Advice on how to handle unhappy client

So I offer on-line sales of my images, both prints and digital download files. Of the digital downloads I offer two sizes. One size is 800 pixels on the long side and I inform clients that these files are good for web, email, facebook, etc. but no good for print. My other size is 2100 pixels on the long side and I inform them this is good for prints of 5x7 or smaller.

So I had a client order a lot of the larger digital downloads last week. Today I get an email from her stating that she is trying to email these images to friends and family (which I am fine with) but that she can't because the files are too big. She also indicated that between my prices being too high and her not being able to email the files that she is very frustrated.

There are many things I could do from here. I am leaning toward directly emailing her smaller versions of the files so she can in turn forward them to where she wants to try and keep a happy client. But what I don't get is why the frustration at me? Because my files are too big and expensive?

Be nice and make her happy

Well, it's on her for not paying attention to what she is doing, or shopping around more, or a number of things. But obviously she chose you for a (good) reason and I always prefer to keep the client the happy. They are more likely to praise your service level then, although there is no guarantee of this.

Explain that you're sorry she was not happy with the file sizes and go ahead and furnish her with the lower rez images at no extra charge to her. And make sure that she realizes she won't be billed for your extra effort.

But I would NOT under any circumstances offer any sort of price reduction - if that is what she is angling towards - just the additional service. - Stu

Just email her the smaller image? Say you give out the large size image for print work, and that you would have no problems sending her the smaller image for email use. Email attachment size can vary between providers of email services and you would gladly help her out.

Dont be a dick, just genuinely say, there can be different file size limits and that you have no problem sending her the smaller one. She already bought a higher tier, and if her figuring out how to resize an image takes an hour, your 30 seconds of re-sizing and another 30 seconds of emailing is probably just the one thing you can do to thank a paying customer.

If they buy the big image why not give them the small too?

What kind of email service is she using? can she send one at a time?

Yes, I am planning on doing the 'right' thing and keep her happy by emailing her downsized images at no cost. I guess my natural instinct is to also try and explain how this was not my fault as well as explain that my prices are at or below most pro photography services in the area, but I think i will just bite my tongue on that one. I just take frustration toward me too personal I guess but am learning more often to just bend over backwards to help the client to keep the business on a positive note as much as possible.

People will never take the blame for there own misguiding's.
Send her an email that you understand her frustration ( lack of common since ),
explain that those files are ment for printing as they are larger files.
-Have her send you a list of her chosen lg files and make her a web size file.

Wish her a Merry Christmas.
She's probaly been bragin about her photographs and frustrated she can't send them. Add to that she can not figure it out, the people on the other end are beating her with a dead fish saying, where's the pic's?? Kids screaming, or boss nagging, life smacked her with bills Saturday ....

TopHatMoments wrote in post #11445427
People will never take the blame for there own misguiding's.
Send her an email that you understand her frustration ( lack of common since ),
explain that those files are ment for printing as they are larger files.
-Have her send you a list of her chosen lg files and make her a web size file.

Wish her a Merry Christmas.
She's probaly been bragin about her photographs and frustrated she can't send them. Add to that she can not figure it out, the people on the other end are beating her with a dead fish saying, where's the pic's?? Kids screaming, or boss nagging, life smacked her with bills Saturday ....

+1 - Good advice. Understood, and will do exactly that.

First off i'd tell her the files she purchased are for her personal use, and to buy them then email them to anyone else is a breach of copyright. People don't understand copyright or licenses, and they'll probably argue or think you're unreasonable for this. Tough.

Second i'd tell her that the files are for printing, not emailing, and if she wants to email them she'll need to reduce the size. I'd probably offer to send her email sized images which are ok to share.

I work in IT and the user is never wrong - it's always the computer, the software, the network, somebody else, but never the user (sarcasism implied ). We normally call it an ID10T (ID-Ten-T) because that's what most of them are.

As mentioned earlier service providers have different attachment sizes. It's possible that she's trying to email them all in one go. Probably the best solution is to sent her the resized versions but also to advise her to only send 1 or 2 per email.

I'm going to presume that if you sell images for the client to reproduce by printing, that includes reproduction by email. IMO you should include as a standard service web-sized images along with the print-sized images.

I put them in two different folders on my CDs using long, fully descriptive filenames:

Images for Printing
Images for Email and Facebook

Gotta Love the ID10T haha.

As for your issue, I'd just shoot her the small ones and explain to her what her problem is. Tim's advice is pretty solid IMO

you can have her install zoomfoot for emailing large files, it;s free.

I emailed her downsized images and she was grateful. Happy client.

I guess that since I deal with images everyday that I don't think twice about re-sizing them all the time. So it is easy for me to forget that there are many people out there that have no idea about how to go about doing this. So it makes sense to provide this downsize conversion. It takes me seconds to do. Issue resolved.

would it make sense to include the smaller web-friendly size with each purchase of the largest size? You can price it as such so that the client feels they are getting a good deal by getting both instead of choosing just one or the other.