Customers relations.

[sofadoc]

........and the "Pro" said he did not care what his expectations were, he wanted his money or he was keeping the seat and in 30 days he would sell it.

I say call his bluff. Tell him to go ahead and try to find someone that will give him $1500 for that crap.

In this day and age. With all the online reviews available at the click of a mouse, I don't see how a professional can get away with stuff like that.

[Mike]

he better have buily the whole base for that money also even then id never get that much and I suspect part of his problem involved the sewfoam and glue .  if the upholstered had removed the seat from the boat himself and did a lousey job like that m, im no legal expert but id feel it was my responsibility to delivery and accepted product and return the boat l but if your friend delivered the seat to be redone that's different I gueese. nut still it has to be acceptable

[byhammerandhand]

Angie's List would be a good place to start.   You don't have to be a member to submit a review.

Also Yelp!

I also stick by my estimate.  If something unexpectitly comes up, I will call the customer and discuss diffrent options they will have.
You might go on the web and leave a review for the business and let other people know how they played games with the pricing.

[JuneC]

Holy cow, that's amateurish, at best.  I'd be too embarrassed to deliver that piece.  There are at least half a dozen mistakes made on that from a technical viewpoint.  It's a challenging design for a newbie, but the crooked seams, mis-matched top/bottom alignment making the inserts pull on a diagonal, apparent incorrect use of sew foam and other issues abound on that.  It appears the seam allowances weren't clipped or trimmed short on the inside curves - or maybe it's the sew foam.  For a so-called pro, it's unforgivable.  Wouldn't go on my boat.  $1500 is top dollar for that work (if it came out good).  I'd have quoted around $1200 for both seat bottom and back in the SE Florida area which is pretty high-priced.

June

[bobbin]

I wouldn't deliver that, either. 

I'm curious, though, how would the sew foam be the issue?  I've never worked with sew foam, so I'm not sure how you deal with it? do you glue it place (to minimize "creep")and then do the topstitching?

I do understand clipping, notching and grading seam allowances, though (one of the cornerstones of classic tailoring technique). 

[regalman190]

Wow. I would never show that to the customer. It's awful. I don't think this guy was a "Pro".

[JuneC]

Some of those pieces may have been cut on a bias which really makes a mess as well.  Who knows....

The knit sew foam backing can seriously inhibit your ability to get a good fit.  It's manufactured with all manner of knit and from one vendor to the next, it changes constantly, it seems.  I've only found one vendor who consistently has the same backing - and it's not my favorite, but I've learned to work with it so always order it.

The backing rarely, if ever, has the same stretch properties as the vinyl.  And you have to be careful when patterning, to get the "give" in the same direction as the vinyl's maximum stretch.  I never glue it to the vinyl as I feel like it doesn't give the same smoothness to the finish.  Lots of folks do, and with a vinyl with a heavier face, you might not be able to tell.  I cut the foam and stitch to the edges of the vinyl pieces in the margin before assembly.  It's time consuming, but works really well.  Most pieces are sewn with the backing away from the vinyl (foam facing up).  But on inside corners, the lack of stretch of the sew foam backing will fight you and cause the vinyl to wrinkle so the knit backing has to be against the vinyl with the foam side facing your cushion.  

This presents its own problems - especially with dri-fast foam.  Dri-fast seems to be very large-pored and rough these days.  I can't find any anymore with small pores and a smooth feel.  So, if you put the sewfoam foam side against dri-fast, sitting and walking on the cushion will cause the dri-fast to abrade the foam.  It needs silk film or a super-thin layer of dacron to permit the two layers of foam to slide without degrading one or the other.  

Just my philosophy and methods.  I'm sure others have their ways and some may be better.  

June

[bobbin]

A very interesting and in-depth reply, June.  I thank you (and am in no way surprised, because your work is beautiful).  I was particularly interested in your comments on using the sew foam with tricot up or tricot down; I hadn't thought about that but now I see how using it one way could be a bonus, but problematic in another application.  Interesting! 

I hadn't really thought of vinyls having a distinct bias, but I "took no chances" with my recent Ultra Leather job.  It was very soft and very supple, and I treated it the way I treat any woven. 

I know exactly what you mean with the larger "open cell" reticulated foam! it does have an abrasive quality that the smaller cell stuff never posed.  I still find the smaller cell reticulated foam, but it's usually in 35#, not the 50#, and generally I only use 35# for topping closed cell when a customer complains that floatation foam is too "hard". 

Thanks for a great reply!

[Mike]

I'm curious, though, how would the sew foam be the issue?  I've never worked with sew foam, so I'm not sure how you deal with it? do you glue it place

ill glue sewfoam but doing a inside corner say you have 1/2" foam and glue the foam to the vinyl now laying flat the vinyl foam f abric backing  it fine but when you curve it the inside layer of material in a indoce curve the vinyl will wrinkle  it a concept I learned along time ago woodworking laminating 1/8" layers of wood when curved the inside layer has to be shorter to make the same circle  once the glue is dry it holds the shape

[BlueFlamingo]

I kinda figured I'd get these kind of responses here.  From the looks of all the wrinkles etc.   From the looks of it I think he just sewed straight vinyl and tried to stretch it over the old foam.  The wrinkles and the lumpiness of the foam showing thru makes me think there's no sewfoam glued or backing the vinyl.  Like I said I'm no Pro but I've seen the work of PRO's enough to know what it takes to produce PRO Quality work...and this is NOT IT!!!

[Mike]

I think you may be rite flamingo  ho sewfoam whats the point ?that would look like s%*#

[BlueFlamingo]

Yep, And...That's exactly what it looks like!!!