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I wish all my customers were like this

RJT

Titanium
Joined
Aug 24, 2006
Location
greensboro,northcarolina
I quoted repairing a mold for a good customer, he needed to get it back in production quickly. He needed a quick quote and quick turn around. We had built the mold a few years ago, so I felt confident in my quote. Had to strip plating, get some welding done, re machine, polish , re plate. I subbed out everything except the machining and because of the time crunch didn't get quotes from my subs. Well, needless to say all my subs charged way more than I had anticipated (expediting charges) and there was some extra work that needed to be done that wasn't evident until we had the mold all apart. I informed the customer we were going to go over on labor for extra work needed. They are not set up or authorized to do time and material, but he said go ahead, we will settle up when you are finished. Good customer, so I went ahead and did it quick.
Once I delivered it and he tried it out and was up and running, I sent him a quote for the additional work and additional cost from my subs. He said no problem, we are in business together and immediately cut a PO for all the extra work. Very few customers actually understand that dynamic. This guy is head of production, not in purchasing. Sure is nice to be appreciated once in a while. Those kind of customers you don't mind doing a favor for once in a while.
 
All that is left is for them to be in as much of a rush when it comes to putting the cheque in the mail. :)
But yes, great customers are a wonderful thing and not easy to find.
 
A good customer of mine called on Thursday afternoon. Had been in the hospital for a week and got home to find that they were out of one particular part that was holding up the show, and low on a few others, and no-body there could be bothered to call me and order some while he was gone....

I had to finish a job on a machine to get him in, but I got him on Friday morning.

Got enough parts done to git him rolling out UPS yet Friday. He said "Atta Boy" is all you get. (no worries)


He called me Sat evening and told me that he just mailed a cheque for $20G that he wouldn't have likely paid for another 2-3 weeks yet normally...
Not all customers are POS's.


Not that that makes up for other deadbeats, but ....



---------------------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox
 
heres a quote from one of my customers.........."my accountant says we re getting too much work done by you,and it will cause tax problems.".......this from a guy where we would turn out at 1.30 am to get him running again for a 7am start time........another quote from another customer on a similar deal.....immediate turnout to get plant running......" Ive paid you too much money this year,and I think you should give some back.....in cash!"
 
While I am not in this for the pat on the back, getting one every now and then don't hurt.

Payments made early or getting additional orders is pretty nice too!
 
I was very fortunate to have a customer from the beginning that was knowledgeable and appreciative of what I do.

I have had more than one job that upon receiving the work and the invoice they have refused to pay.





Citing that the bill was too small for the quality of work.
 
A long term customer had closed his business and was clearing out his home to move closer to his children when he fell on his basement stairs, hitting his head on the concrete. The surgeons managed to stop bleeding in his brain twice, but the third time couldn't and he died. We had done a lot of business and had symphony season tickets together, more that just business. I visited him in the hospital on the first round and we were sitting there sort of closing out that phase of our relationship. He said "I think the reason we got along so well was that neither ever tried to skin the other."

Bill
 
The last two posts lead me to believe there are customers out there who really do understand the vendor - customer connection. Nice to hear once in a while instead of owners saying "How can I get my money from a non paying customer". It makes business so much more enjoyable and less stressful. I'm 65 and going to keep at it as long as I enjoy it and as long as there are customers out there like this. Or at least until I teach my son how to deal with the ornery ones.
 
Working for a customer that fundamentally gets it is so much less effort and stress. Having production down even a little longer soon ofsets any saving but so few really get that.

Use to do my head in, the i want x up and running asap at near zero cost, these days i don't even answer the phone to those customers and its a nice feeling.

One customer i do still deal with though that i just laugh at is a company i make custom shaped wad punches for to go into tooling. Due to there staff and what there cutting they don't generally live all that long. So they decide that there spending too much money with me, sure great, no loss its less than £50 a month averaged over the year. Well 2 months later i get a phone call from anouther source asking me what the heat treat spec was for the punches so they could make them for them, i hung up, they call back, they ask again, again i hang up. They call back, i tell them to "fuck off" and hang up for the last time, yeah im not the brightest tool in the box, but some things are hard won, the temper treatment on thoes punches is my intellectual property, i sell punches, not that to the customer and sure as hell am not divulging that to a third party who is in effect my competition.

4 months later i get a order for more punches as no one elses last more than single digit days. Oh yeah and do to how they do there separate divisions turns out my punches were the key thing that let them turn a 5 digit profit in that division every month!
 








 
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