How deal with a customer, your thoughts?

[Greenberg Woods]

Hey guys, if this isnt allowed let me know, but i wanted to see some other peoples opinions.

I recently had a client order a piece of figured rosewood, this was a piece that i had oiled without first buffing, so the color of the surface darkened in much the same way that ironwood does. Upon receiving it he asked to return it, he said that because the block looked different that the photo he was entitled to a return. I used to have a very lax return policy, but amazon has made many people believe they are entitled to return whatever they want whenever they want, which is incredibly disruptive and difficult to handle for a small business selling specific pieces.

I told him that the darkening is only on the surface, and that if he sands the wood even a small amount he will see the colors and figure again, but so far he seems to be resistant to the idea, wanting to ship it back to me to be sanded, and then have me ship it back to him all on my dime.

What do you think?

Thank you.

 

[AVigil]

You need to put up a disclaimer on your website about appearance.

Have him pay for return shipping and refund him.

 

[HSC ///]

Refund him and move on with your life

 

[Richard338]

Abandon ship. If they are not familiar with wood and how to work with it this particular interaction is likely to go further south.

 

[Danke42]

Yeah refund him and then close the account.

 

[Hengelo_77]

He doesn't know what he talks about, this customer.
He doesn't want a handle block in the end he wants a handle. That handle is on the inside of the block, he had to remove the outer layer anyway, exposing the lighter wood.

But people are strange, you can't keep all of them happy, no matter how hard you try.

 

[Park Swan]

Refund him and move on with your life

This, everything else is a waste of your time and money IMO.

 

[OilMan]

Not a maker but if he/she saw something that he/she liked from a picture you provided and then got something different I don't see the issue with him/her wanting to return it.. After all it's not what they ordered, through no fault of their own seemingly. If you ordered a blue car and got a turquoise one instead would you be happy? Or be happy with the manufacturer telling you that you obviously don't know anything about mixing paint and it's on them because of that?

If they are not familiar with wood and how to work with it this particular interaction is likely to go further south.

I would agree but isn't knowing how to work with the wood being used and whatnot the makers job rather than the customers? If YOU knew the color wouldn't come out right shouldn't YOU have told the customer it won't be the same prior to the order?

 

[Daniel Carraher]

Not a maker but if he/she saw something that he/she liked from a picture you provided and then got something different I don't see the issue with him/her wanting to return it.. After all it's not what they ordered, through no fault of their own seemingly. If you ordered a blue car and got a turquoise one instead would you be happy? Or be happy with the manufacturer telling you that you obviously don't know anything about mixing paint and it's on them because of that?


I would agree but isn't knowing how to work with the wood being used and whatnot the makers job rather than the customers? If YOU knew the color wouldn't come out right shouldn't YOU have told the customer it won't be the same prior to the order?

He’s not a maker. He’s a dealer who sells wood. The “customer” in this case is the maker. He sold him a block of wood. Not a finished piece in any way shape or form

 

[Richard338]

Not a maker but if he/she saw something that he/she liked from a picture you provided and then got something different I don't see the issue with him/her wanting to return it.. After all it's not what they ordered, through no fault of their own seemingly. If you ordered a blue car and got a turquoise one instead would you be happy? Or be happy with the manufacturer telling you that you obviously don't know anything about mixing paint and it's on them because of that?


I would agree but isn't knowing how to work with the wood being used and whatnot the makers job rather than the customers? If YOU knew the color wouldn't come out right shouldn't YOU have told the customer it won't be the same prior to the order?

I understand your point and for most types of products I would agree. What got me here was the request to ship it back, sand it and then ship it again. People familiar with wood would try sanding it themselves.
I recently ordered some African Blackwood from another supplier. I know that it often has light streaks or isn't super black overall. I phoned the person and made my expectations very clear and asked them to confirm that the particular block would be suitable. It was and I'm happy with it. It's not good for anyone to be shipping back and forth.

 

[Hengelo_77]

Sounds to me like the customer is not a knife maker but wants a gift for one.
That may be why he doesn't understand the wood, the colour and that it doesn't matter.

 

[Dimitar Popov]

I once purchased a few blocks of cocobolo. They were deep brown and covered with wax. It was the first time that I buy and hold cocobolo in my hands. When I cut one of the blocks inside the wood was nothing like any picture of cocobolo on the internet - it was light yellow - brown and with orange on the sides like it was stained on the outside and the stain got soaked 1-2mm in the wood. I thought that this is a scam and told the guy that sold it to me. He said that he is new to this all and he would replace it if I wish. A few days later I noticed that the freshly exposed surface started to oxidize and turn orange brown . I felt pretty damn stupid , apologized to the guy and learned something new about cocobolo.

