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QUESTION
David J. Hawes, MAS+, DTM
Brand Architect
Geiger
UPIC: geiger
I suggest remembering and respect-
ing who we all work for—the customer.
The customer isn’t always right, but they
are always the customer. Make it right
for your customer first, and then deter-
mine a fair resolution with your supplier.
If that can’t be done, ask yourself if you
want to risk a repeat performance. It
might be time to select another supplier
for your bag business.
Eric E. Ekstrand, MAS+
Regional Vice President Mid-Atlantic
HALO Branded Solutions
UPIC: HBS
What material are the tote bags
made of? Fabric and vinyl are hard to
obtain an exact Pantone match for, and
the supplier should have notified you
that the color would not be exact. A
product swatch should have been
requested for approval before production
to assure no misunderstanding. I would
never rely on a computer virtual as that
will not show you a true color. It is
interesting that the supplier offered any
discount if the color was as close to the
Pantone color that could be achieved on
Q
A Distributor Asks:
A client wanted tote bags in their brand color for an event, so I
placed an order with a reputable supplier that I’ve used many
times, specifying a Pantone match to the brand’s color. The color
on the resulting bags did not match the Pantone number speci-
fied and the client was—and still is—angry. When I contacted the
supplier, they disagreed that the color was off and said that the
best they could do was to run another order at half price, but I
would still have to pay full price for the original order. I’m in a
no-win situation. My client wants me to replace the bags with
bags that are the correct color, but the supplier says they are
already the correct color. What can I do to fix this problem with-
out having to come out of pocket for goods my client and I
believe were incorrectly produced?
COLOR CLASH
DECEMBER 2015 •
PPB
• 19
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