Little White Lies

[kodydog]

Many years ago, 15 or 20, we had a customer call for an estimate on an over stuffed club chair. At the end of the conversation she asked if we ever have dogs in our work shop. She considers dogs filthy creatures and would be grossed out if she found any dog hair on her fabric. So I did what any other red blooded American male would do, I lied. I'm sorry but we keep a pretty clean shop dog and all. Its not like we let our dog lay on the fabric. If she had told me she had allergies I would have given her a different answer. So we did the job and I made sure I blew it off extra good when finished. She loved the job and promised more work in the future. Funny thing is we never heard from her again. Hmmm.

[baileyuph]

Do you suppose it could have been a case of animal smell?  Some customers mention animal smell is detected easily by them.

I try to keep the shop free of take off materials that pets have been on.  Hope it continues to work.  We prefer they do not come inside.
??

Doyle 

[kodydog]

I could tell you some really nasty pet smell on furniture stories. I'm sure we all could.

[sofadoc]

This isn't really a white lie.........just a mild case of withholding the facts.

Occasionally, a job might go really quickly. For example, I might pick up a sofa on Monday morning and finish it by Tuesday afternoon.

Do I call them and say it's ready? Hell no. Customers think you should toil laboriously for days, weeks, even months if you expect them to write you a check.

So I put it in the back for a week or 2 before I call them. I made the mistake of calling too soon once. The customer assumed that since I got it done so quickly, I must have "slopped through it". She nit picked it to death. I spent the next 2 weeks fixing things that weren't even wrong with it.

Also, when I'm starting a job that I've had for a while, I'll call the customer first and pretend to have some little question about their job. I don't really have one. It's just my way of letting them know that it will be done soon, and I just want to make sure they're ready to pay up when I'm finished.

And if I have to blame a delay on my supplier or UPS, I won't hesitate to.

I wonder if when I reach judgement day, God is going to rub my nose in all these things. Surely settling for being an upholsterer all my life should be good for a few mulligans?

[gene]

Customer: Do you have a dog in your shop?

Upholsterer: Yes I do. But if he poops I'll use a scrap of your fabric to pick up the poop right away. I never allow old dried dog poop to collect on the floor of my shop. And you can trust me in that I will not use a piece of your fabric to pick up my dog's poop if I am going to need that piece of fabric to reupholster your furniture.

Upholsterer: Hello? Helloooo?

I've had folks ask me if I have a dog in my shop. I have a yellow lab and he has never been in my shop. I don't want dog hair getting on anyone's fabric. If someone were to ask me if I have a dog in my shop because they love dogs and only want to work with people who enjoy the companionship of a dog while they work, what would I say? If that ever happens, I will let you know.

Zig Ziggler said, "Sell the sizzle, not the steak." To me, that's what SofaD is talking about.

gene

[SteveA]

I don't think you can make the case that the presence of a dog in your shop may have been detected by the customer who now won't call you. What do they have noses like bloodhounds ? 
I think some customers are just head cases and good riddance to them.
SA

[sofadoc]

I don't really understand how dog hairs will get on the customer's fabric, assuming that the dog is on the floor and the sofa is on a table or sawhorses and the fabric is on a cutting table.

Of course, if you allow the dog to hop up on completed furniture...............

I had a shop dog for nearly 15 years. Customers liked him WAY more than they liked me. He's been gone a couple years now. Customers still come in expecting "George" to greet them.

[65Buick]

If only they knew we use that nasty old fabric to make templates. It *may* touch the new fabric.

[kodydog]

I had a shop dog for nearly 15 years. Customers liked him WAY more than they liked me. He's been gone a couple years now. Customers still come in expecting "George" to greet them.

Ya'll are cracking me up. I needed a good laugh after working all day on Sunday on a sofa headed to Wisconsin next week.

We did this chair last January. You can't help but cut the hairs as you're cutting the pattern. Hair everywhere and so hard to clean up.

[kodydog]

If only they knew we use that nasty old fabric to make templates. It *may* touch the new fabric.

That's funny. If they could see some of the nasty stuff that comes through my shop, a dog would be the last of their worries.



PS. Does photobucket have any practical use except on this forum?

[gene]

Photobucket has over 10 billion pictures so it must be doing something right. I read that teenagers and old tired out upholsterers use it a lot.

A guy across the street from me makes kitchen cabinets. His dog stinks so bad that you can actually smell the dog before you know the dog is walking around near you. Hot and humid days are especially bad.

My daughter got a new dog. This is the first dog for her and her husband. They already had a cat. I made a very nice sleeping pad for the dog with left over fabric. I got a photo last week showing the cat sleeping on the pad. The dog was on the floor.

Dog's drool and cats rule.

gene

[kodydog]

I read that teenagers and old tired out upholsterers use it a lot.
gene

Tired out upholsterers and teenagers. Great, the circle of life has began. Soon I'll have a pureed diet and have my diapers changed by sexy young interns. And on special occasions they will let me play with my... staple gun.

[gene]

they will let me play with my... staple gun.

No worries about anyone getting hurt. Your air compressor will have quit working a long time ago.  :D

gene

[Grebo]

No one's every asked me, my two dogs wonder in when they feel like it, usually sleep on their own 'day' beds.
I do try to keep the cat out though, he always heads for the finished work which is a definate no no.

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

My customers are always amused by Missy & Joe.  I'm upfront about my dogs having the run of my shop/studio and make no apologies about it.  No one has ever taken issue with it.

When we still had our two cats, a customer noticed the pet door that went back to the utility room.  Cats food dishes and litter boxes were in the utility room.  I explained that we had 2 cats.  She said she was amazed as she not only did not smell "dog", she could not detect even a trace of cats and/or litter box smell.  I was quite pleased. 

I always give everything a good once over before turning it over to the customers.  I told one lady that I didn't care if her item came in with her dog/cat/whatever hairs on it but I didn't want it leaving with my animals' fur all over it. 

Animal hair/smell has not been an issue for me.

Virginia