I'm starting to get annoyed

[sofadoc]

I have 2 thumb tack boards above my desk. One for pending jobs, the other for completed jobs.
Lately, the "completed" board has over-taken the "pending" board.
It's mostly $50-$75 stuff, but they all add up to over 2 grand.
They either don't return my calls, or they say "I'll be in next week". They seem to have a different definition of "next week" than I have.
And then there's the ever popular "We've had a death in the family".
Apparently, getting upholstery work done at my shop is the "Kiss of death" for one's family members. My local newspaper calls ME when they're running low on obits.
I'm not un-sympathetic for people who have lost a loved one, but I suspect that some of them use the loss of ANY friend or relative (no matter HOW distant) as their "Get out of jail free" card when it comes to picking up , and paying for their work. 
I've lost many loved ones over the years, but it never stopped me from taking care of my obligations.
And I seem to have an abnormally high number of customers that drop their work off at my shop right BEFORE they go in for major surgery.
Screen's jumping....I'm out.

[gene]

This is one of the main reasons I always get a 50% deposit. My business adviser says, "If the job is $50, then get $25 up front. This helps to lessen my annoyance a bit when my customers have a death in the family.

A guy called me 3 times this week wanting me to do warranty work on a sofa his wife bought. I was kind enough to return his call yesterday to tell him I do not do warranty work.

He ignored my statement that I do not do warranty work and he proceeded to tell me that I was to come to his house, look at and measure the seat cushions on his wife's new sofa, then buy the foam, then go back to his house and pick up the seat cushions and take them to my shop and put in new foam, and then deliver it back to him the same day or the next day at the latest.

Oh, and once it's all done, he will send in the paperwork for the warranty, and when he gets a check he will pay me.

I told him again that I do not do warranty work and that I was just calling to be courteous to let him know. I said he may want to go back to the place where he bought the furniture. He said "Oh", and hung up.

LOL

gene

[DBR1957]

This is like the famous "I need my top repaired quick because we're taking the
boat on vacation". You get the top done fast, call the customer and it sits in the
shop long enough for the customer to take four vacations.

Storage fee, rush fee, aggravation fee and lying to me fee. Put in on the sales
order and have them sign it or just get all money up front. If it's not picked up
in two weeks you have the right to toss it. Make sure to have them sign it.

[byhammerandhand]

Was that the same guy that called me?   Because I sent him your way.   :D

This is one of the main reasons I always get a 50% deposit. My business adviser says, "If the job is $50, then get $25 up front. This helps to lessen my annoyance a bit when my customers have a death in the family.

A guy called me 3 times this week wanting me to do warranty work on a sofa his wife bought. I was kind enough to return his call yesterday to tell him I do not do warranty work.

He ignored my statement that I do not do warranty work and he proceeded to tell me that I was to come to his house, look at and measure the seat cushions on his wife's new sofa, then buy the foam, then go back to his house and pick up the seat cushions and take them to my shop and put in new foam, and then deliver it back to him the same day or the next day at the latest.

Oh, and once it's all done, he will send in the paperwork for the warranty, and when he gets a check he will pay me.

I told him again that I do not do warranty work and that I was just calling to be courteous to let him know. I said he may want to go back to the place where he bought the furniture. He said "Oh", and hung up.

LOL

gene

Just kidding...

[gene]

Hey Keith,

I have a very dear friend who is in his late 60's. I fixed his leaking toilet last Sunday. For 45 minutes he stood about 1 foot away from me, watching everything I did. The only time he left was when he, very apologetically, told me that he had to use the other bathroom. He said he would be back ASAP.

The next time I am at his condo, I'll put a scratch in his table top and then give him your name as the person who can fix it. LOL!!!

gene

PS: I didn't ask, but I wonder if he really thought he was helping, somehow, by being so involved???

[Gregg @ Keystone Sewing]

All day long.

I have this all the time with equipment.  I had a guy walking in over two and a half years after he dropped off a machine for repair, and he walking to pick it up like it was nothing!  Can't tell you how many times we called, called, and called.  I don't want the responceablity of holding onto other people's stuff.

