Difficult Customer

[Sherry]

I had a difficult event Friday night.  It would have been the kind I like, if the one that hired us wasn't so pushy.  It was a large Christmas party for a bank card company.  They had us out there for 3 hours with a line the whole night.  I brought my fastest Christmasy designs and I'd say I was painting approximately 2 faces every 5 minutes.  I guess it wasn't fast enough, because half way through, she walks by and says, "Paint faster!"  Even a parent that was standing by was incredulous.  She said, "Paint faster? You are painting fast, how fast does she expect you to paint."

Since the line was so long, I marked off hands and shut down the line with about 40 minutes or so to go and then 2 more times, went back down the line to repeat that the line was closed.  At the end, there was a parent arguing and getting mad, saying they'd been in line for an hour and hadn't been told the line was closed.  I went back to painting and eventually the lady that had hired me, came and started arguing about it and telling me what I should and shouldn't have done.

I thought, "well, they won't be having me back out here next year." and I also thought, "but, do I really want them too?"  I could use the money, sure, but the lady left me with a really bad feeling and kind of unappreciated.

Thankfully, my event the next day was the opposite experience.

[Kristal]

Shoot, really?! What does she expect? (I'm assuming you'd told her ahead of time how many you can do/hour? It also sounds like you had another painter (painters) working with you...you're fast, but not a superhero!) I hope the next person she hires just lines the kids up and brings a paint roller...

Do you have an "I'm the last in line" sign? SO GOOD. That paired with telling the last person in line to tell everyone else they're the last helps nix that arguing.

I'm sorry you had to deal with that! Now that it's been a couple of days, how do you feel about it? I have to admit I'm curious about what she told you about what you should/n't have done?

I know how you feel though...money is nice, but won't be sorry to not see them again!

[Sherry]

I feel better about it now, that I've got some time between the incident.  It stuck with me the next morning and day until I got to my next event.

I have in my contract that I can paint approximately 12 faces per hour, so I believe she was aware that she was expecting a bit much.  I did tell her that I could bring my quicker designs.  I can't remember exactly what she was saying when she came to argue with me, but was telling me that the lady was saying she'd been waiting and no one said the line was closed.  The father who was supposed to be last in line was in fact arguing my point with me, because the lady who hired me, didn't act like she believed what I was saying, so he kept piping up that I had told people several times that the line was closed.

While she was asking me to stay to paint these extra people, I said I was only being paid to paint til 8.  She said everyone else stays.  She said they ALWAYS stay.    I thought that was weird.  I ended up calling the guy who did the event last year.  I was curious if he'd had the same experience.  He acted like to me that he didn't have any problems and that he was just really fast.  But, when I asked him if he stayed later, he said no, that he never stays past the time he's hired.

The lady who hired me also told me that I should have had the guy who was last in line tell people behind him that the line was closed and then she told HIM that he should have been telling people behind him.  I tried to tell her that you can ask customers to tell people behind them that the line was closed, but I've not had luck with people following through on that.  I couldn't get that out though, because she only overtalked me.  It looks like I need to get a sign, but do people really like wearing that thing? 

After she left, the father waiting thanked me after I finished up with his daughter and told me I had a great spirit.  That did lift me up a bit.

[Kristal]

So...why didn't they hire last year's fp again? Since he was so fast and all.

Most people HATE wearing it. But rules are rules, and I make some rules up! If they don't want to wear it, they still have to hold it so people can see it, and tell  them the line is over. I've heard of some people telling them that if they make sure to tell everyone they're the last, they'll get a surprise/an extra special fp or something.

I do a combo of a wearable sign, and giving out 'gold' coins to the 'guaranteed' people, which they have to redeem when they get painted. It's easy to sneak at the end of a verbal ended line, but harder if there's a sign, and pretty much impossible if they have to 'pay' with a voucher that everyone else has. I've had someone claim they'd been waiting for 45 minutes, but when I'd closed the line and handed everything out, they weren't there, and I called BS. How can they argue with that?

I hope you only stayed till 8! Did you call the other guy when you were there, or the day after? A contract's a contract; that's why we do them.

She just sounds like trouble, and I doubt that anything you could have said to her would have gotten through. The good thing is, it's over!

[Sherry]

I called the other face painter the day after.  I had seen pictures lining the hallway with painted faces that looked like his designs, so I had a hunch he had the event in the past.  Eventually I'm going to get this line thing down! 

[Psalmbook]

Sorry to hear you're dealing with this:-(
 I have in my contract that I have to leave at the time designated(I was on time for their event & I need to be on time for the next event, get my baby sitter home at a reasonable time, etc.). I also have in my contract what my rates will be if they want me to stay after the designated time. This scares most clients into cutting my line on time & making sure I'm out the door. It also says in my contract that they are paying for my time, not my services(I had to do this after a party that no one showed up to till 20 minutes before I had to leave).

[kristinprince11]

You know what, don't mind that customer.. guess there are plenty others that are much nicer and much better than this customer...