DL Semmens Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 I had this new customer call in early Dec. She was making a queen size wedding quilt for her daughter and she needed it quilted prior to the wedding which took place on New Years Eve. I felt bad for her and told her that I could get it quilted for her the week before Christmas, that I needed the quilt by the 18th, to get it quilted for her. She said good a deadline for me to get it sewn together! (should have been my first clue) Then she called back and decided that she wouldn't have time to do the binding, and asked me to do it. I received the quilt on the 20th and the binding material on the 26th. I got sick enough the night of the 26th that I made a trip to the ER.....but I had the quilt completed by the 29th. Anyone want to guess where that quilt is right now? Yep you got it still here at my house. I have emailed her several times and left several messages on her phone all with no response from her....... Oh and the queen was slightly bigger than a twin size quilt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietlifeaz Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Yep --- I have learned this year "no deadline quilts" --- I lost my entire Christmas trying to make an "she is such a sweat little old lady and this is such a special project I try to do it by Christmas" deadline. Not going to ever do "Christmas deadlines" unless they can get the quilt to me and I can reasonably get it done by 11/15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisquilter Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 I am with you guys! I put enough pressure on myself trying to meet deadlines. If I don't have it by Dec 1, Not happening. Of course, whose quilt was I working on Dec 24? My grandsons! :D:D Deb, I hope you were able to charge her a rush fee. I guess the bright side is that the quilt was not as large as she said it would be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb2bie Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Chris, That is exactly why you need to set those customer deadlines!!! Otherwise thre is NO time to do your own!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 I don't quilt for others from Thanksgiving to the New Year. I am busy enough with my own family and don't need the added pressure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janette Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 What a pain, it is difficult to say no sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Oh ya, I've had a rush quilt sitting here since Thanksgiving. Lord knows when she'll come to pick it up. I have a feeling she spent a bit too much on Christmas this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 So do you need to list a storage fee for rush jobs that don't get picked up in the "rush"? It seems like you should get some kind of compensation for their inconsiderate behavior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindasewsit Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Eeeerrrrrrrrr! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaLKB Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Maybe the wedding didn't happen???? Still no excuse for leaving it with you so long and not calling or answering your e-mails. I agree with Heidi...........no customer things between November 1st and January 1st. I have my own things to do and since I don't quilt as a business anyway, I can be pretty choosy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 In the ceramic and craft world, it was on the persons form, that if not picked up within thirty day of first notice, the item belonged to the owner of the business to sell, or keep. its a good thought to think over.. still don't know if I will use it or just threaten them with it.. :P:P:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miss jacque Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Like I said bfore....Ad a daily fee to the cost when a customer does not pick up a quilt, especially on a "deadline quilt". PEOPLE must think quilters are push-overs.....are we? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aktbone Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 I have also ready that if they don't pick up within a certain time that the quilt will be donated to some charity or cause. Just a thought! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewcrazy4quilting Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 I don't take "rush" jobs, ever. For me they are not worth the aggravation that so often accompanies them. Have I lost business due to my "no rush" policy? I most certainly have. Have I lost any sleep over it? I most certainly have not, and that has value to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 "No good deed goes unpunished". Sorry, I couldn't resist--I have been in this situation as well. I have decided not to make hard and fast rules pertaining to rush jobs since every situation is different. BUT, I only do rush jobs for regular customers. Never for new ones. Another saying--"Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part". I don't usually ask customers to pre-pay, but perhaps ask for the "rush fee" up front. Whatever your fee is, or even if you don't charge extra, ask for $100 up front to make the "overtime" more palatable. I have learned to not over-extend myself during the holidays--it was a hard lesson where one year I finally put up the tree on the 24th. Now my regulars are trained to call dibs on their spots in November and December very early! Right now I have two November 2012 spots reserved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarieBrewer Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 I'm not sure how many demands we longer armers can put on customers when we aren't the only rodeo in town. The competition here is steep and once a customer leaves for someone else, I'm not sure they would be back. Have about 15 of us within a 100 mile radius. I did the rush thing too for a customer and she picked them up after Christmas. She said the shop closed early Christmas Eve. Duh!