So yeah we customers can be very annoying sometimes even if we have all the best intentions but lack some knowledge.

 

[Lorien]

refund

 

[Mecha]

Write his phone number on the wall of a seedy public bathroom, with the note, "For a good time, call _____________"

 

[john april]

refund and avoid selling to him him in the future. dont change anything (oil/darkening) after taking a photograph.

 

[Nathan the Machinist]

It is pretty crazy how entitled some people feel. Most folks are pretty reasonable, but some aren't. I recently replaced a knife for a fellow who claimed it was damaged when he received it. He said he was "surprised it left the shop that way." It was very clearly dropped (while out of its sheath) and dinged the edge. It wasn't like that when we shipped it out. But, rather than create an enemy, it's better to simple write it off as the cost of doing business. This sort of thing bothers me, but at the end of the day it doesn't add up to anything because there are very few people like that. We do keep a list though. There are some crazies out there. The last thing you want is some lunatic making it a personal project of theirs to drag your good name through the mud.

 

[Cushing H.]

It is pretty crazy how entitled some people feel. Most folks are pretty reasonable, but some aren't. I recently replaced a knife for a fellow who claimed it was damaged when he received it. He said he was "surprised it left the shop that way." It was very clearly dropped (while out of its sheath) and dinged the edge. It wasn't like that when we shipped it out. But, rather than create an enemy, it's better to simple write it off as the cost of doing business. This sort of thing bothers me, but at the end of the day it doesn't add up to anything because there are very few people like that. We do keep a list though. There are some crazies out there. The last thing you want is some lunatic making it a personal project of theirs to drag your good name through the mud.

This is a slight aside ... but there are definitely people out there who will just not accept personal responsibility. When my current car (a red mini cooper) was brand new ... less than one week off of the lot ... i had just gotten into it in a parking lot. Sitting there, i heard a "bang", and the car literally rocked side to side. I looked to to right, and the car next to me had its door opened and was resting next to my rear quarter panel. I got out, walked around to the passengers side and looked at the panel. Sure enough, there was a clear dent right where the door would have contacted my car. I looked at the driver and said "this car is brand new ... look what you did? Why are you slamming your door open?". Her response: "I most certainly did not do that". Comments on my part that i had FELT the impact did not dissuade her. The car is old and rather beat up now ... but that dent is still there.

I guess i agree with others ... take the return but tell them you will only refund for the cheapest method , refund them, and never do business with them again. Its not worth the heartburn trying to change people.

 

[Lorien]

It is pretty crazy how entitled some people feel. Most folks are pretty reasonable, but some aren't. I recently replaced a knife for a fellow who claimed it was damaged when he received it. He said he was "surprised it left the shop that way." It was very clearly dropped (while out of its sheath) and dinged the edge. It wasn't like that when we shipped it out. But, rather than create an enemy, it's better to simple write it off as the cost of doing business. This sort of thing bothers me, but at the end of the day it doesn't add up to anything because there are very few people like that. We do keep a list though. There are some crazies out there. The last thing you want is some lunatic making it a personal project of theirs to drag your good name through the mud.

well put. Best to avoid enemas

 

[Horsewright]

Refund, write off and move on, then call everybody here and give us the info cause I don't want to sell them a knife either. Been doing this going on 21 years here pretty quick and ya run into some idjiots, (not a misspelling its how its said in cowboyeese). We have a list of folks that we won't deal with, although its pretty small. In the cowboy world most makers are pretty tight. There is an informal network of don't do business with. I called Carlos one time after a bad experience with a guy in France and he said thanks as he had an order pending with the same guy. Carlos emailed the guy and cancelled the order. Carlos called Mike and guess what? Mike had an order from the same guy too, which he too cancelled. The guy in France was jumping up and down but when Carlos sent him the copy of the emails that I'd sent him showing what the guy had done, the guy shut up never to be heard from again. We bend over backwards to make customers happy, always have and always will but there ain't no fixing stupid! Sometimes better to just strip your saddle off that pony and saddle the next one.

 

[Keith Nix]

When I was in the car business I read a study on customer service. One thing stuck in my mind: "when a customer is happy they'll tell an average of ten people. When they're dissatisfied they'll tell an average of a hundred." Pay return shipping, get your wood back, and write it off. I've repaired handles that have run through the dishwasher. Apparently my warranty covers stupid, too.