Customer's Bill of Rights

[GrimwoodCT]

A while back I wrote the Tradeskiller's Declaration of Independence just for laughs. It was a serio-comic definition of what tradeskillers deserve and a jab at insensitive and clueless customers.I was pleased when so many others chimed in with great additions and even more pleased when it was stickied in this forum. As a companion piece I thought "What should a customer demand when utilizing the services of a tradeskiller?"

Thus...

The Customer's Bill of Rights

As a paying customer when I contact a tradeskiller I deserve:

1) A fair price when all things are considered like material availability, average bazaar price, trivial, etc.
2) An honest estimation of your skills and the rough estimation of your fail rate if I am providing the materials.
3) To be grouped with you and in the same zone so as to see the success/fail emote.
4) Prompt service or, if not prompt due to other responsibilities, an accurate estimation of when service will be available.
5) Basic respect even if it is just a "thank you" for payment.
6) Answers to my questions or, if not direct answers, a point in the right direction to here on EQTC.com.

[Liwsa]

6) Answers to my questions or, if not direct answers, a point in the right direction to here on EQTC.com.

Are you paying for answers?? If not then why are you entitled to them? Do what most other folks did LOOK IT UP for yourself.

[GrimwoodCT]

Are you paying for answers?? If not then why are you entitled to them? Do what most other folks did LOOK IT UP for yourself.

Mnay players, even experienced players, have never used EQTC. If I were not knowledgeable in the ways of tradeskills I would hope that someone would take the time to at least set me on the path to wisdom.

An informed customer is a happy customer. A happy customer is a repeat customer. Plant the seed then harvest the fruit.

[rolfus]

Happy Customers

...

An informed customer is a happy customer. A happy customer is a repeat customer. Plant the seed then harvest the fruit.

This is so true. Everyone should consider this when you're selling your wares!

I have guildies who didn't understand what it took to make Gate potions. After pointing them here and them seeing the details, they will now bring the components with them when they want me to make some. They still pay me more than I would expect for doing it (I don't charge profit from Guildies but they often tip) and I don't have to run buy the stuff to make a stack of potions for them. They probably pay as much or more since their tip is usually more than the 20 potions cost I would charge plus the tip they would add on, but the appreciate my willingness to combine anything for them as needed!

Of course, good customers are often hard to come buy. I may be lucky, but I've had several, some non guildies (10P per potions for the cheapest throwable potions to the tune of like 1000 potions... or was it 1500?

Just remember that mistreating someone will often bite you in the butt at a later point. The guy above was a cleric and if I had been nasty about it, he wouldn't do drive by rezes if he sees me with a corpse in the Guild Lobby....

Good luck!
Mac

[Kcalehc]

An informed customer is a happy customer. A happy customer is a repeat customer. Plant the seed then harvest the fruit.

Or what you mean is Give them the seed, let them plant it and harvest their own fruit, when they realise that actually, some of this stuff they can make themselves.

Yeah ok, thats a little OTT, but don't be too informing. I don't want my customers to realise that what they are paying me to make, they could reasonably skill up themselves and make for less money (in some circumstances). I'm not cheating them at all, but if you had the materials and time would you not build your own car, rather than buy one for 10x the price..?

[Catweazel]

...but if you had the materials and time would you not build your own car, rather than buy one for 10x the price..?

no, never, and that seems so far from reality I was compelled to respond

[Rinikku]

I agree with cat. I have maxed alchemy but I still occasionally buy sow potions from other people because I'm too lazy to log back to shammy... takes me forever to zone/change characters. Now if someone is charging way too much, that's when I log her on. But sometimes it's just more convinent to buy from someone else.

[AB-girlie]

7) a "im sorry for your loss" ,when you have just failed some pretty expensive combine. next time i will try not to fail !!

it have worked for me,to say sorry before the customer goes "Aaaaaargh". often make them calm down a bit and realize that **** happens )

[GrimwoodCT]

Or what you mean is Give them the seed, let them plant it and harvest their own fruit, when they realise that actually, some of this stuff they can make themselves.

Yeah ok, thats a little OTT, but don't be too informing. I don't want my customers to realise that what they are paying me to make, they could reasonably skill up themselves and make for less money (in some circumstances). I'm not cheating them at all, but if you had the materials and time would you not build your own car, rather than buy one for 10x the price..?