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DL Semmens Posted January 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 I don't charge a rush fee......but since I am redoing my fee schedule I just might add it. It will be my choice if I charge it. I did alter my take in form, I thought it was a real PITA, but on it it states that if the quilt isn't picked up within two weeks there will be an additional $5.00 per day charge. After 30 days that it will be donated to my charity and given to the local shelter. The gal has finally sent me an email, saying that the wedding went off without a hitch and that she needed yesterday to recoop. She explained that there was just to much to do from the 29th - 31rst for her to come and get the quilt. She must of been busy since she couldn't answer her phone or an email either. In her email she stated that she might call me sometime this afternoon to arrange for a pick up. Its 4:30 guess that isn't happening today. I do think that I am going to ask for up front payments on new RUSH type customers. Thanks for letting me vent today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Originally posted by MarieBrewer I'm not sure how many demands we longer armers can put on customers when we aren't the only rodeo in town. The competition here is steep and once a customer leaves for someone else, I'm not sure they would be back. Have about 15 of us within a 100 mile radius. I did the rush thing too for a customer and she picked them up after Christmas. She said the shop closed early Christmas Eve. Duh!!! Hmmm...closing early on Christmas Eve? Unheard of!! Too funny! I think that quilting from a shop venue is very different from us home-quilters. The expectation of a beautiful outcome is the same, but customers at a shop expect the behind-the-scenes quilting to be almost instant--maybe because they may assume you have an army of quilters working like Santa's elves diligently stitching away! My take on rush jobs is that the customer is desperately shopping all over just for someone to take the job. And "desperate" is the best description! If you turn them down, they are calling the next one on the list. I'm just happy to be on the list and don't feel bad any more turning someone down. They understand the situation they have put themselves in and I have never sensed anything but mild disappointment when they are turned down. If it is someone I don't know calling, I'm sure they called the LQS and got every longarmers phone number. I'm just the next one on the list! My own regulars get special treatment--these are people who are there for me all year round and I go out of my way to accommodate them. This year I had four calls after December 1st for jobs due before Christmas. All strangers and all desperate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primitive1 Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 I agree with Linda....I said I wouldn't take any quilts after 12/1 but ended up working on a giant custom that took longer than I had hoped which ran me into mid Dec...I did have to turn down another who asked if I could just fit her in but like Linda says, take care of your regulars and don't worry about the last minute "poor planners" I actually had one one year that wanted a table runner done the weekend prior to thanksgiving (it was a thanksgiving runner, and she is not a regular customer)...and when I told her that it would fall under my min fee of $50.00 with a $25.00 rush fee, she stuttered and said she thought it would only total $25.00...I am thinking that she could do it on her own DSM... so all that to say, do what you are comfortable doing and don't let people push you because of their poor planning...and then to not pick it up after all that? Sheeesssh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Originally posted by Deb Semmens .......Anyone want to guess where that quilt is right now? Yep you got it still here at my house. I have emailed her several times and left several messages on her phone all with no response from her....... How disrespectful that you flipped cartwheels to finish this and meet her deadline, and now here it is..... This makes me mad. :mad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb2bie Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 I love the idea of getting paid up front for rush jobs!!! That way if they decide that they cna't make it at least you've been paid in the rush time. Then you won't care so much that they didn't pick it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra Darlington Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 I saved the first 2 weeks in December for 2 pantos, but only from guild members. If I didn't fill those spots, then I would get a jump on my own preparations. I postponed 2 people until January. One is a new customer and doesn't need her quilt until May and the other is a PITA, so I hope she went elsewhere. I took the 2 guild quilts and was up half of Christmas Eve finishing the binding on one of my gifts. Next year I am moving my deadine to say nothing between Thanksgiving and New Years. It gets to be too much! I will plan to let my guild friends know of my deadline and hope they can get things to me early. I would hate to loose them. OR, my other thought is that I need to plan ahead for my gifts, too, instead of waiting until December and go nuts trying to get mine done. If I start planning and sewing as I have some free time, I should be in much better shape next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DL Semmens Posted January 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 Well she finally came yesterday to pick up the quilt. She asked how big of a quilt I could quilt. She has acquired all of these pre cut triangles that she thinks she wants to make into a king size quilt. If that call if comes in I'm pretty sure that I am going to be booked out....... Oh and she did give me a $5.00 tip for my trouble. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 Originally posted by Deb Semmens Well she finally came yesterday to pick up the quilt. She asked how big of a quilt I could quilt. She has acquired all of these pre cut triangles that she thinks she wants to make into a king size quilt. i would run away screaming like my hair is on fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 WOW, a $5 tip! Did she give you an explanation? RUN, RUN VERY FAST!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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