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Thread: Customer doesnt like ring

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
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    141

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    Quote Originally Posted by josef1 View Post
    I would explain that that's the design she was happy with and you would be glad to modify it but at her expense. Thats the big problem with bespoke work is its more pinning the customer to a design than making the jewellery ! If she had paid top money yes maybe there is wiggle room but you have already gone above and beyond in offering her a very good price. If she is asking you to change the design just because she does not like it she should pay for at least to cover your time and materials. You have supplied a very nice ring don't under sell yourself be confident in your work it looks great. If you pick a colour for the decorator to paint your living room you would not expect him to buy new paint and repaint it for nothing because you don't like the colour when its painted ?

    Thank you xx I really need to start charging more but i seem to have too much of a sensitive side for people who say they cant afford things, i get sob stories about how they have young kids and can never afford things, and whilst i agree its hard when your a parent, you can save for nice things! I have 2 boys (3.5 and 19 months) but that didnt stop me saving for the tools to start doing jewelry! especially as i only started about 9 months ago haha. I guess because im not professional i feel its wrong of me to charge more :S

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
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    141

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    Quote Originally Posted by JewelleryByMandy View Post
    Very true!
    Id tell her to do one! Very politely!
    What youve made there is stunning and in my opinion id feel so lucky to have had someone spend their time and skill in making it.
    She accepted it from the picture. She needs to know its a risky business in altering it!
    Hope it all turns out ok


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Thank you Mandy x

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Scotland
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    3,392

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    People seem to have lost the saving gene. I hear I can’t afford it so often but if you want something badly you save up for it and buy it when you can.
    You said she was a customer because she was paying but she’s a friend who has taken advantage of your goodwill by telling you she couldn’t afford it, undervaluing your worth and then making further demands. Then imagine the scenario where she tells her friends that you make wedding rings really cheaply......

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Posts
    2,067

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    You have to remember that jewellery is a luxury not a necessity so lack of funds shouldn't really move you.
    Even more so when people want something in gold, if they are that short of cash they can save plenty by having silver not by devaluing your work.

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Derbyshire
    Posts
    130

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    You could always suggest that she gets a 2nd opinion from another independent jeweller about the work involved, cost & risk of modifying the finished ring - might make her appreciate the worth of her original choice a little more.
    Hazel

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
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    141

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    Thank you all for your advice, i tried to reason with her but she was desperate i give the beading a go, and as i thought the setting melted. I then had to cut the setting off (because i didnt want to heat it until the setting fell off because i didnt want to risk melting the beading near the setting) i cut it as close as i could to the setting but now the ring is too small.
    I have said to her i cant do anything with the band now iv offered to cast her a ring with the gold and make it a solitaire but it would be thinner the original size, or i have said she can keep the wedding ring and il refund her the cost of the materials for the engagement ring, I feel like a awful person for messing up the ring because now i cant correct it as its too small and i cant size it up without breaking the solder around the setting. its simply too small.

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Posts
    141

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    The only other way i thought of correcting it is by making a band out of the wire, soldering it nice and solid, and stretch the ring up to size O, then rather then cut a portion out for the setting, just cut the wire and slot the setting in pushing the wire apart and soldering it in place, then that should make it roughly her size.
    I wish i never took on this job! especially at this price. Lesson learnt!!!

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
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    If a customer wants to make changes then you need to make an adequate charge for them.

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Posts
    29

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    Hi Niamh, sorry to hear this, personally I would be quite annoyed at this customer but it's also important to stick to your boundaries! It was a pretty ring

    Re pricing you need to make sure you are paying yourself an appropriate hourly rate in addition to fully covering the cost of materials (inc solder, consumables) and any fixed costs (insurance, workshop space, maybe the cost of tools).

    The hourly rate can reflect your experience and the fact you aren't professionally trained but it shouldn't undersell you either. I'm not professionally trained as in I didn't do any sort of proper apprenticeship etc - just day courses at various jewellery schools - but I would never allow my hourly rate to go below £15 per hour even on the simplest piece and ideally over time I want this to rise to reflect my increasing skill.

    When you're covering the cost of materials you also need to factor in wastage not just the materials which made it into the final product

    People may have sob stories about what they can afford but imagine if you were doing this full time - you couldn't do it for long making a loss or barely breaking even on a product! It also makes it difficult for full time jewellers as they compete with hobbyists who are underpricing their work but don't rely on it to make a living.

    Don't be afraid to charge more and set some firmer boundaries.

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