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I'm not angry at this one, just kind of resigned.
Got a customer about two weeks ago who put down the minimum down payment on a pretty big costume project. And they were talking about maybe expanding it to be even bigger, going for all the bells and whistles. We're talking a couple thousand bucks of costume work here.
A couple of days ago they sent me an e-mail saying that something had come up (they'd been in a car wreck, I think it was) and they couldn't spare the money anymore, and could I take the down payment and just use that to make them something really cheap?
I said sure, that's fine. Given my 6 month or so wait list I certainly hadn't started any work, so changing projects was no trouble at all. I said I could also just hold the down payment until they were better off financially, and go ahead with the original project then.
Today they e-mailed me back saying they're sorry, but can they get a refund? They really need the money and can't afford anything anymore. They promise they'll come back and give me the money again later, they still want everything, but they can't afford it right now.
*sigh* My TOS says pretty clearly that your initial down payment is non-refundable. And I know how the promise to come back when you have money goes, most of the time it goes nowhere. Not that the customer is lying, I'm sure they're very sincere. But so many of my customers seem to live constantly on the edge of overdraft, and every time they say they're getting paid next week and the money will come then, by the time next week comes it's already spent. And frankly that is what bugs me about all this.
Look, okay, I know I make nice, shiny, pretty things and you want those things. I know how this goes! There are artists out there who make shiny, pretty things that I want, so I know how you feel. But if you're living so close to the edge of your means that a car wreck (and yes, I know they can be very expensive, but still) will make you completely desperate spending more than a thousand bucks on a costume is a bad idea.
I don't go out of my way to talk people out of buying from me, of course, but it honestly kind of appalls me how many of them appear to be spending every last penny they have on this stuff. Shouldn't you have a little set aside for a rainy day before you buy silly, frivolous stuff like expensive costumes?
In the end I decided to offer this person a compromise, and refunded them half. That way I've at least been paid for my time dealing with them, even if they fall off the map and never come back with the promised payments. I do know how much it sucks to be living right on the edge of poverty, but when I was in that situation I wasn't spending hundreds and hundreds on luxuries! (Only a hundred every now and then.
)
Got a customer about two weeks ago who put down the minimum down payment on a pretty big costume project. And they were talking about maybe expanding it to be even bigger, going for all the bells and whistles. We're talking a couple thousand bucks of costume work here.
A couple of days ago they sent me an e-mail saying that something had come up (they'd been in a car wreck, I think it was) and they couldn't spare the money anymore, and could I take the down payment and just use that to make them something really cheap?
I said sure, that's fine. Given my 6 month or so wait list I certainly hadn't started any work, so changing projects was no trouble at all. I said I could also just hold the down payment until they were better off financially, and go ahead with the original project then.
Today they e-mailed me back saying they're sorry, but can they get a refund? They really need the money and can't afford anything anymore. They promise they'll come back and give me the money again later, they still want everything, but they can't afford it right now.
*sigh* My TOS says pretty clearly that your initial down payment is non-refundable. And I know how the promise to come back when you have money goes, most of the time it goes nowhere. Not that the customer is lying, I'm sure they're very sincere. But so many of my customers seem to live constantly on the edge of overdraft, and every time they say they're getting paid next week and the money will come then, by the time next week comes it's already spent. And frankly that is what bugs me about all this.
Look, okay, I know I make nice, shiny, pretty things and you want those things. I know how this goes! There are artists out there who make shiny, pretty things that I want, so I know how you feel. But if you're living so close to the edge of your means that a car wreck (and yes, I know they can be very expensive, but still) will make you completely desperate spending more than a thousand bucks on a costume is a bad idea.
I don't go out of my way to talk people out of buying from me, of course, but it honestly kind of appalls me how many of them appear to be spending every last penny they have on this stuff. Shouldn't you have a little set aside for a rainy day before you buy silly, frivolous stuff like expensive costumes?
In the end I decided to offer this person a compromise, and refunded them half. That way I've at least been paid for my time dealing with them, even if they fall off the map and never come back with the promised payments. I do know how much it sucks to be living right on the edge of poverty, but when I was in that situation I wasn't spending hundreds and hundreds on luxuries! (Only a hundred every now and then.
)
But seriously, I'd love a house, a wide screen TV, a trip to Disneyland, LASIK, beautiful clothes, nice jewelry and a lot of things I see on SCA-type websites. I don't have them, of course, because I can't afford them and darn well know it! I'd rather spend the money on things I need: rent, groceries, car repairs and the occasional (hopefully) doctor visit.
He is my Black Dragon (and yes, a good one) strong, protective, the guardian. I am his Silver Dragon, always by his side, shining for him, cherishing him.
Just for frick's sake, why can't people be reasonable?! I'd get jerked around by people who make promises they can't keep much less often! Though I suppose I'd end up with "orphan" deposits I never did do any work for and just kept for nothing less often too...
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