[steve k]

Sitting in my home this afternoon just before the match started and someone from D+P leaflets rings me and asks if I received the proof of artwork I requested a couple of months ago.
Now when I requested this proof, I sent in pictures and wording to be included in the leaflet design...obviously I expected some form of proof to edit and approve as necessary...is this not industry norm...??

Anyway...it took ages and several calls to get the company to respond and they said their email system was down and they had lost my details so I sent it again and eventually got a proof sent to me which I thought was a bit amateur so decided not to pursue the matter any further...I had not committed to any purchase whatsoever.

Today, the person rings me and I tell him I did not want the leaflets but may be looking at ordering something for my carpet cleaning venture pretty soon.
He then says that in future, he will be requesting payment up front off customers before sending proofs out.
I said fair enough but I wouldn`t pay upfront for leaflets that may not be good enough....all going pretty pleasantly up to now...

He then says: "well, you do see my point don`t you?...your artwork took me 4 hours of my time to do..."

I said: " well, how you run your business is nothing to do with me, I just requested a sample before ordering and you were happy to do so at the time...most printing companies do this"

He then said: "well in future, I want you to take your business elsewhere"
...then he hung up

I have never ordered from him and was accommodating when his email system was down. To get an unsolicited mobile call from a stranger dumping me and my future business with them because I never followed on with an order after seeing their artwork is astounding

So if you are thinking of using Design and Print...will you pay a couple of hundred pounds for your leaflets before seeing them...
I don`t think so.

Must be pretty desperate to call me at home on a Saturday about this...There was never a sale of any description in place...my future business with them was dependant on how they designed the leaflet for me and it was not good enough.

Bad business Design and Print

[Jon T.C.]

That's amazing !! I dealt with them and had BRILLIANT service from them.

[Tosh]

I tell him I did not want the leaflets but may be looking at ordering something for my carpet cleaning venture pretty soon.

Steve,

This says to me that you changed your mind and wanted something different to what you originally asked for; regardless of the previous hassle.

I mean you were still prepared to use them for your carpet cleaning venture!

I can see why the other guy is upset.

[steve k]

wrong Tosh...several months ago I wished to purchase leaflets solely for window cleaning.
After recommendations from this site, I contacted D+P and asked how it works regarding design and proof. They asked me to send in pictures and ideas of wording which I did. At this point, I have not even discussed placing an order.
After delays, they sent me a proof. This is industry standard procedure and is a very low cost (free in most cases) way of ensuring a potential customer does not commit to a spend without being entirely happy with the product.
I did not like the proof and did not pursue an order.
This did not mean I would not use them in the future as their costs are good.
I was actually going to send them some more of my ideas for a carpet cleaning leaflet I may be needing.

I did not change my mind as I had not ordered anything.
The caller was upset that he had spent 4 hours putting my proof together and I never ordered more of them.

It seems bizarre to me that he would phone me at home from his mobile and have a rant about too many people doing this and he would be asking for cheques in advance in future.
When I asked him why he was ringing me about this, he told me to take my business elsewhere and hung up.

If you go on Vistaprint, you design on line and a proof is produced on line for you to initial as approval.
You do not have to order after submitting this design and you do not get calls from Vistaprint staff if you do not order.

If you requested a holiday brochure from a travel agent, would you expect to get calls from them asking why you had not booked a holiday with them after they have gone to the expense and time of producing and sending a brochure to you...NO

No Tosh, I never changed my mind...whoever called me is obviously having a bad sales peiod or something...very strange business.

[Tosh]

You ex-squaddies really know how to rub up people the wrong way 

Me? 

Sorry, Steve,

But from your initial post it sounded like you ordered some window cleaning leaflets then the guy phones you and you say, 'Nah, I don't want them, how about some carpet cleaning ones?' after he spent four hours doing the window cleaning ones.

I don't mean to wind you up either!  I'm just playing the devil's advocate here!

[Majestic]

I have also used D+P and did not have any problems with them. When I was putting mine together I changed my mind a few times and they changed the flyer sent me back another sample to see . Only when I was happy with it I ordered , and will use them again

[brightnclean]

No offence meant to your good self Steve but I bet you a pound to a penny whoever runs D + P is fed up of being messed around.  I know of a young man who did a h*ll of a lot of work doing websites for WC'ers and gave up because of being messed around, not being paid etc. His work is very good and he is cheap but has sworn never to work for WC'ers again. I am having a website done soon and even offered to pay him 50% up front but he tactfully refused.

Maybe this is a similar scenario and you got caught up in the backlash

[Dean Aspects]

the shoe is now on the other foot
you are the customer now that is doing the messing around
now you know how it feels to the customer when you tell them that you are not coming back to clean their windows because they said not today

[steve k]

aspects...I`m not bothered...at all

just seems very odd to be ringing me at home to rant about how his business was having to put up with this.

