Printers are miserable gits!*

What is going on? has the Credit Crunch sent everyone backwards? Over last couple of Days I have been shocked, bemused and offended, at the way I have been treated by suppliers! Do these people not want my money? Do they not need to sell their products and services? Do they not want customers to return for more business? Are these people doing so well that they can be rude, obnoxious and pompous?

In sourcing print and production I have recently found that customer service has been suffering even more, as if printers can afford to be any more difficult to work with and it is becoming almost impossible to find any one friendly let alone even slightly accommodating. So much so that I assume more expensive and unaffordable printers charge so much because they buy in politeness from an external supplier. For the past 8 Years I have been supplying printers with art work in a professional capacity. In that time I have made mistakes and learnt from them. I have communicated well with suppliers so that I understand their needs, often rush jobs can cause files to have a minor detail set wrong, perhaps a very specific bleed option or a missing font that causes an issue. Simple hitches that are solved with an email or phone call. All in all I love getting work printed, its the climax of a Job, seeing it on media and smelling the fresh ink!

The most recent Job I have been working on, the client has been really excited about the design and looking forward to getting a finished product, until I had an incident with a printer that has taken me by total surprise. I was flat out told, I was wrong that I could not print art work as I had sent it over to him. I agreed. What I sent was a visual, I wanted to discuss the appropriate way to get the effect I wanted to print. The representative then started to rant about files not being set up for print (something all printers complain off) then I noticed his conversation turning to statements and his voice getting strained, not only that he started to rant, then came the raving and the rudeness, in an effort to calm the situation I explained my thoughts and conceded an ounce of stupidity, but that didn't helped my cause, I tried to learn from my error and enquire how I could make the file more appropriate; "You cant!" I was shouted at! Then the angry rep put me on hold. After this aggression I was actually shaking! I couldn't believe I had been spoken to so rudely. Then another chap picked up the telephone and started speaking, I then noticed that someone was shouting and swearing rather loudly in the back ground! Absolutely astounded I expressed my upset to the "new guy" who politely listened and tried to solve my questions and smooth out Rep A's customer relations issue. When I asked the new guy if Rep A was difficult to deal with I was ignored and he began discussing the print Job again! I took that as a yes and pushed no more. The new guy was nice enough, given the way I had been dealt with so I appreciated his time. (thanks Colin.)

It turned out that I could print the way I wanted, it simply required a little discussion, a little accommodation, a bit of thinking out side the box, understanding of who they are talking to and a little less of a superiority complex at their end. So over all thanks for wasting my time and getting me so upset I hope you are happy with your crappy little attitude, you....you, expletive!

As if that wasn't bad enough this company are pretty much a charity and I want to support them! Unfortunately this time they lost my business, I am determined not to let this get the worst of me and so I may try an reconcile the issue by working with Colin alone. Until I calm down enough to work with the company I'm going to do a bit of asking around see if anyone ells has had a similar issue.

If this wasn't enough a second supplier I have recently begun working with has dragged his heals since day one. Not much politeness or civil behavior, my calls and emails, not been returned and I have not really been served, then the other day they the used the "Im not being funny mate" line!

I am getting sick of these miserable gits! I am utterly disgusted at the low level of customer service in almost every case and the more I think about my experiences the more I appreciate the good ones I have worked with. And now I realize I have spent even more time on my blog about them, aarrrrgh! If any one knows any printers or sign production companies in Manchester I'd love to get some recommendations. When I do business I expect my customers to feel like friends or partners, that I think about their business almost as much as they do and that I genuinely have their interests at heart, and they have total confidence in me, I don't even call this going the extra mile! I call it customer relations.

I also want to know more about dealing with troublesome suppliers after all they should be groveling to the customer not getting cross with them!

*but not all I have a few who will go the extra mile.

I recommend Keith and Neil at Ormskirks Printing.com shop and Bronks printers in Prestwich, Manchester (ian@bronksprinters.com) really nice guy very accommodating cant recommend him enough!