Customer service??

[Queen Bee]

You would think that businesses who are still in business would be bustin' their tails to do what customers ask for --even if it is a small order! NO?

Since our move, I needed to change my honey jar labels so they would have our new address/phone number ---and I decided that I would change the design.. I spent a good bit of time making sure I was clear on what I really wanted

I walk into the printers office and a lady approaches me and asks if she can help.. I explain what I want/need and she doesn't offer me a place to sit, no real information --It was like pulling teeth to get answers..I took pictures of the design I wanted, I took color swatches for the ink--Giving them several different ideas to choose from. She made copies of everything and said they would give it to their 'Graphic Designer' and would email me the proofs..

Well I get them two days later-- and there is not one thing on them that I wanted EXCEPT the correct information... I had stated I DO NOT want a bright brass cheapo gold--- I wanted a antique gold color (left two different swatches) This gold was shiny and the color of a school bus... The bee looked cartoonish ---More like a orange football playing bee w/ sunglasses! Horrible. Well, the pictures of bees I had taken looked more like something that Martha Stewart would use= but not her designs.== kinda pen and ink type of drawing...

I hated everything about it and told them I wasn't happy and there was nothing on the labels that I had asked for! I asked if the lady had given him the pages of information that I had left... Yes and he thought they looked great...

I am at a lost.. I showed the information to three people and then showed them the proofs---They LAUGHED== stating 'why did they think it was even close to what I had asked for'..

This is a large company in our area.. I can't believe this is how they run their company....and are surviving!

[ejagno]

Go to the top. I mean the owner. So often service like this goes unnoticed by the actual people who pay their salaries. I know that they will make it right once they see what you showed others.

[Queen Bee]

ejagno, I have taken my information to another printer.. It is a smaller shop but she was wonderful and I hope to ge the proofs tomorrow.

I also, sent the owner an email w/ copies of what I had asked for and what I received.. and explained WHY I chose to go somewhere else...Haven't heard back yet..

[Harry Chickpea]

Oh my. I used to do a lot of advertising tickets. Many of these were runs of a couple hundred thousand and done on a web press. I would specify a Pantone swatch and it would get messed up. The paper would be the wrong weight. They couldn't figure out how to import a Pagemaker file into Quark. WAY too many doofuses in that industry. I guess most of the smart ones moved on when computers made it look like printing was a dying profession. The days of a local Sir Speedy, where you talked with the pressman are pretty much gone.

[Fat Charlie]

Many companies that are still alive have slashed their workforces as far as they can and may not have the capacity to chase every customer regardless of how profitable that customer is. They might simply be doing everything they can to hold on to their big customers and while happy to have other business, not stretching themselves to give everything to a small account. I'm not saying that it's a recipie for long term survival, much less long term growth. It's just a matter of focusing resources.

Lots of places make cutbacks that are too shortsighted- they help for one quarterly report but hurt the company long term. It looks like your former printer is guilty of that and is now paying for it.

[chewie]

I agree, cust. service is pretty lacking in many places. I called to ask for a sample of a shrink band at one of the common online soaping places. You'd think I asked for a sample of every FO! first email was answered, no. second email was ignored. I called, thinking they must not be understanding that I want very little...she was rude as could be! snotty and short but at least I finally did get my sample. if anywhere else had what I need, I'd go there, but alas, they are the only ones.

[clovis]

I've spent most of my life in the printing biz.

The gal that helped you probably doesn't know a thing...she probably couldn't tell you what a 'three sided bleed' means...or what a "pressure sensitive label" is.

She didn't listen to you, and wrote the order up wrong.

She sent to the layout person, who didn't read the order at all.

Graphic designers used to be highly trained people that were paid very well. These days, anyone that owns a computer can call themselves a graphic designer. Sadly, many print firms have laid off their skilled designers, and have hired people with absolutely no training.