Tailor Archive
Thread: Dream Customers
All the new tailors out there have to be reading the "nightmare customer" threads and trembling. Heck, I know I did. But obviously there are some customers who make up for it, or we all would have quit, the way most Master Dancers do, right? So let's share a little encouragement, OK? Here are a few of mine:
Guy walks into my showroom, fairly early in my career. He's got something particular in mind, but isn't quite sure what it's called, and is very picky about the colors. I take him back to the showroom, where I've got almost everything I can make (at that time) set up for viewing, and we spend a long, long time going over available options. Throughout that whole time, he remains pleasant, and despite my reassurances that I don't expect a non-tailor to know everything about clothing, he's almost embarassingly apologetic that he doesn't know exactly what he wants.
What I didn't realize, because it'd been too long since I saw the original movie and because the "I want to look like that guy in the movie" thread wasn't done yet, was that he was matching, by eye, the Rebel Command uniform from episode 4.
He then proceded to plunk down 65k in advance for four items, plus25 more of each in factory crates, for a PA that he wanted to found, so he could offer all ofthem these uniforms. When our playing schedule didn't line up just right for a couple of days, he had no complaint, and picked them up over the weekend.
I'm playing traz in the Theed cantina. One of the dancers I'm grouped with notices that I'm a Clothier, and asks if I have time to make her a couple of outfits? I say "sure." To my vast surprise, she knows the name of every item she wants. She orders six items, by name, with specific requests for colors. She asks the price up front, I quote her something like around 4300 credits.
I do warn her that one of the items she wants, I can come close to what she wants on the color, but there are other problems with it, and I don't think she's going to like it. She says thank you, try anyway, at her risk.
I hand over the items, she pays me an even 7000 credits, tells me the rest is a tip. A few minutes later, while I'm working with another customer, she shoots me a /tell that I was right and she was wrong about the one item - but she has no complaints about it.
Right after I made Master Tailor, I'm running survey missions, real quick, because I've found a perfect survey mission run and I want to get as much cash saved up as I can during what little time I have available to play that day. Unbeknownst to me, I'm still wearing my Master Tailor tag.
As I'm running from the Artisan Mission Terminal, a woman flags me down and asks if I have any time. I tell her that really, I'm cutting things close this morning. She asks politely if I can please take time out to make two copies of the same outfit, and can I make Grand Healer's Robes? She and her friend want contrasting nun outfits, her in white and the other in black with white. She also orders matching boots and gloves for one of the sets, the other goes to a Trandoshan.
When I get back to the terminal, she's still there, so I unobtrusively roll my eyes, grit my teeth, decide what the heck, and make the four items of clothing she asked for. She accepts my recommendations for minor modifications graciously (different boots, slightly different accent color on the black robe). She asks if she can pay via bank tip, and I say yes.
I hand her the suits. She bank tips me 50,000 credits for four items.
I get a tell from her a minutelater, asking if I knew that Trandoshans can't wear Grand Healer's Robes? I tell her that no, so far as I know, all female characters except wookiees are supposed to be able to. I said that I had heard there was a bug, but I hadn't heard that it affected Trandoshans, only Rodians and Bothans.I encourage her to /bug report it, and tell her that I will do so too. She says thank you, she will do that, and breathes not one word about a refund.
I get an email in my real-world email box from an in-gameneighbor, someone prominent in a local guild. I'm kind of surprised, because I know that their guild spent a lot of money power-leveling a tailor of their own.
He tells me that he's got "only" 50k to spend, and wants two outfits. He tells me that he entirely wants to trust my judgement, as he knows nothing about what looks good on a guy. He tells me that all he really needs is for it to be two kinds of outfits: one that says "I'm tough, I'm scary, and I spend a lot of time in the wilderness" and the other something dressy, but still a little tough, for when he's spending time in town. He tells me specifically that he doesn't want the same old tired all-black thing that everybody else is wearing.
I think about it for a while. I end up recommending a "snake-eater" US green beret type outfit circa 1970s, with different color camo pants for various environments. I recommend brown comfortable pants, a slightly darker brown cold weather jacket, dress shoes, and a variety of shirts. I reassure him that all of this will come to less than 30k, and when I'm done with it, I'll leave it on my vendor for him.
