Re: John, Thanks for the advice!!

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: : When I deal directly with the customer, I definitely : : follow the same procedure you described. But I : : really can't tell him how to run his business. I was : : thinking of having him sign some kind of document or : : contract saying that if the customer chooses not : : to proof the work before going to press, then I will : : not be responsible for any errors found after the fact. : : (or something to that wording). What do you think? : : Any other advice you can give me would be great!! : : TIA! : Carolyn, : Coming up with the contract sounds like a Great Idea, : but I wonder how much success you'll have in getting : him to sign it. If he doesn't see the need for his customers : to sign anything, he'll probably have the same attitude : about your document. If he signs it, great! But if he doesn't, : where are you now? Would he look at you as a problem : or potential liability? The reason I say this is that I have : (in my real job at a major airline) repeatedly brought up : problems that need attention, and because my superiors don't : (seem to) care about these items, I begin to look like a constant : complainer to him and other co-workers. I then become : frustrated, and that's self-destructive. The old saying "You can't : fly with eagles..." really applies here. The reason that I get : frustrated is that I _CARE_. One might think "if I didn't care : so much (or at all) I _couldn't_ be frustrated. While : that's true, it just doesn't work. One pearl of wisdom that : I gleaned from a co-worker is this: "Expect things to be as they : are, _not_ as you want them to be" (or as they _should_ be). : I may seem to have gone on a rant there, and maybe I did... I just : wouldn't expect the owner of your shop to accept the responsibility : (as he should) for errors made by you (or him) with his track : record thus far. I wouldn't want to see you put yourself in a sticky : position with your contract in hand, and him backing away wagging : his head from side to side. It's sort of bordering on an ultimatum, and : now what? Back to business as usual? When an error comes up again, : and it will if you're there long enough, what'll the bill be at that time? : You could just hope that it's _his_ mistake next time, but will he : accept responsibility? Ultimately, I don't know what the solution is. : The key is that you need to think through it completely before : taking a leap of any kind (and I know that you are) . I hope that : you find something of value in what I've said, but it's okay if you don't. : Good luck with it, : John

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