The Vent and Rant Thread

[Hitch]

We received an inquiry from someone who's worked previously in Hollywood, screenwriting and the like. INSISTED that she had to speak to us, because "I'm unfamiliar with the process and I'm unwilling to proceed via email."

She then stated it again, in response to our email to her, explaining that for a variety of reasons--not the least of which is that we are a fixed-price operation, with prices that start below $200--we aren't doing phone work any longer. I even explained it to her in detail--that you cannot take a 50-minute phone call with a customer that's going to be paying you, say, $185.00, but that $185 customer never considers that--and she asserted once more that she just "couldn't" work with someone who wouldn't get on the phone with her, due to her lack of familiarity with the process. I even pointed out that even when we provided phone work, I always then had to follow-up the conversation with an email, documenting what was covered--in essence, double-work.

BUT, no...nope, she stuck with her insistence.

So, lemme understand this--your failure to do your research, to understand YOUR job as a publisher, means that I have to lose money to accommodate you? Izzat right?

FFS. These Hollyweird types, it never fails, we have to break our rules, our procedures, etc. because of course, they're SPESHUL.

Hitch

[poohbear_nc]

I'm sorry - I don't have time to read your post - could you please call me and read it to me? I'm feeling special tonight!

[badgoodDeb]

Sounds like this person may not be worth working with at all. Just say Nope?

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

I'm sorry - I don't have time to read your post - could you please call me and read it to me? I'm feeling special tonight!

MWAHAHAHAHAHA! Well done, you!

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

Sounds like this person may not be worth working with at all. Just say Nope?

I did. She actually had the unmitigated gall to write back and say, "well, if you're that busy, why don't you hire some more people?"

Right, because hiring someone to replace me, as the primary contact, the person who answers all the questions, etc. (that self-publishers NEVER bother to educate themselves on, which, BTW, is not my freaking job, I must add), is easy peasy and cheap. (sigh).

She clearly thinks that it's like hiring fast-food workers; yup, those book layout designers and eBook coders, they're a dime-a-dozen, especially with the phone skills needed to deal with the likes of her.

I mean...Bejaysus. Sure, I could do that--and then we'd need to, at a minimum, double our prices. But, bygod, SHE could get a phone call.

The hubris and self-centeredness is really breathtaking. And, we have the "no calls" thing, dead-nuts-center in a popup, on the website--so why the hell did she insist in the first freaking place? When she'd clearly already seen it, because she just had to insist?

(According to her CV--not making this up--she spent FIVE YEARS working on a single book. For someone else, mind you, not her own book.

We have 100+ books in production at any given moment. I can tell without going one minute deeper that this would have turned into a nightmare. Oil and water.)

Hitch

[Deskisamess]

It's amazing to me when other people see their time as valuable, but have no clue about other's time.

I sold on eBay back in the late 90's early 2000's. I think the item sold in this example was a book, or maybe a bundle of paperbacks. The person who bought them lives in a town about 20-25 minutes east of me. I don't go there on a regular basis, it's not near anything for us.

She wanted me to drive there and meet her in a parking lot, so she could save shipping cost, which was not high, maybe $5 for "book rate." When I said I wouldn't do that, but would meet her near my home, she said she didn't have time to drive 50 minutes total. She didn't seem to understand that was what she was expecting me to do. Even when I pointed it out to her.

She did eventually pay me, and I shipped her the book.

As an aside...this reminded me of an early sale, long before PayPal. Buyer paid me promptly with a mailed money order, but she didn't give me her shipping address. When I emailed her about it, her answer was she didn't give her address to people she didn't know. Several emails went back and forth before she finally understood that I couldn't ship her purchase if I didn't have her address.

[Thasaidon]

Originally Posted by Hitch

[

Right, because hiring someone to replace me, as the primary contact, the person who answers all the questions, etc. (that self-publishers NEVER bother to educate themselves on, which, BTW, is not my freaking job, I must add), is easy peasy and cheap. (sigh).

Hitch

You could change your pop up to read "Calls a charged at $2.50 per minute" and really bill them. I would also tell them this as soon as you pick up the phone.

