Why Don't They Plan Ahead?????

[jcm71]

Just got an email today from the boss's secretary of an out of state company. They wanted to order 100 30 Cal bolt action pens, deliverable by 5 June, 9 days from now. I followed up with a phone call, and explained that there was no way I could meet an order of that size in such a short time. Maybe if I had 100 bolt action sets and blanks laying around I could have.

I remember the boss buying a bolt action pen from me about a month ago, mentioning that he might want some more later as gifts. No inkling on the size of the prospective order or time frame, however.

 

[Charlie_W]

Sounds like their loss......and less stress for you!
Who knows, they may have wanted a bulk price as well.

 

[Akula]

Yuck! I would not want to do 100 of any pen unless it was over months. It's just not my style. It would get boring to me and that's the last thing I want. The money might be ok but still...pass

 

[triw51]

Ask if you can divide the order in to sections do like 20 at a time. I did something similar for a company that wanted 100 pens to give out to people who made donations.

 

[firewhatfire]

What material?

 

[Curly]

They are corporate.

Just go into your stockroom, pull the order and send it. What's the matter with you guys? :tongue:

 

[papaturner]

A couple of orders like that taught me that I am a custom pen maker not a production line. Hard to believe but you may be better off.

 

[jcm71]

To answer Phil's question, Desert Camo acrylic. Last year I did a 15 pen order (Creeklines), 5 each in Oak, Walnut, and Maple. I was sick of Creeklines after that. I like triw51's suggestion of breaking up the order.

 

[The Penguin]

Yuck! I would not want to do 100 of any pen unless it was over months. It's just not my style. It would get boring to me and that's the last thing I want. The money might be ok but still...pass

having done 2 orders of 100 pens each - you'd be surprised how fast it ends up going once you get into a production mode.

and there is quite a bit of time savings when you're doing the same thing 100 times before moving to the next step.

And the money's not bad :tongue:

 

[stonepecker]

"WHY don't they plan ahead?"

Because the world over has gotten to the McDonald's way of thinking. Place the order and by the time you pay for it........it is completed and in your hands.
Planning ahead is a lost art. Recieved a phone call that they needed 59 names added to a war memorial in my home town. This call arrived 5 days before this last Monday.
I told them I would be happy to do the work........just bring the stone to where I was at and the work would be done. Otherwise, they would have to wait till I got home.

Plan ahead? They have had these names for almost 2 months and still waited till the last minute. If they would have called a month earlier, I could have gotten the work completed. Just because they waited till the last minute doesn't make it a rush job in my book, I won't rush my work because that is when is when mistakes happen.

 

[Kenny Durrant]

A friend of mine has a sign on his refrigerator that says "Lack of Planning on Your Part Doesn't Constitute an Emergency on Mine".

 

[Ted iin Michigan]

Burlman, you did good. We can have a little fun (at their expense, of course) but let's not be too critical. The customer doesn't care (and should have no reason to care) about how a pen, or any other commodity for that matter, is made. It does go a ways toward explaining why folk go into sticker shock when they see the prices we post on our wares.

Best thing to do is be VERY polite (as you were) and let the person know it just cannot be done in such a short time frame (which you did). Offering alternatives like the potential of breaking up the order into smaller segments is excellent.

 

[KBs Pensnmore]

Back in 2011, I got an order for 110 pens all the same, Recycled ink cartridges, over here they turn them into garden edging, about an inch thick 9" wide and 3'long. These were done in slim lines, I started them in September and delivered on the 5th Dec. These were all finished in CA, as the material is porously finished. They look absolutely fantastic when done, as they have all sorts in them, white, yellow, green red and blue bits of plastic plus bits of copper, aluminum, and anything in between. I ended up being allergic to CA after that. I've done about a dozen pens since, as it took all the fun out of it.
Kryn

 

[TellicoTurning]

deleted... duplicate Kenny's post...

 

[raar25]

The only real problem I see with this is getting the materials in time to make them. Making 100 single tube pens in 5 days should not be that tough. I say take the order and pass the expediting costs on to him for the materials overnight.

 

[jcm71]

The only real problem I see with this is getting the materials in time to make them. Making 100 single tube pens in 5 days should not be that tough. I say take the order and pass the expediting costs on to him for the materials overnight.

True, except for the fact I'm selling pens this weekend. Like others have posted, I want pen making to be fun.

 

[Chromey]

I have a vendor here that has made a few requests like that. I explained to her that was fine however I would need a monthly retainer to be able to keep those quantities on hand, and I would make her the exclusive vendor of that particular design... Now she calls when she even thinks she's low, in much smaller quantities. The game changes when $ come in play.