Problem Customer!!! Need Advice!

[Bobbym1232]

OK...I just got my first "problem customer" and just want some input on how some of you would handle it.  I know what I "want" to do.

The guys father picked up the mount the other day and signed off on it, never said anything.  Well he calls me at 9 pm and leave a message saying when his son got home (his son's probably 35-40) his was not happy at all with the deer and to call him and talk about it.  At this point I knew what the problem was going to be.  The hair on the deer was very splotchy, and probably could have used a new cape.  So I call him back and he starts going on about this is the worst mount he's ever seen, etc.  I finally got him to admit that other than the hair issue, the deer was an very good mount.

I pried a little more and asked him exactly how they handled the deer before it came to me.  (I know this should have been done when it was dropped off, another first year mistake on my part)  Found out that he left the deer hanging outside on the clothes line overnight, but it "got cold that night".  At that point the red flags went up for me.  I tried explaining to him that leaving a deer hanging outside overnight in Texas can be a risky situation.  Then he goes on and on the he's done this for 65 years and had over 50 deer mounted without ever having this problem.  (at this point I think he's blowing smoke).  I told him I don't care how long you've done it that way, there is always a chance of the hair slipping, especially being in central Texas. ( I did more prying and the low for that night last year was about 50 degrees, and on a carcass just killed could take many hours to even start to cool off.)  He kept claiming that the tannery was the one who "put too much acid on it and made the hair fall out".  I told him over and over that the problem started with him, but he's a stubborn old man who wouldn't listen to what I was saying.

I finally agreed to remount it if he only purchased a new cape.  At that point he says, "if that how you feel then I'm going to spread the word across three counties about how bad your work is and your business will fall really fast."  I just about told him where he could put his deer at this point!  I wasn't rude and held my cool, I finally agreed to remount the thing for free if he brought me a new cape this fall.  I feel it was partly my fault by not telling him about the hair problems before I mounted the deer.(Another first year mistake on my part)  I said I would think about what to do and let him know in a few days.  He also has two foxes that he brought me that I know were kept in the fridge overnight before bringing them to me.  I haven't gotten to them yet, but I know if I do mount them, I'm going to make him sign a paper saying that I'm not responsible for hair slipping on them because of how he's acting now.

I just want to know if you all think this is a reasonable solution.  I'm losing out no matter what I do.  My reaction is to tell him to pick his foxes/forms up and take them somewhere else and just deal with the deer, but that's not good business in my book.  I have plenty of extremely happy customers that him "spreading the word" shouldn't hurt much on my part.  This is just my first problem customer so far and not sure how to handle it properly without making the situation worse.  Just thought I'd get some imput from others more experienced at this.

[Bill . S]

Three way's to handle him >>>

1> Eat the profit margin on the deer and get a new cape for him and then bump the fox price a little to make it back unless you already have an agreement on those prices .

2> eat the profit margin get him a new cape , hopefully he will be satisfied and continue his business with you and bring some friends along the way .

3> stick to your guns and not do anything and hope his word don't carry any weight with people he talks to .

I think I would go with option 2 and take this customer as a lesson well learned . Then make a few minor changes in either your agreement or your sales pitch .

[1stManna]

Removed by request 

[Bobbym1232]

That's the thing, it didn't look bad when I took it in.  I just caped it and froze then sent to tannery.  Most of the problems don't show up until they get into the tanning process, and I tried to tell him that.  I am DEFINATELY adding that to my contract next year, along with a DETAILED checklist on any bad spots and problem areas (like improper field care).  Even if I had called him after I got it back, he still would have thrown a fit about paying to replace the hide.

[Bill . S]

I'm not sure I would wait until next year to make contract changes , At least make an amendment photocopy several and add it to the existing one to cover you until you do have new ones made .

[Becky P]

I was fine with how you were handling it 'til he started threatening. I would've probably lost it then and told him to "go ahead, but do you know what slander is?" With THAT attitude, I'd tell him to come get his foxes and I would not remount it.

 But I am a little confused, was it the father you were talking to or the son? If it was the father, then he knew what it looked like when he picked it up. If it was the son, then he trusted his father to make a good judgement on whether or not to pick it up after seeing it.

Now had he not made the threat, I'd would've worked with him, possibly at my expense depending on  the situation and his attitude. But after that threat all deals are OFF. He crossed the line. I don't take kindly to threats.

[nmtaxi]

Did you salt, flesh and turn the cape?  Or did you just freeze it and send it to a tannery for them to do the fleshing?  If I have a cape starting to slip, it will usually show up in the turning and salting process.  If you shipped off a raw, frozen hide, then you don't know how it was handled after it left your shop.  I'm not pointing any blame, but I don't think you can say for sure that it was the way the customer handled it, when (if) it left your shop in a raw state.  I've seen capes handled much worse than staying overnight in 50 degree weather, and they've come out fine. Just playing devil's advocate here.

[Bobbym1232]

That's what pissed me off even more Becky.  His son is close to 40 and he can't handle his own business, he has to have "Daddy" take care of it for him.  The dad finally admitted that he should probably have left it there and not paid the remaining balance, and I agreed.  I myself wasn't there when he picked it up, but my wife said she asked if everything was ok with it and he said yes.  But yet he now says its the worst mount he's ever seen and they don't even want it anymore.  Whatever!

