Customers Asking for Refunds
Last week, I spent an afternoon with Kim. I “consulted” with Kim about a year and half ago. He already started being a professional photographer, so we spent a day on how to get him going. Every few month, we’d keep in touch via email, “How are you doing… fine… blah blah…”
Kim decided to do children’s birthday parties… The children spend the afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese… He takes the photos, sometimes he prints the photos, and sometimes he gives the mothers the DVD of the photos. Following my suggestions, he offers a money back guaranty.
The problem is that lately, quite a few customers have asked for their money back. So we met…
We started talking… how he was doing… what seems to be the problem… the customers are not happy, the photos are “crappy” (my word, his meaning). Head-on flash, over-exposed, part of the faces cut off, some of the photos are out of focus or the focus is on the walls or on the games, not the kids…
Kim recognizes that the quality of the photos is “missing.”
I don’t have the time. They want the photos, now…
Turns out, that he delivers the photos usually on the same day. So…
What happened to editing, processing the photos in Lightroom? Nothing, he can’t, he doesn’t have the time.
- Always keep your word, you promise money back guaranty, honor it. No question asked.
- Never, ever show the customers your “raw” photos. Never! My customers only see what I decide to show them. They only see photos in focus… the good stuff or the excellent stuff.
I got Kim to open a SmugMug Pro account to display the photos and promise (aka the contract) that the preview of the photos will be there within 48 hours. Then he can talk to the customer and show her the photos while he explains.
Have you ever seen Lady Gaga in a frumpy muumuu? She has to protect her image. Lady Gaga she doesn’t dress at home like her public persona.