I went here looking for small plates for a clients custom order. I told them I was quoted a price on the phone for $4-6. We chose the plate the font and I was told they would take one day. Great! I told him I wouldn't be able to pick them up for three days so he had more time. When I came to pick them up he said they didn't have them. They didn't have enough so he was ordering more. He showed me how he was looking at the backs of the brass plates which were silver. I asked if he had others and he said "I wonder if I can engrave the back of these, if the letters will show enough"He tried one and it looked fine so I said ok. When I came back to pick them up he showed me one and it had white blotchy smudges all over it. I asked about it and he said his fingers were wet and it must have some sort of film on it. He took it back to clean up. I heard him talking to one of his workers about how alcohol didn't clean it off and how they could try to scuff it off with a scratch pad.
I should have walked away right then but felt bad and really needed the tags as they were already a week late. I asked if I could try clear coating them and he and his worker said oh I think they'll be real nice. I asked for a sample piece to try as I was not sure if it would hold the clear coat and he gave me
the one he had tried earlier. I said they looked ok and if they didn't work I would let him know.
When I showed them to my person to clear coat they told me it wouldn't hold because of the film on them and now the white blotchy film was back on plates. I called mile high engraving and told mike
the plates were looking bad again and couldn't be clear coated and were going to need to be done again. At first he was all helpful and going to send me different plate looks. I said I didn't need a different plate just the ones he said he was going to use originally but on the correct side with the protective film I just needed mine replaced as I consider them defective. Then mike was no longer nice. He said no, he wouldn't replace them, I had approved them and said they looked fine.
I tried explaining that They did look fine at the store, but now we're blotchy again. He said that's not his problem and accused me of trying to take advantage of the situation. He said I came in not knowing what I wanted. Well that's right, I was looking for a silver plate. I was expecting him to know what product he was selling. I expected him to back up product when it was his suggestion to engrave the back instead of the front which he had explained had a special coating to protect it. I was never told that i shouldn't do it. I was made to feel it would be fine and they just needed to clean it up. Mike should have known he could not engrave on the back side of his plates. It does not work. They are NOT designed for it and have some kind of coating that discolors when touched and cleaned!
I tried talking this out to come to a resolution and compromise on replacement cost. as I tried to take responsibility for not simply turning them down. But he refused to take responsibility for suggesting engraving the BACK of the plate.
I was insulted again and told no matter what I said he would never replace them and and it was not his problem that now I am out $72! So now I have to go through the whole process again with another engraver, because I can NOT use these blotchy plates on my product and pass this problem on to MY customer!
Being a business owner myself I know the importance of knowing and backing up my product. Sometimes thing don't go as you hope, but it is important that my customers know if
I SUGGEST
something that does not work I will take responsibility for the error and fix it, without trying to lay blame on them for their ignorance of MY product/services.
So all said and done, 12- 1"x3" aluminum plates with one day engraving service of one word on each plate took three trips, cost $72 and are worthless! With one very upset, taken advantage of customer no more.
In response to owners comments, the only reason I was going to try a coating was because when you engraved the sample on the BACK I was not aware that any moisture touching it would cause a white blotchy film to show, you didn't know this either as you were surprised when you saw it.
I know you cleaned them up and they looked fine,
But the white film came back. Any time any water touched them the white blotches came back. So I cleaned them again but any more "cleaning" with the scratch pad , which is the only thing that will remove the white blotches, will damage the engraving so I asked my finisher to coat them with a clear coat.
Like I said before. I only wanted to get them redone on the proper side, the side with the protective coating already there. I did not think I was asking too much. I would not have had any issue if they would have been engraved on the correct side to begin with. You didn't even give me a chance. You just blew up and started insulting me. read more