Think about what happened...I wanted leaflets...he designs leaflets...I asked to see a sample and supplied pictures and wording...I didn`t like the sample he sent and never placed an order...2 months later, he rings me at home and tells me to take my business elsewhere.

On the customer thing..."not today" (for no apparent reason) means "never again"...no problems.

Tosh...that was Jon who said that, not me

[nat]

I think there design isn't very good at all, i've checked out there sample section on thier website and they really look naff! sorry just my opinion...looks like they print very cheap thou which is good

[Majestic]

I was sent this link to his web site and I could change any leaflet to what I wanted it to look like ( See Samples )
http://www.leafletsforyou.co.uk/leafletprinting.htm

[Clive McDonald]

The company I looked at posted our efforts as samples where you could just insert your own name. I was worried about too many people copying my leaflet and had decided to go for a more general printer not likely to market my design and marketing brief.

I've really got into trying to design leaflets.It should have it's own forum.You have to decide on a heirachy and pick the top three things, which is a different disipline to normal editing and writing copy.

I can't see that with explicit instructions doing something that you do all the time could take four hours.

[DaveWilkinson]

So when you lads drive to a prospects house, spend time chatting finding out what the work is, working out a price, fitting it into a round etc. If they dont want your services do you ring them and start complaining about them waisting your time ? ? ?

Personaly i think the guy was having a bad day or counting his chickens. Getting aresy with a prospective customer is a serious no no in the business world, no matter how bad your day has been. Every contact is a prospective customer and just because they don't use you this time doesnt mean you wont get future business off them.......unless of course you rude to them.

A happy customer will tell a couple of his friends about you.......an unhappy customer will tell ALL his freinds about you.

DAve

[Ian_Giles]

I can't see that with explicit instructions doing something that you do all the time could take four hours.

I agree with Curious, I'll bet he spent nothing like 4 hours designing your proof!

When I ran my own decorating company I did one quote that took 40 hours to complete, numerous visits on site to measure up and so on, 3 different pricing structures for three diferent levels of work.

You don't charge for quotations...

Even now as a window cleaner, if I have to give a price it can mean a visit out to the house to price it out, might only be a tenners worth of work, but by the time I've travelled...say, 5 miles there, chatted to potential customer, offered quote, been turned down and travelled whatever distance to my next job I've lost time and money...I don't charge her for my time though!

Whatever you do, you always have to accept the rough with the smooth...

Ian

[steve k]

this was the leaflet they spent 4 hours doing...!!!

check out the 2 men in the pictures...the gutter man would scare me...never mind potential customers

would you have bought 10,000 of these??

http://webmail.ntlworld.com/agent/mobmain/Execlef.pdf?fold=INBOX&msgvw=ADMABgA8ACQABABrAAsABAB3AEAAXAByADIAGgAhAD4AQQACAHoAcA&part=2&FileName=Execlef.pdf

[S.A.J]

this was the leaflet they spent 4 hours doing...!!!

check out the 2 men in the pictures...the gutter man would scare me...never mind potential customers

would you have bought 10,000 of these??

http://webmail.ntlworld.com/agent/mobmain/Execlef.pdf?fold=INBOX&msgvw=ADMABgA8ACQABABrAAsABAB3AEAAXAByADIAGgAhAD4AQQACAHoAcA&part=2&FileName=Execlef.pdf

Steve the link dont work 

[steve k]

try this:

http://www.esnips.com/doc/cb66641a-8866-4571-ad67-532a974d9495/D+P-sample-leaflet

download the link to view.

[Mike Halliday]

I use DP for all my printing they are very good, but I would say that because Mark is one of my best mates. he rang me yesterday and asked my advice on what to do about his free artwork as people are asking him to design leaflets then just saying they aren't going to bother getting them printed.

mark allows window cleaners & carpet cleaners to ring him at home up to 8 at night, he works to very small profit margins he is also a family man who when he should be spending time with his children is designing leaflets for potential customers.

all he is asking is for you to do is decide you want some leaflets before asking him to spend time doing the art work.

its easy to forget when doing business over the phone  that Mark is like all of us, he's  trying to build up a successful business, he's human and sometimes life deals him a sh*t deal and he acts a little irrationally.

Steve if he ranted over the phone at you then show you can  rise above it, and just forgive him

Mike

[steve k]

I`m not that bothered really..but the fact that he hung up on me for no apparent reason was out of order whoever he is mates with.

When I was a recruitment consultant, many hours/weeks would be spent building a relationship/connection with a potential customer involving the sending of very expensive company brochures and personal meetings often with no commitment shown by the client...it is business!! Tell your mate to accept it and not phone people to rant over it...

[dave0123]

steve...

that link still doesent work!



Dave