Viral again

So how does it work going viral on Facebook, who knows ! I often wonder if certain words hit the algorithm and it automatically happens. But it happened when I recently had a complaint.

So back in November I made a handbag from my customers relatives saddle for a wife as a Christmas present. I sent pictures of the handbag when I’d made it to their chosen design. The first question I got was “Was it made from the saddle I sent you?

My reply was yes totally , you can see where the rat chewed the stirrup keeper, the chap had already said the saddle was in a sorry state. I bent over backwards to get a really good result and you really wouldn’t have believed it was made from the sorry saddle, I was made up with the result and very proud. In January I got a message to say some changes needed to be made, no problem at all. A video was sent me of the handbag not standing upright when the bags flap was opened, the owner was recording the bag falling one handed, so bag was opened up empty the flap with the bit in was thrown over and the bag fell backwards. The customer complained that when the bags flap fell backwards contents fell out. The complaint was also about the closure strap not being quality English leather( it was made from the saddle ) another complaint was that the English leather rein strap was a different quality and they wanted that changing to match the sorry state saddle leather. The saddle was at least 60 years old and although described by my customer as sorry was in fact perfectly suitable to be made into a handbag with the procedures I take, like lining the gusset to give stability etc, but I don’t believe there to be many suitable 60 year old reins still in existence so I wasn’t able to do that.

I fitted two little flap inside the bag to help the contents stay in place but after showing my customer what I’d done for them free of charge they said I’d now ruined it and demanded the money back as what I’d done was the final straw.

I can only work with what I’m given, I do feel I do perform miracles very often but really…

Anyway I posted about this bag to my Facebook family and oh my goodness the support I received was incredible! Messages, emails and texts from all over the world in support of the bag and my work. Three days of solid answering enquiries followed and it’s still viral a week later. The beautiful but unloved bag which I instantly gave a refund for was sold immediately to someone who saw its beauty.

Every cloud has a silver lining that’s for sure and now thanks to that customer I’ve got years of work ahead of me.

So how do you cope with going viral- don’t go to bed for a few days because you have to act there and then.