Popular PS vendor stopped responding after I paid, WWYD?

[Lookinagain]

Interesting. Although I agree it's a good idea to stage a project so you aren't on a time crunch I have the philosophy that it's bad for the customer and vendor to become too laxed and let a project linger on with no real time line to complete.

I think it's to the vendors benefit as well as they can properly schedule work, collect payments and ensure a good cash flow while maintaining a steady balance. There is a lot to be said for having good control of your operations. It allows you to grow smart and adjust your pricing to maximize profit based on demand and available capacity.

I'm not saying that it is best for their cash flow. But I work with the same vendor all the time and generally get excellent attention from them. So if I say "no rush" and it's a busy time of year, they know, and I know, that I mean what I say. I also know that many of their customers are truly in a rush, and often more demanding than I am. And I also know that if I send them my idea of a project at a very busy time of year that they are in fact busy. So I can either wait to send it to them later or expect some delay. I like to send my thoughts when my ideas are solidified so that I don't wander off in my thoughts and second guess myself. But when I do have a timeline (I think I did once a few years ago) they knew that it was important and delivered the piece to me in record time. I just don't see the point in putting pressure on the turn around time if its due only to impatience and nothing else. Other customers probably have better reasons for that.

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

In my 15 years here it has always been the duty of consumers and prosumers to hold vendors feet to the fire to deliver awesome customer service to futile realistic expectations.
Even the best will fail at times, but how they handle it tells more about the vendor then how they handle things when everything is perfect.
Letting sub-par service slide harms everyone including the vendor in question because they never have the opportunity to address the issue..

Karl with wise words!

 

[rubysweettart]

I have been working with a vendor; I sent payment in full in August. I was kind of hesitant but not a member here to ask if it was common and I reasoned that since the vendor was matching a discounted price I'd seen on LT (the ring was sold but not marked sold when I inquired, vendor offered to make another one the same price) beggars can't be choosers. There was some back and forth on modifications and I could have paid for another set of CADs but in a rush to get it on my finger, I went with the original design (instead of a change my husband thought would look good but the designer said would look busy). Late September, after about a month with no communication, I had a minor freak out over sizing. I emailed the vendor and was told it wasn't sizable so I said, "My bad, I'll live with it." (Literally, I said I'd diet to make it fit!)

Initially, I was told I'd have it before end of October so as a total newbie, I started checking my emails 15 times a day on October 15. On October 31 I got an email that the vendor attempted to resize and it was being recast which made me feel super bad for asking but also grateful for the thought that went into trying to make it work. I felt like I couldn't push for updates because I was getting a good deal but I also kind of worry that in an age of instant gratification that I might not love the ring as much as I did initially after waiting so long. I trusted her to pick the stone which I think causes me anxiety (I hate saying this knowing the designer will probably read this). I do think I'll love it; I blame a lot of my impatience on Amazon Prime.

I'm shocked to hear that I'm not the only one experiencing this, though. I assumed higher commission projects (and this is an assumption) would get a lot more hand holding. I think it also comes down to the fact that we all have different personalities and while I might appreciate check-ins like I'm expected to do in my own business, some people don't. And if the designer needs to check in with numerous people, it gives the vendor less time to make sure projects get completed on time so it makes sense to me even if it's sometimes nerve-wracking.