Why is it that woodworkers / craftsmen and Women are expected to perform miracles and produce flawless products with no defects ? Especially considering the state of much of the materials that are much lower in grade and quality then in years past , that we must use . Have you ever gone to the hospital for any procedure ? Did you notice the release form that must be signed in advance ? Well , it reads something like this : ” Since the art of medicine is not an exact science , no specified results can be guaranteed ” hmmm ! Do we need some forms for woodworking ?
” Since the art of woodworking is not an exact science , no specified results can be guaranteed ”
I’ll bet that would go over like a lead balloon . Any thoughts out there .
dusty
Replies
I use to work for a bedroom furniture whole saler and know what you mean.
Had a female customer reject an entier suit because of a knot had fallen out of the back side of the top trim of the hutch. To see this you had to stand on a step ladder. That was a $6,000 lost sale to the retailer. When we got it back to our warehouse we reboxed it and sent it out to another store where the customer was quit happy with it.
You can please some of the people some of the time but you will never please all of the people all of the time.
Dane
I suspect that the knot was just an excuse not to buy the piece and she couldn't or wouldn't own up to the truth... (or maybe she wanted a discount:-).Seems that you have to write purchase and sales agreements for this type of stuff so the customer can't back out on a whim.I remember purchasing kitchen cabinets for my old house and having to sign off on the plan. Somehow a dimension was missed and one cabinet was narrower than I would have liked. The maker wouldn't budge on the agreement. The best he would do was give me a replacement for that one cabinet at "cost" (and I got to keep the wrong one :-)Another thing you can do in those situations is progress payments - I paid a plasterer for materials on delivery, half the labor when they showed up to put up the blueboard and the balance after they finished the plaster (roughly one-fifth, two-fifths, two-fifths) (I should have negotiated clean up in the contract - what a mess - 40# chunks of hard plaster wrapped in tar paper and hundreds of pieces of blueboard...) Contracting properly can eliminate lots of hassles - many will walk away rather than sign the contract - that's good, you don't want bad customers, and the contract gives you leverage for those that don't pay. The honest people won't be offended...A great saying I learned years ago, "Trust everyone, but always cut the cards." (would a bank give you a loan without a credit check? No. Are you offended when the bank tells you they are going to do the credit check? Not usually.)Mark
Hi Dane ,
You are certainly correct IMO , we can't please them all . But what gets me is when the Doctors and hospitals bills are astronomical and the patient or procedure may not have gone exactly the way it was planned , people are still expected to pay the bill. I am only using the medical profession as an example , I have no war to wage against them . Heck , some of my best friends are Doctors and other health care professionals .`
dusty
On a similar note, every contract I issue for commissioned work has this disclaimer that a fellow WW wrote in it:
10. The Client understands, acknowledges and agrees that the materials being used are materials of nature and therefore it is likely that these materials will not be exactly what the client ordered or expected; including variance in color. However, this shall not in any way breach the obligations or contract of Independent Contractor.
Hi molten ,
I like that , very good indeed . What I will often incorporate into my presentation to close a deal is , "we don't get all the wood we will use for your job from the same tree , so some pieces will be different in grain and color , but if you want it all to be exactly the same looking we could use Formica or other laminates " They always say , oh we love the look of natural wood and understand , that has saved me much trouble in my career .
dusty
" Since the art of woodworking is not an exact science , no specified results can be guaranteed "
I like that... to me that says alot or...
" Since art is not an exact science , no specified results can be guaranteed "
R13
I'm not sure what you are saying. Certainly some color variations will occur, but there is no excuse for defects such as bubbles in the finish, or anything else unsightly in the finish such as brush strokes. Certainly no scratches or doors that do not close completely parallel with a consistent gap around them. All joinery should be tight and crisp. The piece should be dimensionally stable, and built in such a way that changes in humidity will not results in cracks and large amounts of warping. Knots should not fall out. When I buy a custom piece, I expect it to be an example of well, Fine Woodworking. It better be better than I can do myself. I am more relaxed about something I buy from a furniture store, I expect I would have accepted the piece with the knot falling out where you can't see it. So I am not sure what you are saying. What do you consider unrealistic? I think that custom furniture makers have an obligation to make things better than what you can buy in the typical store. Not cheaper mind you, but better.
i agree with you ned concerning the obligation to make things better than you can get in a store. i also realize that certain things happen. its the concern of the builder if he would accept the piece himself thats were you get true quality craftmanship. i guess thats a problem that we as contractors have to accept. if its good or better than good the referrals will come it just takes time and patienceThomas B. Palumbo
CUSTOM WOODWORKING
Its all about expectations.
You hit the nail on the head.
One of the key skills needed for consulting or any other job where someone is expecting you to do something is the skill of managing your client's expectations. Most trouble will come when this is not done well.
Setting and managing expectations requires clear and concise communication. Do it well and you won't have unhappy clients.
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