We get it all, too, people dumping machines off on us after we hit them with a in this case very resonable $82 repair fee , MIA customers with disconnected contact numbers, whatever, you name it.  

Taking a depost for machines we fix that we don't want for free goes a long way, in most cases.  

I currently have an LU-563 left with us over two years, and I'm quite sure all I have to do for the customer to show up is sell it; he'll show up within days!  

[Mike8560]

 had a guy with a 20' checkmate.  He had. His detail man call and meet me  to look at his seats  aNd carpet.  He called him when I was there said do it and I wroklte a contrack for him I tookthe seats that were removed and left waiting cor a deposite and signed copy.  I had the seat and the. Moved my shop a year later had them in my trailer atthe time taking up storage space I just about threw them out when he finaly called " hey do you remember me I want to proceeded "

[Mojo]

I currently have an LU-563 left with us over two years, and I'm quite sure all I have to do for the customer to show up is sell it; he'll show up within days!  

Greg:

I will give you $150  bucks for it.........lol.........

Do I hear $ 200 from anyone else ?

( I might as well auction the thing off here for you Greg but of course there will be an auctioneers fee. :)

Chris

[Mike8560]

FrEe delivery?
I've got a little retirch job only been here 2 day but I calle him yesterday to come get it
oh I can come tomorow (today) it after 2 now ;)

[Gregg @ Keystone Sewing]

I'm not paying you the standard 10% auction fee, unless you can sell it for 10% more than I normally would, or I'll be in the hole!vv ;D

[sofadoc]

I always get a deposit on "Big ticket" items, but I never have on the $50 stuff.
I've never had a problem with stuff not getting picked up in a timely manner before.
It doesn't put me in the financial bind like it used to. There was a time when I would've considered spray-painting "DEADBEAT" on their front door if they owed me $50. >:(
I think it's the heat that's causing people to procrastinate right now.
Our consecutive streak of 100+ degree temps ended last week at 40 (it dipped down to 99). Since then, it's been back up around 105 every day.

[forsailbyowner]

When you work and live in a 33' boat its always a joy to get a job out of the boat. Cant imagine holding someones work for ANY length of time.

[Mike8560]

MI'M wirh you Kody.  A little $50 depir no deposite I'd rather get the $50 in one lump.   Last week a guy I know a mechanic at a dealer stop
me when inas over there he had two cushion or his friends
he said to just do them.  So I bright them to him last Friday  gave him the dealer cost  $150
he said he'd get the cash I  didn't have a problem but now it was Friday he said he didn't get the money fro his friend.  But he was getting paid and would stop by and pay me himself. Never showed. 

[DBR1957]

I don't do work without the actual owner's consent. None of this bringing
it in for a friend or the detailer bringing it by. Also, we get the occasional partner boat
where there are two owner's. I make sure both owners are in agreement with the work
to be done and what the cost will be.

Now I have had my friends bring in work for another friend of their's. Usually just repair stuff.
They will ask me how much and bring payment when they bring the item in.

[kodydog]

When I lived in Charleston a dental student at the Medical University Of South Carolina thought it would be neat to have an antique dental chair in his apartment. He brought all the upholstered pieces to me, seat, back, arm rests and head rest. Very simple, no sewing, just stretch and staple. When I was finished my wife called and he said he'd be buy to pick them up. Two weeks later no show. Left several messages on his machine to no avail.
So we looked up his address in the phone book and one day showed up on his doorstep. He was their and wrote us a check on the spot.

We've never gotten stuck with a finished piece but several times I've picked up furniture and the customer called later and said they really didn't want the piece.

Once a really nice Duncan Phyfe sofa that I sold.

Another time, New Years Day I was sitting at the breakfast table reading the paper. An article about some drunk driver got killed the night before driving on the wrong side of US 17. I kept looking at the name and suddenly it occurred to me we picked her sofa up several months prior and it was still in our shop. She was a divorcee living in an apartment and we had no way to find family to return it.

One lady had us pick up a funky looking wing chair. She was going to recover it for an elderly friend. We called her several months later and she said the friend had died and did we want the chair. One day I started to strip it down and found all this beautiful finished wood with caned arms & wings under all the fabric. Turned out to be a beautiful piece of furniture.