He is extremely grateful, tells me that yes, those are exactly the kinds of things he was hoping for. He thanks me for thinking of the multi-environment camos, something he says he would never have thought of but are perfect for his character. He also asks me if I can make one more outfit, something smugglerish. I recommend picking up a Bogartish trenchcoat (smock) in dark beige with a brown belt.
He hasn't paid me yet, but he's a neighbor, with a good reputation with other crafters, so he will, he obviously just hasn't logged on yet. He didn't know what he wanted exactly, but he was able to tell me exactly what he wanted other people to think when they saw him. And that was something that was within my abilities to do. And he was embarrassingly grateful about my prices, which are frankly middle of the road, neither high nor exceptionally low.
Good post,
I to, from all of my experiences, have not had a single complaint or problem working with any of my customers.. and whenever I suggest something slightly different <to look better>, I always do it at my risk. However, I did put a complaint department downstairs in my PA hall...so when you go down the elevator your greeting by my receptionist.. a rancor that eats shoplifters.
Oliva Skygem
Master Tailer, Scylla.
I had the ultimate l33t d00d customer - half the time in tells I couldn't understand what he was saying, and I had to ask the guys in the guild to translate some of the stuff! I wasn't particularly looking forward to receiving l33t d00d's order, thinking it'd fall along the lines of "make melook cool yet unique, something no one else hasseen before so homey will look phat" said in a mixture of obscure letters, numbers, and homeboy lingotossd in witha little izzle.
I receivedthe email order from l33t d00d, and OMG! It was the most perfect order I ever had! Apparently l33t d00d gets serious when it comes to clothes, because he had the exact names of the items he wanted, down to the location of the specific colors on that particular item's color palette. It was a dream come true, lol!
i have a few regulars that either knows exactly what they want to order when they come in, or just say "i don't care about how much it cost, i want a (forma/casual/etc) look, make me beautiful!" they also come in regularly to buy random items off my vendor.
i love those guys/gals 
My dream customers come in and say... "make me a nice outfit, I trust your judgement." This has happened a couple of times and its simply the best! Normally when they are done, they are ecstatic about the outfit and tip quite well.
My dream customer.. I have TONS of them. It's not the ones that know exactly what they want, or anything like that. It's the ones that say please and thank you and wait patiently in my ever-growing queues to be served. Bless they little souls!
Nalinya Dreamstar
Master Tailor of Valcyn
Going up the tailor tree it is very nice to see a post like this.
I cannot wait to grind my way up to the pointI can offer the customers a variety of items.
Has anyone heard if they plan to fix the invisable necklace thing?
I too, have had more postive experiences than negative. And people who send me orders for complete wardrobes with detailed colors often get many 'finishing touches' thrown in by me for free.
My first big sale came shortly after I mastered Tailor, finished putting together my large store, and was still one of the few Masters on the server. A male and female came in, followed by a small female 'slave'. The man said he was looking for clothes for his partner, as well as some items for the slave. There was some great roleplaying, and eventually the woman told her partner she would defer to his judgement on wardrobe issues. So he walked around my store (which has a ton of displays) and basically said "I'll take that,...and that...and this....and this..." and I just followed him picking up my floor models. He had the slave try them all on for his approval, and then he bought them all...about a 40k sale.
It was alot of fun. I also had a rebel order a outfit from a movie scene (which I logged off to check out) and then offer me 50k to deliver it. I felt guilty since it was only a jacket and pants, but he probably had money to burn and I appreciated the effort. Again, a roleplayer who welcomed me to his rebel base when I arrived and has since referred guildmates to me.
In general, I love my clientele. As long as they speak full words, I'm a happy camper
The vast majority of my customers have actually been fantastic... *grins*
One that stands out in particular comes in every now and then with a suit of armour, looking for something to go with it -- tops, gloves, boots, you name it! And she always has an idea of what she wants -- usually an idea I haven't thought of before. I adore the folks who give me new ideas for full outfits! They're worth their weight in gold.
Taris Destalv
Novice Tailor - Coronet, Corellia - Starsider
Member of the RSPA