New PITA charge for…..

Jay H

PFG, Picture Framing God
Joined
Dec 8, 2003
Posts
9,908
Location
KY
Effective right now all family members will be charged double!

My sis-in-law gave me one of those stupid “name” doilies that are near impossible to get straight. I asked her how she wants the stupid thing framed. She correctly answers, “ just do what ever you think is best! “ After all I am a professional.

I framed it in a nice “homey” gold frame and a brown suede mat. I told her it was done (I used all scrap) and with the 90% family discount it would be $30.00.

She took one look at it and said “She (I guess it’s a gift for somebody) doesn’t have a single thing brown in her house!

As of today anybody who says “Just do what you think is best” will be charged double to cover the charge for the redo when they want to undo framing that has already been established as “BEST”. They need to quit relying on a professional and start letting their mechanic pick colors for them. What the he11 do I know?

She wouldn’t pick a replacement mat and then told me to “Anything blue would be good.” I’m not confident she will get this before Christmas………..2005!
 
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Ohh I forgot to add these.
 
Jay, when it's "do whatever you think looks good", always call the customer (even if it's a relative) and tell 'em what color(s) you're thinking of using. Don't you know by now, that if a woman doesn't TELL you what color, you're just setting yourself up? (BTW....Bless your heart!)
 
Originally posted by Jay H:
She took one look at it and said “She (I guess it’s a gift for somebody) doesn’t have a single thing brown in her house!
I guess saying, "Well, then this should stand out nicely" wouldn't have gone over well.

You have my sympathy, Jay.
 
Jay,

What's a person to do??
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I can help you with getting those names straight on the matboard but I hesitate to tell you how because I don't want you cussin' me for the next year as they come rollin' in when all those folks find out you can do them correctly!!
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I hope you are sewing them down and not using that spritz spray on fabric glue that I have found on more than one fabric piece down here. I reframed 3 so far that had been handled wrong and I don't want to know who did them. The urge to slash and burn is too great right now.

Let me know if you want to pursue this morbid procedure and I will get to it for you.

Framerguy

P.S. On the condition that you promise not to send me any letter bombs or virus infected emails if I tell you my methods!!
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Oh my gosh Jay, I have been there! My favorite is in my busy season they always want me to work it to the top because they are family, uh, sorry but I am basically "giving" this to you, and full paying clients are first! I have nipped the "do what you think is best" in the bud a long time ago.

I hate doing things for family!!
 
Yea share. I do sew them. Its that I have to put like 1000 thread to hold them good and straight. Share share. I know of a good one I can practice on. If I ruin it, who cares.
 
I posted a tutorial back in '03 that may help y'all.

Part 1 of crochet tutorial

Part 2 of crochet tutorial

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I don't see any real reason to NOT use the AEZ method other than the strength of the nylon fasteners may be a problem if the piece is knocked off the wall or dropped. But that is a judgement that you have to make for yourself. I never received any definitive answers to my questions regarding these fasteners when AEZ first came on the market and I am hesitant to use them until I know that the fasteners aren't going to cut the threads or deteriorate over time.

FGII
 
Effective right now all family members will be charged double!
$60

?
 
Double full price!

Yes Less, take the sticker off.
 
As far as doing things for family for me it depends on who it is. Some I feel comfortable 'doing whatever' and others -- no way would I do it without their final approval. So Jay, I feel for you!!

When I get "just do whatever you think is best" I will quiz the customer a bit i.e. gift? colors? male/female? If that gets me now where, as it usuaully does, then I proceed on my own.

I'll then ponder on it a while and lay out two choices of mats & frame and call the customer back and say, "Ya know I just can't make up my mind. I've narrowed it down to two choices and I want to run them by you."

I know this is a bit more time consuming but it seems they are happy that you've removed the mind boggling choices for them.

I have six crocheted names waiting on me right now. :eek:
 
ShouldItaketheFramerSelectstickeroffmydoor?
Unseal will work nicely.

I like framing for family 'cause they never rush me. My wife is waiting for me to frame one of our wedding pictures.

They were taken by Matthew Brady.

In-laws? Not so much.
 
Family discount...how about the friends of family who say "I have something for you to frame, but I want the family discount".
 
There is no such thing as a "Family & Friend" discount.

You charge them retail and treat it like anyother retail job. Ontime.

Or they get it free, and they have no where to kick.

If they got it free, and they complain about it being 'brown'. Then the proper response is "no problem, I can fix that in a jiffy."

Unfit, dis-mount and hand it to them. If they don't get the picture to never darken your frame shop doorway again, they are to stupid to be a relative or friend.

My brother's wife complained. [Before he could tell her to shut up] "James didn't like the tone of gold . . . it's to cheap and the red primer is showing through . . ."

Family members have informed me that he still has that 23k water guilded hand carved frame that I sweat bullets over for three months. My sister even told him what he had . . .
I don't care. I never talk to him any more any way. Life is kinda like that.

My sister got a Chippendale frame job worth over $1k. She gushes appropriately every once in a while. :D
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Yea yea yea... I've heard them all before. Actually Ellen, my granddad was an absolute business genius and he used that one.... or a version of it.

She gave me this thing in April. It’s a Christmas gift and that’s the only reason I'm doing it now.

The way I handle family and friends (this is not open for deliberation) is like this. If I use scrap I pretty well charge them labor plus what ever I feel like!

I have to order anything its thrown into regular rotation and they are charged full price.

This piece may be charged double labor. I'll still use scrap but I'll just charge them twice to do it.

Let me say that my family and friends makes up .001 percent of my business. Yet they drag in 20% of my customers.

Isn't like $50/customer what we spend in advertising to drag in a single customer? This sounds like a bargain to me.
 
I put up the open sign. They didn't line up willingly like I thought they would. I was thinking about getting one one of those neon signs. Maybe they will then.
 
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