Cantello Studios on fri 24 aug 01
I am interested in hearing how others deal with a customer who decides a
week later they don't want the pot after all.
The reason I asked is last week at a craft show my husband sold a $375.00
sculptural vase that had handles on either side and a large octopus wrapped
around it. It was sprayed in an almond ash glaze. Today the man calls up
and says that he thinks the vase was damaged and that the handles were glued
back on. Husband explains that what he sees is the glaze is lighter in
color where the handles were attached as he used some slip with colloidal
silica in it and he sees the different grain of the clay body. The man
tells him that he must have refired it. Wrong. The customer was an antique
dealer and feels he knows what he is talking about as he buys antique clay
pieces. Conversation ended with man telling husband where to "stick it".
This man bought another vase for $100.00 in which he had no problems with.
Husband felt he had buyers remorse and just wanted to get his $ back.
Husband feels bad, but what do you do when accused of something you didn't
do and the piece was priced right. Earlier that morning he sold the other
large octopus vase for $500.00.
Do you post in your booth a sign that says, "All Sales Final"? And will
this legally work?
Do you give them their money back or exchange it for something else no
question asked?
This is the first time this has happen to us. We in the past have exchanged
pieces i.e. when there was a hair line crack in a pot we didn't see and
later customer came back to show. But when there is nothing wrong with the
piece do you take back the piece or not?
Thanks
Tracy
www.cantellostudios.com
Fraser Forsythe on fri 24 aug 01
Hi Tracy.
In my opinion no matter what you make\create some will love it and some w=
ill hate
it. As usual the extreme views will account for a small percentage. So my=
policy
would be to let people bring a piece back and refund their money. If some=
one is
serious about what they produce, they will invariably strive to create hi=
gh
quality.
Going to market with a policy that tells the rest of the world that you b=
elieve in
yourself and your product and thereby have no problem with people changin=
g their
minds is, in my opinion, just the final step in that striving for excelle=
nce.
Of course there will be those who like to tell you your business while th=
eir asking
for a refund. Criticism is never easy to take but I think it's important =
to always
consider - even if it ends up being a lot of wind. The story you told abo=
ut a
customer, who thought the handle was re-glued, was clearly mistaken. But =
his
impression
might be shared by others who see the piece.
In the end I don=92t think this sort of thing happens a lot. I know from =
personal
experience that people are happier when they know they have lots of optio=
ns
regarding
a purchase, and it's a policy that instills confidence in your market. Kn=
owing you
can bring a piece back will never detract from the attractiveness of a pi=
ece.
Having an ex-customer think poorly of a piece (mistaken or not) is, in my=
opinion,
preferable to them feeling cheated.
Fraser Forsythe
www.glazeexchange.com
fraser@glazeexchange.com
fraserforsythe@icqmail.com
Elca Branman on sat 25 aug 01
A satisfied customer is insurance for good will;a dissatisfied customer
is much more expensive than the amount of money refunded.
When we were in business, our policy was never to argue or protest a
customers decision; justice can just be too costly . I always gave
exchanges for cracked ware"Oh, no, I always warmed up the teapot" for
shattered ware.."it just fell apart"..right, right after it hit the
kitchen floor!
Think of the $ loss as word of mouth advertising expense.
Elca Branman.. in Sarasota,Florida,USA
elcab1@juno.com
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Tommy Humphries on sat 25 aug 01
I think that it would be nice, at least for the big ticket items, to have a
certain grace period where the buyer could live with the piece for a while,
to see if it really is what they thought it would be.
The sales booth or gallery floor is usually a cold impersonal area, and is
not the best light for seeing just what a large item will look like when it
is taken home.
A full refund could be given, unless there is some problem where the piece
has been damaged, in which case the sale would be final.
Tommy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Cantello Studios"
To:
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2001 10:46 PM
Subject: Our all sales final ?
> I am interested in hearing how others deal with a customer who decides a
> week later they don't want the pot after all.
>
> The reason I asked is last week at a craft show my husband sold a $375.00
> sculptural vase that had handles on either side and a large octopus
wrapped
> around it. It was sprayed in an almond ash glaze. Today the man calls up
> and says that he thinks the vase was damaged and that the handles were
glued
> back on. Husband explains that what he sees is the glaze is lighter in
> color where the handles were attached as he used some slip with colloidal
> silica in it and he sees the different grain of the clay body. The man
> tells him that he must have refired it. Wrong. The customer was an
antique
> dealer and feels he knows what he is talking about as he buys antique clay
> pieces. Conversation ended with man telling husband where to "stick it".