I haven't made any final arangements with him yet, I told him I would think about it for a few days and let him know.  I am still tempted to send his foxes back (minus his deposit of course, but I will give him the forms) and tell him to take his business elsewhere.  I really hate to have disappointed customers and really wanted to work it out, but when he started making threats I about lost it.  I still agreed to remount it if he bought a cape, but he insisted that there are hundreds of deer shot every year and I could find one for free.  So I told him if he brought one I would do it, otherwise he has to buy one.   But who says he still isn't going to badmouth me to everyone even after I do this for him?  I'm thinking that its not even worth my effort now.  I don't rely on this for a living, so one less "fussy" customer really wouldn't bother me.  I hate going home to work at night after my real job and having to deal with this BS, really stresses you out!

[Becky P]

Well, yes, there are hundreds shot every year but how many of them are caped unless they plan on mounting it? You can't have one split to the chin.

[Bobbym1232]

I sent it off frozen and tannery did everything.  I agree with you 100%, that is the ONLY reason I was willing to work with him on this issue.  I told him at least 10 times that neither him or myself can actually pinpoint the blame on any one source.  I said that there is always a chance that the tannery did cause SOME of the damage, but it all started with him.  The only thing I know for sure is that when in my actual possesion it WAS handled correctly.  I told him I had 15 hides in that same shipment that turned out fine (as far as slipping is concerned) and his was the only one with a problem, which leads me back to him.  But I was willing to work with him until he started making threats.

I'm now thinking of going back to DP for deer mounts so I can stay in control of EVERY step.  My shop being iin my house, for insurance reasons, having tanning chemicals is not really an option.  I just HATE not being in control of every step.

[Moose5222]

Bobby,

Another way of looking at it is, you don't have a problem customer...you just have a problem.  You both agree that the cape is of poor quality.  Try to keep this simple and tell him what you can do to resolve the issue. Give him the choice of what you can/will do to make it satisfactory to both parties.  I will tell you that you left yourself wide open if your contract doesn't cover "tanning issues".  Setting the proper expectation upon inspection of any mount you take in is paramount.

In hindsite, if you knew the cape was "splotchy" and had issues before you mounted it, it would have required a phone call to consult with the customer before proceeding and offering the choice of 1) not completing the mount or 2) purchasing a replacement cape, and finishing the project.    Your 3rd option would have been to have "replacement" capes on hand, match it and mount it to the customer's satisfaction.  I don't know how big of a shop you have, but replacement capes are a good thing to have on hand for these types of situations.

I get 95% of all my birds in a frozen state.  My contract is clear that if any issues are discovered after thawing or preparing the bird the customer will be contacted and consulted on the best course of action including not mounting it at all.  I have never had a "mount it anyway" policy as it can cause problems when they come to pick it up hoping you performed some type of magic on a poor specimen and are disappointed with the mount.

As far as the threats, I've worked in shops in 6 different states and I've witnessed your exact situation in each one of them.  The customer spent a lot of money and isn't happy...they don't know how to react....their ego is involved as well concerning their trophy and they may say something stupid. Hats off to you for keeping your cool.

The idea of returning his foxes and forms and keeping the deposit is just going to cause more bad feelings.  If you want to tell the customer that he "would be happier doing business with another taxidermist", that's great, but if your gonna punt him, you better give foxes and deposit back and call it a day...nother lesson learned. 

For the record, this business input is nothing more than my opinion...feel free to use or delete as you see fit.
   

 

[Bobbym1232]

I agree with what you said Wings Up.  It was a bad judgement on my part to mount it without calling him first.  That's why I'm working to fix it now.  I just didn't even realize it was that bad until I started to groom it and at that point, I just decided to finish it.  I am taking full responsibility on my part.  This guys just being... well you know.

I think the final resolution will be that he brings in a new cape next season and I'll remount for free.  I don't have many extra capes on hand since this wais my first year "open for business".  I'now have a few contacts for next season to get some for just these instances.  Unforseen problems will occur now and then and I understand this.  I'm probably going to finish up the foxes if he still wants me too, mainly just to clear myself and show him that I do produce good work.  I just don't want this to happen again when his foxes are done.  I take pride in my work and don't like being called out like he did so rudely. 

As for the future, lesson has been learned and "tanning issues" will be included in the contracts next year and covered up front.  No more arguing about cape quality with customers after mount is done.

[Old Fart]

Bobby, the bad judgement on your part, started when you sent the frozen cape out to be prepped by someone else.  It there was a problem with the cape THAT is when YOU should have noticed it.  And, if that was the problem it could have been handled before you got invested in the cape.

[Jim Tucker]

Just for the info....in the future.  If you EVER start to notice problems during grooming, just do the bare minimum and leave the cape alone.  Sometimes with a cape the hair will tighten up when drying.  Picking at it to SEE how bad it is....is not good.

Just like a dry preserve cape there is a point with SOME "tanning" methods where the hide should just be left alone. 

[Becky P]

1. Were the splotches really caused from slipping? Or was it just a mangey looking deer, maybe from fighting? OR did he DRAG it?
I wouldn't give up on tanned capes just yet, flesh and salt them yourself, makes shipping cheaper too, that way you will know what shape the cape is in.
2. I used dp for many years, but since I quit my shop smells better. I wouldn't want that smell in my house. And there IS a smell, I didn't think so 'til I quit using it, now I can walk into someone's shop and tell if they are using it or not.
3. You don't want tanning chemicals in your house because of your insurance (what about other things like bondo, epoxy, peroxide?). If someone gets hurt while in your house picking up/dropping off, your insurance probably will not pay and may even drop you. (Join the NTA, call Coastal Plains Insurance and see what they can do for you).