Customer wants embroidery file - What would YOU do?
This comes up on occasion, but I've never really gotten a good answer. I have a fairly long standing customer for whom I've digitized a logo and sewn quite a few garments. This customer has recently approached me to get the actual digitized file to give to another embroiderer to get some work done. We did charge them a digitizing fee when we created the design, but I guess I've always been of the mind that they were paying for a service, not the actual file itself - sort of like just because you hire a mechanic to change your oil, that doesn't entitle you to his filter wrench.
I don't want to be a jerk, but I also don't want some other shop getting a foot in the door.
Re: Customer wants embroidery file - What would YOU do?
Adjust the file with less stitches so it would seem like you do better quality... Just kidding !
If you were not clear about that you will have to give them the file.
I would make a note on my quotations that they are only paying for the service. I try to use the word setup on my quotations, that way the next time they think I forgot to charge them and feel good about it.
Re: Customer wants embroidery file - What would YOU do?
I would giv ethem the file while asking polietly why they are not using my services. Was there something that I am not doing to thier satisfaction? The only ones I have had get the files from me were due to moving or similar circumstances and they wanted to go with a local person. We also state that they are getting setup when it is digitized and if they would like the file there is an additional charge.
Re: Customer wants embroidery file - What would YOU do?
When i have a design digitized I have signed an agreement the finished product is mine to sew (sell the article) but the digitized file belongs to the digitizer.
From now on you need to have the customer sign a form agreeing to that if you don't want to give it to them.
Re: Customer wants embroidery file - What would YOU do?
Well, perhaps I should provide a bit more info. I live in a fairly small town of about 20,000 souls. To my knowledge, there are only 10 commercial embroidery heads in town, and 9 of them are in my shop. The customer is the local radio station, and I strongly suspect that the owner of the other embroidery head has worked an advertising trade deal with the radio station. The customer will still buy stuff from me, as I'm the only screen printer and purveyor of other specialty items in town.
The other embroiderer does not do their own digitizing, and (again I'm guessing) wants to save a buck by having the radio station contact me for the file.
Re: Customer wants embroidery file - What would YOU do?
Lots of good answers in the thread. I particularly like the one where you try to find out why they want the file. In my former life as a digitizer, the customer always got the file, because that is what I did for them. However, when we grew the business to do embroidery as well, we began stipulating whether the customer was paying for a fee or a service. A "set up fee" did not entitle them to a copy of the design, whereas a "service fee" did. If you have not made that stipulation, and I presume that you have not, it is difficult to refuse the customer since they likely will presume that when they paid to have the design digitized they are entitled to a copy of it.
If you have another embroiderer who is cutting in on you, your best defense is to be the better company to work with. Service is king.
Re: Customer wants embroidery file - What would YOU do?
I aways give them the file and keep it in my files. I've had more people come back and use it after 6 months because the other place didn't do the work on time or something else happened and they haven't woundered off anymore it makes me look like I care more then the other guy. But do ask why they want to go to the other shop. I have also had people take it and try home embroidery and come back because of the time it took to embrioder the item.
Re: Customer wants embroidery file - What would YOU do?
If they pay me to digitize a design, I always give it to them but only what they pay for. For instance, I digitize a design the they add text later on (that's a new design). I give them the original. It doesn't make sense to make a big deal about it. If you refuse to give the design to them, they will never come back.
Re: Customer wants embroidery file - What would YOU do?
Yes, I agree with everybody, and would give the file to the customer if they paid for the digitizing. The file though is in native PXF (Pulse) format and we also include the Ambassador Viewer in the CD so that the customer can view the design from their own PC. Some outside embroiderers are able to convert and use the file on their machine, others are unable. Majority of the customers try out other embroiderers because of the lower cost. And a lot do come back to us after trying out the services of others. In some cases, for volume orders, and for some companies that we know, we charge a much lower set-up fee and not a digitizing fee, (sometimes, even the set-up fee is waived) . In this case, we don't give the file to the customer.
Re: Customer wants embroidery file - What would YOU do?
Thanks for the input, all!
I ended up giving the customer the file. I did however explain that I won't guarantee that the file will work on their equipment as well as it does on ours, and they're pretty much on their own if something doesn't sew right.
So there you have it - lesson learned. In future I'll be sure to use "set-up" on my invoicing (you'd think I'd know better after 10 years of digitizing), but I'm sure this won't be the last time this crops up.
lol - I can't wait for some customer to show up someday asking for their silk screens to take to another printer.
Re: Customer wants embroidery file - What would YOU do?
I would give it to them. If you provide good work at a reasonable price this won't happen often. There will always be the customer that moves on for different reasons. If you don't burn any bridges they may return to you. What I don't like is a customer who asks for a file more than once. I hand delivered a disk to someone and a year later he asked me if he could have another copy because he misplaced the first disk. I did email him another file because even though he moved on to a different printer in the mean time he purchsed more embroidery from me which was more profitable. I also had another job move to a much larger facility. I totally understood the move but the customer never contacted me. Instead they had the new decorator contact me for the files. Pretty pathetic customer.
Re: Customer wants embroidery file - What would YOU do?
I'm not giving the customer the artwork that we design for a screen. I don't see the difference. I liked the idea of reducing the number of stitches. I should probably recant this as I can see my karma going in the ditch the more I type.
Re: Customer wants embroidery file - What would YOU do?
If you don't want them to think of you as a jerk, I would give them the file. Especially if they paid a fair price to digitize it.
We offer "free" digitizing by working it into the price sometimes. That way if they ask for it later, we tell them that we paid that on our end and if they would like to purchase it they can.
Customer wants embroidery file - What would YOU do? 
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