> This man bought another vase for $100.00 in which he had no problems with.
> Husband felt he had buyers remorse and just wanted to get his $ back.
> Husband feels bad, but what do you do when accused of something you didn't
> do and the piece was priced right. Earlier that morning he sold the other
> large octopus vase for $500.00.
>
> Do you post in your booth a sign that says, "All Sales Final"? And will
> this legally work?
>
> Do you give them their money back or exchange it for something else no
> question asked?
>
> This is the first time this has happen to us. We in the past have
exchanged
> pieces i.e. when there was a hair line crack in a pot we didn't see and
> later customer came back to show. But when there is nothing wrong with
the
> piece do you take back the piece or not?
>
> Thanks
>
> Tracy
>
> www.cantellostudios.com
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
>
Ursula Goebels on sat 25 aug 01
Tracy, I can understand your frustration but I share Fraser's view! Isn=
't
"all sales are final" commonly used for heavily reduced ware, seconds =
or
"going out of business" sales? Ursula
Hi Tracy.
In my opinion no matter what you make\create some will love it and some w=
ill
hate
it. As usual the extreme views will account for a small percentage. So my
policy
would be to let people bring a piece back and refund their money. If some=
one
is
serious about what they produce, they will invariably strive to create hi=
gh
quality.
Going to market with a policy that tells the rest of the world that you
believe in
yourself and your product and thereby have no problem with people changin=
g
their
minds is, in my opinion, just the final step in that striving for
excellence.
Of course there will be those who like to tell you your business while th=
eir
asking
for a refund. Criticism is never easy to take but I think it's important =
to
always
consider - even if it ends up being a lot of wind. The story you told abo=
ut
a
customer, who thought the handle was re-glued, was clearly mistaken. But =
his
impression
might be shared by others who see the piece.
In the end I don=92t think this sort of thing happens a lot. I know from
personal
experience that people are happier when they know they have lots of optio=
ns
regarding
a purchase, and it's a policy that instills confidence in your market.
Knowing you
can bring a piece back will never detract from the attractiveness of a
piece.
Having an ex-customer think poorly of a piece (mistaken or not) is, in my
opinion,
preferable to them feeling cheated.
Fraser Forsythe
www.glazeexchange.com
fraser@glazeexchange.com
fraserforsythe@icqmail.com
_________________________________________________________________________=
___
__
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
Wade Blocker on sat 25 aug 01
Tracy,
If an item is returned within a week for any reason or no reason, I
would cheerfully refund the money. It might just be that when the ceramic
piece was displayed in the buyers house, it just did not fit.
I generally shop only at department stores for that reason. There is never
a question about refunding your money. I very rarely have had to return
something, but when I did it was inevitably from some shop that would give
you credit but no refund.
I would not like anyone to purchase my work and not be happy with it.
Within a short span of time returns should always be accepted for a refund
without question. Mia in ABQ
Des Howard on sun 26 aug 01
Tracy
We do not argue with a customer, EVER, even when
we know some clumsy oaf bumped the wrapped pots
off a wedding reception gifts table.
Over the years we have subjected our pots to assorted bastardry,
from rapping violently with taps, cutlery, heat shock (freezer to hot oven, etc.),
& would you believe .410 shotgun blasts. If/when a pot is returned
we know what really happened regardless of the story told,
we just smile, grit our teeth & refund or replace.
We guarantee satisfaction, no time limit, for whatever reason.
Any outlets we have used have had the same injunction
placed on them as part of our agreement to supply.
Over 32+ years & thousands upon thousands of pots made
& sold we would have had less than a score of pots returned.
Refunding on a bigger ticket item hurts, but, the bad vibes
from a dissatisfied customer hurts even more.
Des
Cantello Studios wrote:
> I am interested in hearing how others deal with a customer who decides a
> week later they don't want the pot after all.
>
> The reason I asked is last week at a craft show my husband sold a $375.00
> sculptural vase that had handles on either side and a large octopus wrapped
> around it. It was sprayed in an almond ash glaze. Today the man calls up
> and says that he thinks the vase was damaged and that the handles were glued
> back on. Husband explains that what he sees is the glaze is lighter in
> color where the handles were attached as he used some slip with colloidal
> silica in it and he sees the different grain of the clay body. The man
> tells him that he must have refired it. Wrong. The customer was an antique
> dealer and feels he knows what he is talking about as he buys antique clay
> pieces. Conversation ended with man telling husband where to "stick it".
