Forest Cobbler Posted March 12, 2014 Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 Does anyone else get asked to engrave a person's date of birth, rather than the date of the actual birthday? Time and again that's what we're asked to do, and we've given up suggesting that perhaps we should be using this year's date, seeing as the present is to celebrate the birthday not the birth. I've just put 1974 on the back of an ID bracelet for a guy's 30th birthday for heaven's sake, and I'm beginning to wonder if it's just a regional oddity, or if it's country wide. I know the customer is always right, but it just seems an odd thing to do. Thanks, Valerie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forest Cobbler Posted March 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 I meant 40th birthday of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hakeemz Posted March 12, 2014 Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 nope must be a regional thing not that i understand whats being said here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forest Cobbler Posted March 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 What I'm saying is why engrave 14.3.1974 on a guy's birthday present, rather than 14.3.2014? You're celebrating his 40th birthday, not his birth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hibsjo(SCO) Posted March 12, 2014 Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 we put dob on it when its for 18/ 21/30/40/50 and so on i think its a generation thing carry on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenB Posted March 12, 2014 Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 It's not a regional thing - at least if it is we suffer from it too. I still try & persuade people that the date of the 30th / 40th / 50th etc birthday is much more relevant than the date of birth - and always use the line that when someone is looking at it in 30 years time, they will assume the date and event are the same, so have the correct date on it, and leave date of birth for babies. Mostly we manage to talk them round this way, but not always. Just goes to show the customer is most definitely not always right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hibsjo(SCO) Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 customer is always right if they want DOB on it for that particular occassion why talk them out of it?(its not about what you want/believe) carry on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenB Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 customer is always right Bollocks. It's our role as experienced professional engravers to use our knowledge & experience to advise the customer in order to ensure they get the best possible job. In my opinion, this means there are very few situations where on a gift being given to an adult, their DOB is the appropriate date to engrave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gray Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 I concur, What's the point of putting DOB on. I always try to steer them away from this........... and then you get those ones who haven't a clue what they want....they want something but haven't even thought what they want engraving on it before they come in to your shop and then waste endless minutes scribbling stuff down on my paper wasting my ink, crossing out this crossing out that then they get on there mobile phones to see how to spell Justin ..... erm............To Justin....He's 60 ...Then comes the question.."................What would you put"....I don't fekin know Justin.....Work it out for yourselves for christs sake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hibsjo(SCO) Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 Exactly what do you know? i get a customer coming in telling me what they want engraved on an item i engrave it. the question was asked is it a regional thing and the answer is no a lot of people ask for this as this is the way its been done for ages who am i to disparage their ideas. so again its back to not what you think should be on it as "Whatever hes calling himself this week"(TOOL) says he doesnt know justin! ffs what makes sense to one person makes no sense to the other(you should be grateful that your customer knows what they are asking for) carry on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gray Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 Exactly (you should be grateful that your customer knows what they are asking for)carry on! Vast majority don't though... Would you engrave anything the customer asked for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hibsjo(SCO) Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 have done thats what im there for even spell things "incorectly" if thats the way they want it carry on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gray Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 So if things are spelt incorrectly you offer no advice and just engrave it as they say? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hibsjo(SCO) Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 if i have engraving instructions given to me face to face i can talk over the instructions at that point but online i can have over 100 items being engraved and it is down to the customer to spell everything correctly as we cannot phone/email everyone individually to check if its right or wrong! carry on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gray Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 So if someone wants a tankard engraving with.... The bloke that engraved this tankard is a disagreeable twat.. His name is Joe from(edited by mod) From (edited by mod). You would do it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gray Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 if i have engraving instructions given to me face to face i can talk over the instructions at that point but online i can have over 100 items being engraved and it is down to the customer to spell everything correctly as we cannot phone/email everyone individually to check if its right or wrong!carry on! Yes you could, It's called customer care. They may not be as literate as you or I, well maybe not you but you should help them. So many times I correct customers on their spelling of things, or an apostrophe in the wrong place for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forest Cobbler Posted March 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 Well I have to admit that I'm enjoying the tangent that this has gone off in When it comes to spelling, if there's a mistake then, surely, you have to contact the customer to check. There has been the odd occasion when I've been asked to deliberately misspell something as a joke, but only once or twice in 30+ years. It certainly wouldn't make me think "Oh well, if that's the way they want to spell 'Aniversery', who am I to question it?" That's just not good customer service, and it doesn't do the engraving profession as a whole any favours either. It is a treat though, when someone comes through the door knowing exactly what wording they want engraved. Better still if they've already written it out. And that is the main reason that we've stopped questioning the way they want the date written, or there's another 5 minutes wasted while they 'um' and 'ahh' about it. Not just a regional variation after all Valerie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hibsjo(SCO) Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 Gray of course i would ive engraved a lot worse. on the issue of investigating the instructions of everyone and everything written down it cannot be done. the onus has to be on the customer to spell check everything especially online. carry on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gray Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 So if someone wants a tankard engraving with.... The bloke that engraved this tankard is a disagreeable twat.. His name is Joe from(edited by mod) From (edited by mod). You would do it? Did you edit that?... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hibsjo(SCO) Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 you behave carry on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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