Online Chat

[Morticia]

My one suggestion would be to be clear and attentive to what you are saying and agreeing to in the chat.
For example if you give away a special rate or the guest makes a special request. If it is for a later date - you might forget it. When you have an email - you can always jump back to it, mark it as important, etc. While chat sessions are usually kept for a very short time by the software and you might lose some important (legal?) information.
The customer might claim one day that a month ago you agreed to a special rate or that you will prepare them brownies in the morning.
So just make sure to keep duplicates of your transcripts..

This happens all over and is very good advice - I do a lot of cross stitch which requires specialist and custom framing - chap who does it for me normally doesn't require paying in advance but I like to as I know where I am then. Was in yesterday and this is what had happened
(1) lady had come in wanted a particular frame but when he priced it up she said it was too expensive and picked out something else cheaper
(2) came back for it and insisted it wasn't what she had ordered and refused to pay - luckily another woman came in with similar sized items wanting the frames woman 1 had refused so he remade them all for the second customer and sold them but was more work and he was out of pocket
(3) pictures for woman 1 are still on his bench to hand back to her with no frames as he is now going to refuse to do it.
Said to him you are doing custom work it should be paid for then and there - those frames are no use to anyone else plus he has a basement full of stuff people never came back for - at least then he would be paid.
Said he should make people sign for what they have picked out so there is none of this rubbish and then pay - you have to pay for it in the end anyway so what's 2 weeks?
.

Totally agree that it should be written down and signed and a deposit paid, at least.
I'm having a ring reset. You better believe there's a deposit for that and a signed agreement as to the work to be done.
If you're friends enough with him, suggest that part of his agreement is that if the piece isn't retrieved in 6 months he gets to hang it in the shop for sale. And whatever deposit was paid is forfeited.

 

[Jcam]

My one suggestion would be to be clear and attentive to what you are saying and agreeing to in the chat.
For example if you give away a special rate or the guest makes a special request. If it is for a later date - you might forget it. When you have an email - you can always jump back to it, mark it as important, etc. While chat sessions are usually kept for a very short time by the software and you might lose some important (legal?) information.
The customer might claim one day that a month ago you agreed to a special rate or that you will prepare them brownies in the morning.
So just make sure to keep duplicates of your transcripts..

This happens all over and is very good advice - I do a lot of cross stitch which requires specialist and custom framing - chap who does it for me normally doesn't require paying in advance but I like to as I know where I am then. Was in yesterday and this is what had happened
(1) lady had come in wanted a particular frame but when he priced it up she said it was too expensive and picked out something else cheaper
(2) came back for it and insisted it wasn't what she had ordered and refused to pay - luckily another woman came in with similar sized items wanting the frames woman 1 had refused so he remade them all for the second customer and sold them but was more work and he was out of pocket
(3) pictures for woman 1 are still on his bench to hand back to her with no frames as he is now going to refuse to do it.
Said to him you are doing custom work it should be paid for then and there - those frames are no use to anyone else plus he has a basement full of stuff people never came back for - at least then he would be paid.
Said he should make people sign for what they have picked out so there is none of this rubbish and then pay - you have to pay for it in the end anyway so what's 2 weeks?
.

Totally agree that it should be written down and signed and a deposit paid, at least.
I'm having a ring reset. You better believe there's a deposit for that and a signed agreement as to the work to be done.
If you're friends enough with him, suggest that part of his agreement is that if the piece isn't retrieved in 6 months he gets to hang it in the shop for sale. And whatever deposit was paid is forfeited.
.

a lot of his work is family photos etc which are not suitable for sale - but other stuff id do it just to make sure people pick stuff up.

 

[Lee2014]

My one suggestion would be to be clear and attentive to what you are saying and agreeing to in the chat.
For example if you give away a special rate or the guest makes a special request. If it is for a later date - you might forget it. When you have an email - you can always jump back to it, mark it as important, etc. While chat sessions are usually kept for a very short time by the software and you might lose some important (legal?) information.
The customer might claim one day that a month ago you agreed to a special rate or that you will prepare them brownies in the morning.
So just make sure to keep duplicates of your transcripts..

This happens all over and is very good advice - I do a lot of cross stitch which requires specialist and custom framing - chap who does it for me normally doesn't require paying in advance but I like to as I know where I am then. Was in yesterday and this is what had happened
(1) lady had come in wanted a particular frame but when he priced it up she said it was too expensive and picked out something else cheaper
(2) came back for it and insisted it wasn't what she had ordered and refused to pay - luckily another woman came in with similar sized items wanting the frames woman 1 had refused so he remade them all for the second customer and sold them but was more work and he was out of pocket
(3) pictures for woman 1 are still on his bench to hand back to her with no frames as he is now going to refuse to do it.
Said to him you are doing custom work it should be paid for then and there - those frames are no use to anyone else plus he has a basement full of stuff people never came back for - at least then he would be paid.
Said he should make people sign for what they have picked out so there is none of this rubbish and then pay - you have to pay for it in the end anyway so what's 2 weeks?
.

Said to him you are doing custom work it should be paid for then and there - those frames are no use to anyone else plus he has a basement full of stuff people never came back for - at least then he would be paid.

If I was him, I would have a big sale (clearance) on the stuff in the basement. Remove photos, etc in frame and just sell frames. Get them out of the basement, go out for dinner (whatever) on the money from sale, and get people in his shop/name out to the public. Just a thought.

 

[Jcam]

My one suggestion would be to be clear and attentive to what you are saying and agreeing to in the chat.
For example if you give away a special rate or the guest makes a special request. If it is for a later date - you might forget it. When you have an email - you can always jump back to it, mark it as important, etc. While chat sessions are usually kept for a very short time by the software and you might lose some important (legal?) information.
The customer might claim one day that a month ago you agreed to a special rate or that you will prepare them brownies in the morning.
So just make sure to keep duplicates of your transcripts..

This happens all over and is very good advice - I do a lot of cross stitch which requires specialist and custom framing - chap who does it for me normally doesn't require paying in advance but I like to as I know where I am then. Was in yesterday and this is what had happened
(1) lady had come in wanted a particular frame but when he priced it up she said it was too expensive and picked out something else cheaper
(2) came back for it and insisted it wasn't what she had ordered and refused to pay - luckily another woman came in with similar sized items wanting the frames woman 1 had refused so he remade them all for the second customer and sold them but was more work and he was out of pocket
(3) pictures for woman 1 are still on his bench to hand back to her with no frames as he is now going to refuse to do it.
Said to him you are doing custom work it should be paid for then and there - those frames are no use to anyone else plus he has a basement full of stuff people never came back for - at least then he would be paid.
Said he should make people sign for what they have picked out so there is none of this rubbish and then pay - you have to pay for it in the end anyway so what's 2 weeks?
.

Said to him you are doing custom work it should be paid for then and there - those frames are no use to anyone else plus he has a basement full of stuff people never came back for - at least then he would be paid.

If I was him, I would have a big sale (clearance) on the stuff in the basement. Remove photos, etc in frame and just sell frames. Get them out of the basement, go out for dinner (whatever) on the money from sale, and get people in his shop/name out to the public. Just a thought.
.

true - or sometimes he can remake them or reuse - I would have some sort of disclamer after X amount of time I will return to you ie post photo back and keep the frame or something -but think he is nearing retirement so not sure what i''l do then