> This man bought another vase for $100.00 in which he had no problems with.
> Husband felt he had buyers remorse and just wanted to get his $ back.
> Husband feels bad, but what do you do when accused of something you didn't
> do and the piece was priced right. Earlier that morning he sold the other
> large octopus vase for $500.00.
>
> Do you post in your booth a sign that says, "All Sales Final"? And will
> this legally work?
>
> Do you give them their money back or exchange it for something else no
> question asked?
>
> This is the first time this has happen to us. We in the past have exchanged
> pieces i.e. when there was a hair line crack in a pot we didn't see and
> later customer came back to show. But when there is nothing wrong with the
> piece do you take back the piece or not?
--
Des & Jan Howard
Lue Pottery
LUE NSW 2850
Australia
Ph/Fax 02 6373 6419
http://www.luepottery.hwy.com.au
KLeSueur@AOL.COM on sun 26 aug 01
If a customer is not happy with a piece they've bought from me they can
return it no questions asked. I've sold people lamps and told them if they
aren't happy they can return them next year when I return to the show. I'd
rather take the piece back than have someone who decides to no longer buy at
art fairs because they can't return it.
Kathi LeSueur
Ann Arbor, MI
Susan Fox-Hirschmann on mon 27 aug 01
I have only permitted returns within a month or so. My feeling is, if they
don't like the piece, they should return it as soon as possible, so that i
may put that piece in my inventory, right away to sell it. My work changes
so rapidly, that if i wait a year, i may no longer be making the piece, and
then it is more difficult to resell, as my "collection" of work has changed.
Also i would want the customer to be 100% happy with the work. But I feel
that one must have some sort of time limit for returns, don/t you?
susan
>From: KLeSueur@AOL.COM
>Reply-To: Ceramic Arts Discussion List
>To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>Subject: Re: Our all sales final ?
>Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2001 19:34:52 EDT
>
>If a customer is not happy with a piece they've bought from me they can
>return it no questions asked. I've sold people lamps and told them if they
>aren't happy they can return them next year when I return to the show. I'd
>rather take the piece back than have someone who decides to no longer buy
>at
>art fairs because they can't return it.
>
>Kathi LeSueur
>Ann Arbor, MI
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
>melpots@pclink.com.
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp
KLeSueur@AOL.COM on mon 27 aug 01
What if you had bought an expensive piece of furniture, positive that it
would look just great in your house. But, when you got it home you realized
that it was just too big for the space. It just wasn't right. You got busy,
as often happens in our lives, and a month later got around to returning it
only to be told "all sales are final". It wouldn't have mattered if you had
brought it back the next day. Or you only had seven days to return it
so...... too bad. Would you ever buy another piece of furniture from that
store again?
Customer satisfaction is vital for artists. I've had more than one customer
not buy something they really wanted because their friend told them how they
had tried to return something to an artist and been refused. There are lots
of other places to buy and if your customer's experience is negative it will
affect all of the rest of us who are trying to sell our work.
You are going to develop a reputation as an artist selling your work. What do
you want that reputation to be?
Kathi LeSueur
Ann Arbor, MI
Susan Fox-Hirschmann on tue 28 aug 01
No furniture store that i know of will permit returns after a certain period
of time......in many cases 30 days. You may not like the piece, or how it
wears, but they feel they don't know the conditions of how it was cared for
etc, and will not accept returns.
I feel that we, as artists, are often taken unfair advantage of, in the
business world....by permitting exchnanges long after any other business
would deem prudent. Why should we be expected to "give" of ourselves and
our work or accept returns at a time that is way beyond what is reasonable?
BEcause we are artists....we should not be taken advantage of.
I indeed will accept returns up to about one month after purchase, or if the
piece has a "problem"....but I have rarely if ever accepted any returns
after a person has bought it a year earlier.
I think we need to be treated with respect in the business world, and to
have people take advantage of us (with this feeling of this poor artist does
not know how to say No , anyway, kind of idea) is unfair to us as business
people and to the artistic community on a whole.
If you wish to sell on approval that is all well and good. But giving
people a year to decide if they want it is unfair to us and absurd!
susan
>From: KLeSueur@AOL.COM
>Reply-To: Ceramic Arts Discussion List
>To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>Subject: Re: Our all sales final ?
>Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2001 20:43:41 EDT
>
>What if you had bought an expensive piece of furniture, positive that it
>would look just great in your house. But, when you got it home you realized
>that it was just too big for the space. It just wasn't right. You got busy,
>as often happens in our lives, and a month later got around to returning it
>only to be told "all sales are final". It wouldn't have mattered if you had
>brought it back the next day. Or you only had seven days to return it
>so...... too bad. Would you ever buy another piece of furniture from that
>store again?
>
>Customer satisfaction is vital for artists. I've had more than one customer
>not buy something they really wanted because their friend told them how
>they
>had tried to return something to an artist and been refused. There are
>lots
>of other places to buy and if your customer's experience is negative it
>will
>affect all of the rest of us who are trying to sell our work.
>
>You are going to develop a reputation as an artist selling your work. What
>do
>you want that reputation to be?
>
>Kathi LeSueur
>Ann Arbor, MI
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
>melpots@pclink.com.
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp
Richard Jeffery on wed 29 aug 01
and as someone who still makes the occasional piece of furniture to
commission, there is no difference - except maybe, unlike ceramics, the
material costs in furniture can be up to 30% of the sale price, it's
probably been designed to reflect a room, a size, a shape, a person (a
couple starts getting tricky) - and if a sideboard or a bed comes back it's
a bit too big to put back into stock under the stairs in the hope that
someone else likes it. Commission is the only way I can go for anything
large - I don't have a showroom, and short of making furniture for long term
loan to gallery owners as display pieces (No! Janet - or you will start a
queue...) it's impossible to make anything other than small pieces on spec.
So - commission = 30% down payment (which covers materials, if nothing
else - and I have to buy full size boards - i.e. complete slices of tree -
even if I only need a little bitty piece) when plans have been agreed. I
might already have made a mock-up in softwood or MDF by this stage. This is
non-refundable as soon as the timber is rough curt to size. Another 30% or
so about the stage when it's ready for finishing, and balance on delivery.
If the piece is small, it might be 50% up front. Or if I'm not sure about
the customer...
So - be flexible when you need to be, and treat the customer as you would
want to be treated, but do everything you can to manage the front end of the
sale to avoid disappointment later...
Richard
Bournemouth UK
www.TheEleventhHour.co.uk
-----Original Message-----
From: Ceramic Arts Discussion List [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG]On
Behalf Of Susan Fox-Hirschmann
Sent: 28 August 2001 21:17
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: Our all sales final ?
No furniture store that i know of will permit returns after a certain period
of time......in many cases 30 days. You may not like the piece, or how it
wears, but they feel they don't know the conditions of how it was cared for
etc, and will not accept returns.
I feel that we, as artists, are often taken unfair advantage of, in the
business world....by permitting exchnanges long after any other business
would deem prudent. Why should we be expected to "give" of ourselves and
our work or accept returns at a time that is way beyond what is reasonable?
BEcause we are artists....we should not be taken advantage of.
I indeed will accept returns up to about one month after purchase, or if the
piece has a "problem"....but I have rarely if ever accepted any returns
after a person has bought it a year earlier.
I think we need to be treated with respect in the business world, and to
have people take advantage of us (with this feeling of this poor artist does
not know how to say No , anyway, kind of idea) is unfair to us as business
people and to the artistic community on a whole.
If you wish to sell on approval that is all well and good. But giving
people a year to decide if they want it is unfair to us and absurd!
susan
>From: KLeSueur@AOL.COM
>Reply-To: Ceramic Arts Discussion List
>To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>Subject: Re: Our all sales final ?
>Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2001 20:43:41 EDT
>
>What if you had bought an expensive piece of furniture, positive that it
>would look just great in your house. But, when you got it home you realized
>that it was just too big for the space. It just wasn't right. You got busy,
>as often happens in our lives, and a month later got around to returning it
>only to be told "all sales are final". It wouldn't have mattered if you had
>brought it back the next day. Or you only had seven days to return it
>so...... too bad. Would you ever buy another piece of furniture from that
>store again?
>
>Customer satisfaction is vital for artists. I've had more than one customer
>not buy something they really wanted because their friend told them how
>they
>had tried to return something to an artist and been refused. There are
>lots
>of other places to buy and if your customer's experience is negative it
>will
>affect all of the rest of us who are trying to sell our work.
>
>You are going to develop a reputation as an artist selling your work. What
>do
>you want that reputation to be?
>
>Kathi LeSueur
>Ann Arbor, MI
>
>___________________________________________________________________________
___
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
>melpots@pclink.com.
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp
____________________________________________________________________________
__
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
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