Im really upset and annoyed!!

[chauntelle]

I had a customer who approached me to make him some candles for his shop which i was really happy to do and firstly sent an email in response to his saying that it would be a while before i could get him a sample as they were different sizes and fragrances to what i normally do and would have to order in the oils moulds ect and then start testing,although he had seen my candles before as he met me at a craft fair. So possibly stuppidly i bought new moulds oils more labels ect and started designing and testing. He emailed me last week and i reminded him that it was in progress but to please be patient as it does take time to get a product to a sample. A couple of days a go he sent an email requesting to meet and as i've had a nightmare couple of days with work didnt get the cance to reply which was probably not a good idea. So today i log on to my emails to reply to him only to find an email saying that he has had to find another supplier as he 'hasn't even seen a wick'!! Now i could show him all the raw materials but what would that do or show him??

I replyied that he had seen the wicks that i used (@ the craft fair) and i was sorry he felt this way as i have spent out on products i wouldnt normally use, and reminded him that i wasnt prephared to give him a sample to try until i was confident it was safe to burn and burnt correctly it would have been pointless giving him a sample of another candle because that wasnt what he wanted. So now im just feeling really fed up that i stuck to my morals and now im stuck with a oil i dont use moulds that arent what i want and wish i hadnt bothered wasting all my time and money when i could have put it somewhere else

Thankyou for listening guys it makes the world seem better when i can share with you!!

[NattyCat]

Sucks. But a lesson well learnt I guess. if anyone approaches you for wholesale and wants a product you don't do - advise them that there will be a research and development charge which includes the cost of anything outside of your own normal stock - like moulds and oils.

That way, if something like this happens, you at least only lost your time, and not your money.

Sorry, I know hindsight is a wonderful thing but just chalk up to experience and move on. He might be back if his new supplier is rubbish, and then YOU can say - "no, sorry, i'm too busy for you".

[chauntelle]

Like your thinking nat, definatly wish i had that crystal ball but i felt harsh taking money before there was a product for him to sample mind you now i wish id had some of that from him upfront even if it didnt cover it all!

Like u say lesson learnt the hard way but NEVER forgotten.

[NattyCat]

yea, and at least you're halfway through testing a new product for your own range eh?

[Lorrie]

I am sorry that you had this happen to you. I had this happen to me one time and I never forgot it. I had a friend of the family want a huge order, she was doing a fundraiser. (Or so I was told) So I bought a bunch of supplies and well she never did order her stuff threw me. I was stuck with about $600 worth of supplies so now I always take at least 50% down when the order is placed and the rest is due when I complete the order. No exceptions!

[Late Night]

Well that sucks. But at least you can lay your head down at night knowing you didn't put an unsafe product on the market. Or ruin your reputation. :highfive:

[tangerine]

And I bet the other supplier's product won't be as good.

[marika]

Why Chauntelle darlin'....it's an easy fix. Make up the samples and find his competitor and sell the product to them! If he didn't honor his order, it will be an easy sell to someone who competes with him!

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade

Mari

http://everlastingimage.vstore.ca/

[ChrisR]

In a situation similar to that, I handled it much differently. When I got the scents in I met with the customer and let them smell the scents and see the new empty jars. I then poured the new jar (just for show) and let them see what the finished product would look like before I tested it. This kept them informed all along the way and they had no problem with the time I took testing as they felt involved throughout the entire process.

[mindy5140]

People like him don't understand what goes into making candles. They just think we heat the wax up, stick a wickin, pour and vioula. They don't understand the testing and even though you tell them they still don't get it unless they actually make a few and test them themselves.

I think your better off, it's a shame your out this money but maybe you could start carrying those types of candles in your line. If he wanted them somebody else might want them to.

Mindy

[sharyl55]

Chris, you have outline a great way to handle new product development with a new customer. I'm putting it in my notes.

[Tereasa]

I am very sorry this happened to you.

However.... you did let a few days go by because you said you were busy at work, etc. If a supplier doesn't answer e-mails almost immediately, it's posted about here. It works both ways.

[Kimberly]

How much time was taken for the testing of the new candle?

