Customer trying to do an end run

[PhillipM]

I have a customer, a car dealer that had storm damage to his pylon sign owned by the car manufacturer. Unknown to me he went to the national account holder and got a quote from them to repair the damage. I guess they thought it was too much so they called me. The sign damage is some custom formed acrylic panels that my face wholesaler is not able to do. Since I've been working on these signs under the national account I called my contact to see if I could get them and they said we have them in stock, but that sign belongs to the manufacturer, we have the exclusive contract for service work so you are unauthorized to do this repair. We will contact you to do the repair when the dealership accepts our terms. So I called the dealership and after explaining all this I was told, screw the national sign company, they are too high, get it done. I think when I find someone that can actually fabricate a mold and produce these two panels, they would have been better off just accepting the quote from the national company. I hate going through wasted motions.

[Erik Sine]

Sometimes there is a bitter relationship between the two because of price or more so on relationship that they might even go so far as to pay MORE to have someone else do it.

[Guest Signtiffic]

more importantly sometimes there is a copryright/trademark/exclusive contract in effect which proceeding as you mentioned Phillip could land you in hot water..... more likely the client/dealer would actually be liable, but if you knowingly assisted the client/dealer violate thier terms.... you've become guilty to.

just a friendly FYI.... I'm not saying the situation doesn't suck. I get it ... you want to please the customer, get the business, and the customer doesn't want to be held hostage on the terms of thier agreement... whether by extension of the manufacturer or not.

Edited April 29, 2010 by Signtiffic

[Brian]

Hey signtiffic is right, don't touch that sign, they will sue your hind end off. Your buddy the car dealer damn well knows that ... just shows he doesn't give a shit about you.

[PhillipM]

more importantly sometimes there is a copryright/trademark/exclusive contract in effect which proceeding as you mentioned Phillip could land you in hot water..... more likely the client/dealer would actually be liable, but if you knowingly assisted the client/dealer violate thier terms.... you've become guilty to.

just a friendly FYI.... I'm not saying the situation doesn't suck. I get it ... you want to please the customer, get the business, and the customer doesn't want to be held hostage on the terms of thier agreement... whether by extension of the manufacturer or not.

The dealer is owned by the conglomerate Asbury Automotive and I have had a positive relationship with this dealership and others owned by the same group for over ten years. I have monthly lighting contracts with these dealers to keep all their lighting maintained. That monthly check is a nice thing to have. All I do is drop by on slack days and service parking lot lights and office lighting. I don't know how many rolls of banner material I have gone through over the years with these guys. I even wash and repaint their buildings and install the idiotic inflatables.

The national sign company is also a good customer that I do work with for accounts other than this group of dealerships.

Originally the car dealer told me a partial truth, that the people who manufactured and maintained the sign went bankrupt. That was imagepoint, so that much is true. He did not tell me the account was picked up and they had a quote, else I'd have not phoned them. I'm a little ticked that the dealer acted like a... well a car salesman, lol!

If I knew what the quote was, I'd just go 1.5x or 2x to make this go away! Right now I'm screwed! Ha! I know I'll call the BBB (jk). The car dealer and I shared a table at their integrity awards a few years ago.