 2 full days to put the piece together. I have to use our entire work counter for both days, because the piece is so large. I can't even lift it up until it's done, for fear the frame or plexi will break.
Finally, Finally it is finished! Thank goodness, because SC and his wife have been calling every single day to ask if it's done yet for the past week and a half.
I make sure to call them immediately and leave a message saying it's done.
(naturally, they take a week to come pick it up).
Now, I wasn't there when they came in to pick it up, but T was.
SC and his wife come in to pick up the piece. T brings it out and proudly shows it to them. Are they pleased? Of course not.
The first thing out of SC's mouth?
It's Too Big. It's not supposed to be that big. *I* did it wrong.
(remember how he was very specific, remember how he brought in a piece of plexi-glass the *exact* size of the finished piece?)
The first thing out of SC's wife's mouth?
And there's a crack in the glass!
Now, there's nothing we can do about them saying the size is wrong. We don't have anything that proves he insisted on the size. But T does get to say to SC's wife that the SC knew about the crack in the glass and said to use it anyway -- and had the documents to prove it.
When I came in and heard we had to re-frame the entire thing to the "correct" size, and what they had said, I turned to my manager and told her I wouldn't be touching their piece again, or ever helping them if they came back. I've never, ever said that of a customer except them, though I've had plenty of SCs. But his tone was consistantly borderline aggressive with me from start to finish, and complaining about the size of the piece after everything just smacks of a scam to get a discount/free piece. I wasn't going to put myself in line to play in their little show again.
What a horror...
Comment