Is this new mold something he requested...or you suggested?

I personally would have tried to steer him in the path of my tried and true candle line, tell him that I would testthe new molds for him but in the meantime why not take the one I already have perfected.

[sockmonkey]

A couple of suggestions came to mind when I read about your situation.

In the future if you could provide specific timeframes involved in creating custom samples or custom orders it should eliminate the worry customers have about where their order is, and therefore unnecessary emails and phone calls about its status.

People who don't make candles have no idea what amount of time or testing is involved. Tell them right up front, allow x amount of days for me to receive the materials I am special ordering just for you, plus x amount of days required for testing, and pending results, delivery should be on such and such date.

Also, get orders in writing. Even if it's just a sample, which doesn't have to be free of charge. List the specifics involved. If you are required to purchase a new mold, wax, container, oils--anything used in the project list it.

If you are creating a custom item then you should be entitled to fees for your time and material. Many places charge for samples, even if they are stock items. As others have said, collecting money up front is always your best option.

Things happen for a reason, and this was just a bump in the road to help you get you going in the right direction. You've learned from it and now you'll be much better prepared in the future to deal with situations that will leave you and your customers happy.

One last thing, as a way to possibly salvage the situation, you might consider sending that man a sample to show him what he's missing out on and ask if he would consider going ahead with the order now that testing is out of the way.

[HeavenScentU]

Through experience I have learned merchants don't wait. You really didn't state your time frame this all happened, but if it was more than two weeks than he had every right to move on.

[Wick'n'Wax]

so, two weeks, to order in new stock, wait for delivery (sometimes coming from the US), create the product, test and produce a sample............. I don't think thats an acceptable timeframe at all.

I'd continue though, make the sample now, send it him and see what he says.

[sockmonkey]

I disagree that 2 weeks is too long to wait--especially, if you tell them up front that's how long it takes. She is a small, independent business owner, not a huge corporation that has vast quantities of inventory sitting in warehouses.

In retail it is not unusual to wait for months for certain merchandise to be delivered--and that is for ready made goods, not specialized, custom orders. One supplier at a particular trade show regularly takes orders for merchandise and states that the merchandise will not be in for 2 MONTHS because it gets shipped from China and has to go through Customs.

I've had to wait 2 weeks to get Yankees shipped, and you know they don't make them as they go.

When you know the delivery time up front, you can deal with it. But if you don't, then you're likely to search for alternatives, just as her customer did. The candle market is over saturated with options. If you can't deliver there will always be another person who can. The key is communication. Who knows, maybe that customer had bare shelves and needed something quickly for a big sale or something. I still wouldn't give up on him just yet.

[NattyCat]

I think wick meant "Un-acceptable"

[Wick'n'Wax]

yeah sorry, didn't type that as it was in my head lol.

I meant that two weeks isn't long enough for Chauntelle, when you take into account getting in the materials, making, test etc

thanks nat

[chauntelle]

Thankyou all for all the advise and comments and taking your time to read! I will take all of the advise on board in the hope that this wont happen again.

I would just like to say though that 2 weeks is not enough time especially to get supplies when we are having terrible postal strikes and bad post at the best of times!! And to test the candles design packaging! I often hear people moaning about members of this board who have only just started making candles and are wanting to sell well surely an untested product should be taken just as seriously, When somebody asks how long they should test a product before giving it or selling it ?? NOT TWO WEEKS ! i had new moulds, wicks (larger moulds than normal), and F.O so it was like starting from scratch! I had a 4 week deadline and kept him informed on my progress but short of letting him stand in my kitchen it was hard to let him be more involved. In future there is so much more that i realise i could do better and am in the process of making some tick lists of what to do when approached about new accounts( including your suggestions above) and a basic one for my customer to fill in with me so that we both understand the communication we are going to have the time scale and the candles ect.

Thankyou all for your help, i will let you know the outcome of my next wholesale account and hopefully will be more possitive,not that i have given up on him yet i have a fragrance that im ordering for the Autum that has cherrys and berrys funnily enough his shop is called 'cherry heaven' so maybe a tart or small candle might land on his door step soon !! Watch this space