People amaze me

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edicehouse

edicehouse

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Jun 8, 2011
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Suffolk, VA
One of the guys here at work has a pen his wife got for him. (It wasn't one of mine). It's a creekline with a case and a business card slot. Well his pen came up missing. One of the people that work for him stated "You should give him one of your pens for it" I said well you should give me the money to give him one, or give him the money to get a replacement. There used to be a guy when someone retired he always volunteered me (attempted to) make a pen for the person leaving. The third time he said that I went to Woodcraft and got the stuff for a pen, and some CA and Micromesh and gave him the receipt told him to pay half and I will pay the other half, and donate my time. He paid, but never volunteered again, and I needed new carbide bits!!!

What is the best way to avoid that situation?
 
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I hate to say this..

but he probably told everyone that he had to pay you to make the pen.

People who have no respect for other people are always free and easy to obligate others and to take credit for things others have done.

Work, business, politics; it all the same. You can always spot those that don't respect others by actions like you described.

I think you ended the situation adequately.
 
If it's someone I like or respect and they are leaving I offer to do it at cost and I will donate my time. Works sometimes and not others. When it doesn't its because the individual asking has no understanding of hand made value. I usually send then online to a site and they can buy from them in those cases.
 
I notice that when people know you made something, they often get the idea that it was somehow free for you. I'd like a glimpse into their minds to see how they think this must work. Do pen makers all have exotic hardwood forests in their backyards, and mines where perfectly formed pen hardware can be scooped off of the ground in their basements? Or perhaps they imagine we just excrete high-end writing instruments. :rolleyes:

I wonder how far this attitude extends, also. "Hey, Dave, did you hear that Ron's car got stolen? You're a mechanic, you should just give him a new car."

I suppose your coworker was at least being thoughtful of the fellow who lost his pen. Whether he thought his plan through or not, at least his intentions were good, and good will is often in short supply today. If you ever develop that Endless Bag o' Free Pens that he thinks you have, he should be one of the first recipients! :biggrin:
 
Another way to look at it: If you tell people at work how much you enjoy making pens, they may think you are looking for an excuse to make more!

I have always had an advantage, I told people I really like making pens and selling them at the shows!! NOW, they realize my motivation is SELLING, not making.

Just another thought!
Ed
 
Years ago when I was retired and bought a new pickup truck there was a never ending number of ladies from our church who wanted me to be their furniture and freight mover. One day one of them asked me to pickup a bed, frame and mattress for her. I agreed if we got to set it up and try it out. After explaining trying it out with her would be all the payment I would accept she decided to have someone else move it for her. The little busy body must have told all the other ladies in church what I said and must have expected as payment. From that day on I have not had a single person ask me to be their mover. I do thank goodness she did not call by bluff. I would have moved the bed and had a very sudden backache at the time.
 
Boy I can relate to this also. I not only do pens but do alot of other woodworking and clock making and constantly have people wanting me to help them do moldings in their house, build them tables and clocks and whatnot. I always tell them I am too busy. Sometimes I agree but tell them what I charge and they usually say they will think about it. Never hear from them again. I like to call the shots. I do not need people volunteering me for work.

One other thing, be careful giving someone a break on work you did for them because everyone will expect it. And their brothers and friends:smile:
 
I think that in these type of situations, the people just have no clue what it takes to accomplish what they're asking for. It's not usually greed or rudeness.

I try to help my friends with minor home improvement and repair. I hate to see people spend the money to hire someone for something I could help them do in an hour. However sometimes they are just not in touch with reality. A couple years ago a friend said "Can you come over to my house and remodel my bathroom?" I went over to take a look and told him it was a big job and was beyond the time commitment I could make. He said, "don't we just go to Home Depot and get some stuff and put it in?" I replied that yes, it was just like his job as a locomotive engineer. Just hop up on the engine, put it in "D", and away you go.
 
The people at work knew I did woodworking. So every now and then someone would come up to me and ask if I could build this or that for them. I would always say, yes I can, Do you have a picture or sketch and how and of what wood do you want it built out of. The one guy wanted a set of bunk bed made out of solid cherry. I figured about $250.00 in materials, and since I worked with him, I would build it the way he wanted it for $400.00 Total. He was shocked at the price !! Said he could go down to Discount Joe's and buy a set for $89.00 including the mattresses. I said that's the place you should go. From then on I told people that I only build things for myself or family. Most people don't know good from bad, much less fine, they only look at price, not qualty. I make things all the time and give them away at no cost, but it is not asked of me to do so, it is something or someone I care about enough to share the little talent and knowledge I have. If you feel that you are being taken advantage of, don't do it. Respectfully decline for whatever reason you can come up with, or there will be a line forming for cheap or free work. Jim S
 
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Walmart and the big boxes sell a lot of...

disposable furniture. As a result of their prices, people have come to expect low quality and live with it.

On the other hand, their are a lot of people working the in the trades that would do the world a favor by going on unemployment. I lived in Phoenix during the building boom and was shocked at what I saw as common place in very expensive homes. Expensive trash.

People seem to waste money on really exspensive items; thier homes, cars and retirement plans. And they do not see the value difference between $15 pen and a high quality pen.
 
WAIT till your little brother offers you to do work for nothing just because you have the equipment to do the job.

I did it.........the told him never to offer my services again cause if he does, he will get the bill. He then took my spare air compressor and did some work which he got paid for (and got paid well). When I told him what rent was for the equipment, he told me to "F___ Off" ..... SO, I removed the equipment from where he could use it.

People may amaze you but family has a way of breaking you.
 
You might USE this as an opportunity to market yourself.
Make ONE pen when asked and give it to the recipient as a gift but leave
a price tag on it and make them and all the astonished onlookers aware
that you are making this ONE pen as a gift because you want to but that your pens are not free.
 
:eek: :frown: A friend of my wife, who lives on our circle, had a very bad year. She lost her husband to cancer, fell and injured her shoulder requireing surgury, and went to the hospital with chest pains that required stints. As she is recovering, she gets a staff infection and is down for another 3 weeks. I have gone over and blown out her driveway, and freeded her car from the deep snowbank as she was being brought home from the hosptal. Last week I made a pen for her out of Pink Ivory and added a Red Hat clip, as belongs to that club. I put it in a nice case and gave it to her at the rehab center where my wife and I work out, and she was doing heart rehab. She looke at it, said it was very nice and liked the Red Hat clip. Than she handed it back to me and asked me to have it ingraved so she could remember who gave it to her. I told her I never ingrave pens, but I would print up a nice card that would fit in the top of the pen case with all the information on it for her. That wasn't good enough for her, she wanted it ingraved "even if I just scratched it into the wood someplace". I felt very bad that the gift was not good enough for her. It may be a while until she gets it back, and I promise it won't be ingraved. Jim S
 
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Tell them money talks.....BS walks. I give them away when I want to. I have made several at cost for my daughter to give as gifts (she had little income) It was because I wanted to. In the end, it's my business/hobby and I run it the way I want to.
 
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