GCU Forum - Custom request

Karen_131257

Senior Member
artist

Posts: 332

Custom request
Mar 12^th, 2010, 4:37pm

Hi there
I have had a couple of custom requests and acted on them as soon as I got the notification emails. Even though one only had the word "Hi" on the request area and only wanted one card, I didn`t want to disappoint a possible customer so searched through dozens of CD`s and thousands of cards to find the right image then customised it as requested. This was a few weeks ago, I duly notified the customer in a timely manner as required yet nothing came of it.
Tonight I received a request for a card asking for different wording on the front and to make the picture a bit more romantic with haze effect, for a possible order of 30 cards. I did this immediately upon receipt of the request email again after searching for the card image in my archives. When I went to notify the customer in a timely manner it turned out the email address / domain address she supplied, does not exist, so I am unsure now if it was a time waster or someone who made a genuine mistake on her request. I am a very busy person and can`t afford to create cards for people who are just wasting my time, as it is I don`t have enough time in the day or days in the week now! I don`t want to have to remove this option from my store and so possibly disappoint future customers, but surely there must be a way of checking if a request is genuine before the artist is asked to accommodate it?
Thanks
Karen

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Utopia Cards:
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/KarensKreations

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Mindy

GCU Administrator
Community Manager

Posts: 6567
Gender: female

Re: Custom request
Reply #1 - Mar 12^th, 2010, 4:50pm

Quote from Karen_131257 on Mar 12^th, 2010, 4:37pm:

Hi there
I have had a couple of custom requests and acted on them as soon as I got the notification emails. Even though one only had the word "Hi" on the request area and only wanted one card, I didn`t want to disappoint a possible customer so searched through dozens of CD`s and thousands of cards to find the right image then customised it as requested. This was a few weeks ago, I duly notified the customer in a timely manner as required yet nothing came of it.
Tonight I received a request for a card asking for different wording on the front and to make the picture a bit more romantic with haze effect, for a possible order of 30 cards. I did this immediately upon receipt of the request email again after searching for the card image in my archives. When I went to notify the customer in a timely manner it turned out the email address / domain address she supplied, does not exist, so I am unsure now if it was a time waster or someone who made a genuine mistake on her request. I am a very busy person and can`t afford to create cards for people who are just wasting my time, as it is I don`t have enough time in the day or days in the week now! I don`t want to have to remove this option from my store and so possibly disappoint future customers, but surely there must be a way of checking if a request is genuine before the artist is asked to accommodate it?
Thanks
Karen

Just sent you a direct email. This particular request appears to be in earnest - the shopper mistakenly dropped the m from .com and has also left their phone number so please try to contact her again.

In general it's a good idea to contact the shopper before you begin any work. Corrie shared some excellent suggestions re: custom cards on the forum here:
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/forum/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1268046496/18#18

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Karen_131257

Senior Member
artist

Posts: 332

Re: Custom request
Reply #2 - Mar 12^th, 2010, 5:01pm

Hi Mindy
Thanks, I just read your email. When I see .co it`s usual for it to be .co.uk to me (sorry I didn`t think of .com).
I will try to contact the customer again, the card is done and submitted, if I get any requests in future I`ll try contacting them first but this is new to me and I wasn`t sure how to go about it. I don`t have time to go through all the forum posts and other pages as I am working up to 18 hours a day most days and don`t get a lot of spare time, hence why I can`t afford to waste time!
Thanks again
Karen

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Utopia Cards:
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/KarensKreations

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Mindy

GCU Administrator
Community Manager

Posts: 6567
Gender: female

Re: Custom request
Reply #3 - Mar 12^th, 2010, 5:10pm

Quote from Karen_131257 on Mar 12^th, 2010, 5:01pm:

Hi Mindy
Thanks, I just read your email. When I see .co it`s usual for it to be .co.uk to me (sorry I didn`t think of .com).
I will try to contact the customer again, the card is done and submitted, if I get any requests in future I`ll try contacting them first but this is new to me and I wasn`t sure how to go about it. I don`t have time to go through all the forum posts and other pages as I am working up to 18 hours a day most days and don`t get a lot of spare time, hence why I can`t afford to waste time!
Thanks again
Karen

I hear ya! Wink

I think all artists are working out how the process will be most efficient and fruitful for them. Good luck to you and .... get some rest this weekend!

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Karen_131257 Senior Member artist Posts: 332	Re: Custom request Reply #4 - Mar 12^th, 2010, 5:15pm Thanks Mindy, I appreciate your help. The card just got approved (wow sooo fast, thanks!) and I have emailed the customer (this time it didn`t bounce back) to tell her. I just hope it`s as she wanted it. Karen
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