Insider received this email from an out of home company exec:
I decided to try out a new printer. I sent them a job and they included art for free. The art was OK, the vinyl was OK and turn around was on par with everyone else so I was fine with the process. I probably wasn’t going to switch all my printing to them but it was nice to have another option. A few weeks later I got an angry phone call from the client. The printer had contacted them directly and was trying to solicit business from them for additional work and even went so far as to tell them the cost of printing, highlighting the fact that our company had marked up production. I informed the printer I would never do business with them again.
Insider asked Rebecca Thurman, owner of the vinyl printer Billboards, Etc. for her thoughts on a printer’s responsibility to out of home customers.
Is it bad ethics for a vinyl printer to bypass and out of home company and go directly to an out of home company’s client to try to do business directly?
Absolutely! Under no circumstances should any printer do this. It reeks of desperation and bad taste. Our job as a printer is to make our customers look good. Our sole purpose is to make our clients life easier, print a great product, execute it timely, and be competitive. If you make your clients look good…more business will follow.
Does a vinyl printer have a confidentiality obligation not to disclose what it sold vinyl for unless a billboard company consents to disclosure?
Yes….if they want to stay in business! Be loyal, honest, and discreet. Confidentiality should be an unspoken understanding. A client should never have to tell a vendor to not talk about their business relationship.
Does an out of home company need to address this subject up front with its printer?
Always protect your business! So if it is a concern be upfront or have them sign confidentiality agreements. Or you could do business with a vendor that has a positive track record. A business owner has enough to worry about.
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Very well put!!!! Print ethics are becoming a lost art.
I had this same thing happen to me from a printer. Unacceptable.
Agreed that you should only do business with someone you would never have to ask if they would poach your business.
Dave – I have used Rebecca’s company many times in the past eight years. They are reliable, helpful, have fast turnaround and are reasonably priced. I plan to continue to do business with them for the long term. Lou Heller, Momentum Outdoor Media, LLC.