You may see their attitude change rapidly.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Thasaidon

You could change your pop up to read "Calls a charged at $2.50 per minute" and really bill them. I would also tell them this as soon as you pick up the phone.

You may see their attitude change rapidly.

I've very strongly considered that. It sort of seems that there isn't any good, simple, polite way to say "there's an obligation that goes with being a self-publisher, in which YOU are meant to educate yourself, rather than expecting the service provider to do all the educating." It's as though they don't understand that me being able to yak with them without worrying about time, etc. would be a luxury--for me. Not them.

Ugh.

Hitch

[CRussel]

Make your phone hand holding number a 900 number.

[Thasaidon]

Originally Posted by Hitch

I've very strongly considered that. It sort of seems that there isn't any good, simple, polite way to say "there's an obligation that goes with being a self-publisher, in which YOU are meant to educate yourself, rather than expecting the service provider to do all the educating." It's as though they don't understand that me being able to yak with them without worrying about time, etc. would be a luxury--for me. Not them.

Ugh.

Hitch

Then I suggest you give it a try. What have you got to lose?

Lawyers charge for their time when you call them and I am sure you deserve it far more than most of them.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Make your phone hand holding number a 900 number.

I absolutely laughed my ass off at this one and I appreciate it. :-)

Originally Posted by Thasaidon

Then I suggest you give it a try. What have you got to lose?

Lawyers charge for their time when you call them and I am sure you deserve it far more than most of them.

Yes, you're right. I considered a "call me" sort of app/website thing. I even have it all ready. I just...urgh. I cannot tell you how peaceful, relatively, the past 19 months have been since we gave up zee phone!

Hitch

[badgoodDeb]

I think you might NEED a 900 or other pay phone number, to actually GET the fees out of some entitled people. Otherwise you have to keep billing them till they cough it up....

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

I think you might NEED a 900 or other pay phone number, to actually GET the fees out of some entitled people. Otherwise you have to keep billing them till they cough it up....

Oh, trust me, we've been stiffed here and there. It's actually a lot of extra work for us to watermark and protect everything, (then remove it all later) to ensure payment. And it never fails, 80% of them never bother to read the Terms & Conditions, or remotely review the Editing Fees Policy (which means $$$ above and beyond the contract) so they act like I'm pulling their tongues out with forceps, when they get an invoice for hundreds because they've requested hundreds of edits. (sigh).

It really continuously boggles me that so many people have such little regard for the time of others, billable or otherwise. I can't believe I've gotten to this age and am still surprised by this.

Hitch

[Rumpelteazer]

There's a cat in our yard (not one of our cats). It can't get out. Our yard is closed in on three sides by houses and on the fourth side is a wall 1.5 storey high. Every once in a while a cat gets in the yard, most climb out using the wall by themselves (wall is made up out of brick and old plaster). When a cat doesn't climb out they do so when we enter the yard.

But not this cat. The problem is that the yard is completely overgrown with creeping vines (which have tiny thorns) and stinging nettles. There are also various piles of rotting wood (wood my father my father saved "because you never know when you need some") and other crap. Which is overgrown and you can't see where you walk. Plus the plants and crap provide a lot of hiding spots for scared cats.

I tried getting to the cat, got halfway into the yard but the cat hid and I couldn't get to her/him. I had to give up. The cat is still there, meowing occasionally. If she/he is still there tomorrow we'll probably leave the door to the yard open and see if the cat will come inside by itself. If that happens hopefully we'll catch it and release it outside from the front door. But I do hope the cat will figure out that it can climb the wall easily.

Meanwhile, the stinging nettles got me good. Luckily I bought and After Bite pen yesterday to take with me on vacation. I've also taken a shower and washed my hair twice to be sure to get all the spiderwebs out.

[poohbear_nc]

Thank you for making the effort to rescue the cat!

*pat on the back*

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Yes, you're right. I considered a "call me" sort of app/website thing. I even have it all ready. I just...urgh. I cannot tell you how peaceful, relatively, the past 19 months have been since we gave up zee phone!

Hitch

That's the problem, of course. Even if you know you'll get paid for the time, it's not likely to improve either your quality of life or your customer's satisfaction.