Way to excited customer.

[knight_toolworks]

I get these guys who are all worked up about making their product (speaker enclosures) http://edgeenclosures.com/index.html
they say they are going to grow like crazy and have a ton of work for me. They of course want a really low price. they are talking foam sheets that I think are like hdu so they can be cut fast.
They want me to sign a NDA too.
well OK they don't have anything drawn out but the guy is an engineer and can draw it. ok this is last week a week ago I think. I get calls every day how they are going to send me drawings but have not done so Maybe they can send me hand drawings and I can draw it out for a fee and how much would it be?. then I get a call monday they want these rings nested inside each other and a bunch of 2.5" circles cut out of sintra. well they then can't manage to say what they want in a email and tell me over the phone. it's not hard to do but I want confirmation. well they were going to come see what I had yesterday and order the sintra to be delivered they would also bring a check. well no show and today they want me to buy the sintra and get it delivered (only two sheets) and cut it. but I have not gotten any money I have not signed for anything and they have not approved my sample pieces.
Plus they thought they would get these parts cut (several hundred per sheet) for the low piece of bigger rectangles cut out of foam. we are talking they wanted the foam cut for around 20 a sheet. but the sintra will take about 2.5 hours to cut so will cost 150 a sheet and a bit for every two sheets.
This thing is getting smaller and smaller every day. They also wanted me to store 10 sheets of this 220.00 a sheet foam in my shop and were asking about insurance.
I really need them to aprove the part and pay for materials. it's not much but the way this this is going with the constant change of plans and now me buying material is making me uncomfortable.

[john_l]

I know I hate it. But sometimes I have to fire a customer around here.

[dlcw]

Steve,

Time for them to &#$*( or get off the pot and let you move on.

[cnc_works]

It is plain and simple. Material and 50% deposit up front, final payment on pick-up. If that is clearly understood and agreed on, then negotiations on extra services can go on.

That being said, I agree that occasionally it is best just to indicate lack of interest unless CONCRETE progress happens. Remember, you are also training them as to further behaviors in their relationship with you and it sounds like they may need more training then you want to provide.

[benchmark]

Steve,

That opening statement "they say they are going to grow like crazy and have a ton of work for me" that sounds like the kiss of death to me.
The way they are performing now is exactly how the will perform when it comes to paying.

We all need customers, but there comes a time when you have to say No.

Best wishes

Paul

[knight_toolworks]

I am always Leary when I hear such. But I wonder how they have done anything without having Anything drawn up? They are engineers but everything is in their heads?
I am flexible about payment but not with such actions. 90 percent of my customers bring me material so I don't usually need a deposit. If they wanted this so fast they should have ordered the material Monday when they said they would.

[thewoodcrafter]

I don't do ANYTHING without some sort of a deposit.
It is not a job till some money changes hands.
Without that they have nothing invested and you do.
That can bite you.

[bleeth]

They are fast talking con artists. Politely make them pay up front for material deposit. Nothing leaves the shop without 100% payment. Watch them run.

[coach]

Everybody wants a price for 200 trillion parts per month. Then they order 5 parts to get started and you never see them again.

I got hooked up with a management company that ran 83 apartment complex's here in Fl. I thought it was the goose that laid the golden egg......So I let them do net 30 with no deposit.....I am now owed about 8,000.00 since September of 09. I have to turn them away now. They keep trying to get cabinets from me.

Don't do what I did.

[curtiss]

A little time on there "under construction web site" might tell you something.

.........Edge enclosures inc. was founded in 2010’. Our story actually started long before our companies official start. The company started with one man's dream to revolutionize an industry more than a decade ago! A team of engineers was assembled to bring more than 20 years of knowledge and experience.....

.........Our engineers looked at the problems with existing Audio Enclosures, and found new ways to tackle key issues like; weight, durability, convenience, and value. After several years of R&D, our company has developed an incredible line of products just now becoming available to the market place.
　

Sounds like they want YOU to provide everything for their TEAM...