Can't complete custom order

I have recently had two custom orders for pet portraits, one on ebay and one at a craft fair. In order to complete these I need photos of the pets emailed to me but neither of the purchasers has done so. I have emailed both to say I hadn’t yet received anything, just in case the email had gone astray, and both replied that they would be emailing their photos soon.
I’m just wondering whether I should contact them again and if so how long I should wait. I’m just concerned that when (and if) they eventually send the photos I may be too busy to fulfil the order in the timescale I agreed to. Also what should I do if they don’t send the photos and say they no longer want the portrait - am I obliged to give a full refund or would I be entitled to keep a proportion of the sale price?

@Rozcraftz
Hi Roz. Sorry this is happening to you but yes, I do believe you need to completely refund. I am assuming you haven’t started to work on the portrait as yet as you have not received the photos. My advice would be to send a final email to your customers stating a date by which they must respond . Should you not receive a reply, cancel and refund the order, explaining the reason why. They will probably appreciate your courtesy and reorder when they have access to the photos.

Hope this helps,
Leslie

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@Rozcraftz Roz have you looked in all your spam and ‘other’ sections of your emails? It’s odd that both have failed to reply.

It may be worth emailing them to suggest they transfer the files using wetransfer.com instead of emailing, as sometimes attachments in emails can cause them to get blocked. I’ve used that website a couple of times and it’s really easy.

Regarding the refund (if you do need to refund), I think if it was me I wouldn’t do anything until I hear back from them again, if they finally get the images to you when you’re too busy, I would advise that due to the increased work load the portrait will now take ‘x amount of time’ to complete and here’s the new expected dispatch date. At that point I would offer them the opportunity to have a refund if they prefer. And if they do want a refund I would refund the full amount.

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My Goodness this is SO annoying!!!..I have just had a very similar thing happen but I am very much harsher than you lovely ladies here! My attitude is that I’m not here to have my time wasted and bespoke work is just that ; a one off piece commissioned to an artist. If I have ANY doubt that the customer does not understand what I can or can’t do then I won’t accept the work ; my view is that I do not work for myself to undergo this kind of stress.

Recently I had a lady who wanted a bespoke wedding sampler based on the same principle as a baby sampler I do. She didn’t want the fairy (Fine) and she wanted it in Christmas colours (Fine again)…but then she started quoting me the flowers she wanted me to incorporate in it. I told her that I could do this, but that we were getting into the realms of a proper Stumpwork piece and that the price would triple. I never heard a thing and then got this obscure list of flowers, with no contact details!..Six weeks passed and the woman rang asking about the piece. I told her that she had given me no contact details and that sadly for her my work load was such that I could not take the piece on…The point was that I simply didn’t think she had understood what I was and wasn’t prepared to do! I wasn’t prepared to risk either the work, or the stress of doing something that would not fulfil her expectations.

I am not a ‘Lovey’ but I think in our keenness to please we sometimes forget that WE are in the driving seat. Time is money and it is US with the skills that other people are willing to pay for. I suppose if nothing else, my darling, the moral is to take the money when they have furnished the piccies ; I’m guessing though that this doesn’t happen to you very often though!

Just as a footnote for all of us, I think people are very cash strapped at the moment and very often what people say they want at the time and what they are able to actually have when another bill crops up, are two different things at times so we should all take caution from this and be on our guard when it comes to bespoke orders.

When I take custom, bespoke orders. I write up what is to wanted then I put a date by which the deposit must be paid before work can begin with a estimated production date ie when I expect to have it ready for shipping. Saying of course it will not be shipped until I receive the balance of the invoice. I state how it will be sent ie royal first class signed for or courier sign for that type of thing.

I always make sure I over quote for the production time in case of any problems so I have room to breath and when I complete earlier than quoted it’s always good I can then email the customer and let them know their item is ready for dispatch earlier than expected and I’m just awaiting the balance of the invoice due.

You do need to put dates down in your written quote if you are awaiting on the customer to send you either information or their own materials. Cut off dates are very important it stop all the worrying.

I would send an email saying that due to the amount of work ie run up to Christmas you require the photo’s by such and such a date otherwise you will not be able to complete their order in a timely fashion and will sadly have to decline the project and will return the monies.

All the best

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