Complaints you can't solve.....

[MuranoSilver]

I had a really awful end to my day as someone came in with a complaint & really upset me.
They'd been given a double fingerprint bangle by their hubby and didn't think there were
enough lines on the younger child's fingerprint.....

I tried to explain that the younger the child the less defined their lines are, but all I got was
"you SOLD my husband this and I was EXPECTING it too look like the one in your advert".

Then I showed her three different fingerprints taken from different aged children and pointed out that
older children have more defined prints, they even vary from person to person & child to child.....
Her child is very young and she was pointing to a print, that I'd explained was from a teenager, saying her child's print
"should look like that"!

I offered to do the print again for free but once again said I could only capture lines that were there
(some children just don't have well defined prints).
I also offered to take the heart charm back and give her a refund on the whole charm OR if she preferred,
give her the money back on the whole bracelet including the other print which was as she thought just "OK"!

She's gone away to talk to her husband about it as they're "very disappointed".
The sad thing is that I wasn't upset about the lines on the hearts
(they were as good as I could get at the time from the girls fingers).
I'm most upset because of the implication that I'd somehow mislead them..

I knew the hubby, he was round our house doing us a favour when I took the prints.
The fingerprints were the result of a casual conversation & me showing him something I was making for someone else.
I didn't go into lots and lots of detail (I wasn't in my shop) but he liked the idea of capturing the fingerprints for a later gift.
HE thought it would be a great idea and as the girls were with him I agreed to do them there and then.
I even charged him less when he came to pay for them....

Lesson learnt - don't do business casually and make everything extra clear for acquaintances / friends....
I still don't know what they'll decide to do. She fancied one of my new footprint / hand print charms
but they're £20 more as they take twice as long and use extra materials.
(I also offered to do one of those and for them to just pay the difference)

Feeling very deflated now....I know you can't please all of the people all of the time
but I do try really, really hard to do just that!

Anyone else had this experience? What would YOU do in this situation
(or is it just me?)

Nic x

[Ominicci]

No solution just sympathy

[julie]

i think you handled it very professionally

[Charlotte]

She sounds like such a pain in the bum. But you handled it better than I would have. They never seem to realise the cost implications of you doing something else for free. Its a very expensive medium to work in and takes a great deal of time to make anything, not only that but it often means starting a new piece and being left with a piece which is personal to them and therefore impossible to sell on!

I've done a few things for family and I've had a few sizing issues, this means I've basically had to start over again (because they had stones in), so I've done double the work, used double the materials and gained half the profit from the start . I prefer to work through galleries now

Tip for anyone... customers cannot size themselves properly, unfortunately I never meet my customers as I don't have a shop, so this has been a problem, trying to talk them through step by step how to do it... and it still doesn't work!


Its very difficult because its basically an attack on your art and you can't help but take it to heart.

A lot of people just enjoy a bit of an argument, and it sounds like she's an ungrateful so and so (I read somewhere we're not allowed to swear on here) I feel sorry for her husband too, he went to all that trouble to organise something lovely and personal!

I would love to see some images of these bangles Nicola if you have some, how do you make lines in them?

Have a glass of wine, have a look through some of your jewellery and remember what a fab jeweller you are... thats what I do If she's upsetting you it may be best to just give the money back and be done with it.

[MuranoSilver]

Do you know what.... a couple of glasses of wine and the support of you fabulous forum folk and I'm a happy crafter again

The fingerprints are on x-large charms that I jumpring solder onto a bangle.
(like fingerprint danglies). I've attached some pics of cufflink & pendant versions, so you can see

I offered her the money back - but they haven't decided whether that's what they want...

Nic x

[The Bijou Dragon]

Unfortunately people are very rude sometimes and also very frustrating!

If her husband bought them he was obviously happy with them and she isn't. You handled it very well and you shuldn't let small minded, rude customers (and there really is no pleasing some of them) get you down!

Your stuff is beautiful and some people just don't understand however you explain something. Leave her to it, bite your lip then just let it go and forget about it.

We used to get that in the Antiques trade (before my folks gave it up), we'd sell something and a few days later they would come back with some trumped up reason about us diddling them or a none existent crack or bubble in hand-crafted glass items made by the Victorians. What most of them really meant is "we got it home and it doesn't match the curtains but you're not going to give us our money back if we say that so we'll blame you".

Smile, deal with her p*ssy attitude, offer her what you need to and when she's gone just get on with dealing with normal, nice customers who appreciate how much hard work you do!

*hugs*

[Charlotte]

Wow, they are gorgeous, do you cast them? I wouldn't know where to start!

[MuranoSilver]

Thanks Bijou l have so many wonderful customers to be greatful for & I'm sure
once we've resolved the problem this lady will be a wonderful customer again too...
(and the experience will help me learn a lesson about favours! )

Charlotte they're Precious Metal Clay & they're done via Direct Impression.
Followed by lots of sanding, an hour in an 860 degree kiln and then
hand polishing (so you protect the print).

You can also do the same thing with wax casting and even etching
(each giving slightly different results)

Nic x

[Charlotte]

Lol, if its a direct print then how can she moan about it?! Does she want you to carve deeper lines in to her childs fingers or something?


There are so many different angles to jewellery making, I shall have to try the clay one day, I suppose you can use the kiln for the PMC and for enamelling.

Glad you have cheered up!

[MuranoSilver]

Thank you for the suggestion, upon reflection I now realise it was all my fault.
So I've produced a "Handy Guide" for demanding mums.....

Hmm then again, mabe I better not print them (can you imagine the lawsuits)
"Have you carved your childrens fingers through no fault of your own?"
"Then call our handy no fee solicitors now!"

Yes a kiln is useful for loads of things, pmc, enamelling, annealing, dicroic glass cabouchons (I love my kiln!)

Nic x