I own an ice cream shop. We make some of the best ice cream in the entire state. On Saturdays and Sundays its a 40 minute wait in line just to place an order. We don't skimp on product or portions, 99% of the folks are happy. 1% of the time someone that wants to complain jsut for the sake of it will complain about a price.

"$2.50 for a large cone? That is terrible! If I had a shop my prices would be better than that."

I generally cast them a withering smile and recite my nearly memorized speech.

"How many years have you been in the restaurant industry sir?"

Usually the answer is "none".

"I have been doing this job for 23 years so I will give you some insight That $2.50 cone will net me about 67 cents profit so if you want to go into business and beat my prices my advice is: go out and buy two top line machines at $22k/machine, build a $100k building on a $50k lot buy the freezers, the refrigerators, let Dep't of Agriculture inspect you up and down, research all the best suppliers, scour the area for qualified help, pray for good weather and open up your shop. Bust your butt for 23 years, hope a chain store does not open up down the street, forgo vacations, holidays, any semblance of a normal life, pray that sugar/milk/butter/gas do not go up too much then you can sell me your cone at whatever price you feel is fair.

Today, however, the price is $2.50. Out of $10, your change is $7.50. Let me know when your opening day is."

Yeah, some guy can complain about the price but if you tell hime the great and tragic story ofwhat it really takes to get to 300 in a skill, your prices start to seem mighty reasonable after all.

[Shadrok]

Exactly

I sell spells. I don't farm the vellum/parchment, just buy it in the bazaar. When someone complains about the prices, I point them to EQ Traders for the recipes and the bazaar for the supplies.

Some customers will try to up their research on their own, but most come back before they reach 200 skill. All that care to look realize that I am making them a deal.

[Kcalehc]

{lots of stuff about ice cream}

I'm sure the ice cream you make is great, and I wouldn't disagree at about £1.30 for a large cone, seems like a reasonable price to me. But you don't just have to put a few things in a box and click combine to make it do you? (I don't know much about ice cream creation but I've a feeling its a little more complex than just ice + cream )

However, $30(or so) online for a load of plat and a days worth of clicking and you can just about make a high enough skill in any trade to compete in the bazaar with anything. (never bought plat online myself, but I know some that have)

and although I haven't got 300 in a skill, 284 highest so far; Its hardly a tragic tale, I've made more plat from tradeskilling than I ever have from anything else (of course it all went straight back into the trades, but thats not the point).

[Bobaten]

I suspect that most the people who would try to get ahead by buying plat online would not be willing to spend "a days worth of clicking" to level a tradeskill. In fact they are probably the ones most likely to pay whatever price you ask for TS items, just for convenience sake.

[Dutchy]

8) To see your tradeskill title above your head to prove your skill
9) To be allowed to inspect you before you attempt the combine so I can see if you have your geerlok/throphy equipped.

At least thats what I always do. "Title up to prove my skill, <link geerlok/throphy> equipped, feel free to inspect me if you wish"

As for

2) An honest estimation of your skills and the rough estimation of your fail rate if I am providing the materials.

I will also always let the buyer know that eventhough I have mastery AA's and throphies, it does not increase my succes rate on <item> he/she would like me to combine. (taaffeite jewelry being the only exception so far for me where they do help).
Been seeing lots of /ooc looking for 300+ skilled, 15% throphy, mastery 3 and salvage 3 combiners lately. Even saw a few people in need of 350+ skilled tradeskillers LOL.
It's sad that the help of tradeskillers that have their salvage AAs done and have a max succes chance on an item gets rejected because the average EQplayer has absolutely no clue about the succes caps.

[Kellenial]

Heh, I just saw someone looking for a 350+ skill barbarian smith the other day to make cultural. I was left scratching my head when the general channel turned into a discussion on this and someone stated they ran into one the other day (but would not say who it was).

Unless I'm mistaken, isn't the maximum one can boost the skill 15%, making a skill an effective 345?

P.S. I'm not a noob to tradeskills, but they've taken a back seat for the most part (for me) since TSS release.

[Roanne]

You are correct.

3oo is the maximum raw skill and 15% is the maximum skill modifier in game so 345 is the maximum effective skill of any smith. It would only matter for trivials greater than 345, such as in the case of elaborate cultural armor, except that elaborate armor has a hard capped success rate (around 60%) which negates the benefits of the skill modifier and mastery AAs if you have a high raw skill.