A Kasuti commission can take weeks, and the customer waits for all of it. How you look after them in that time decides whether they come back and tell their friends. This lesson covers the whole journey: first message, agreement, progress, delivery, complaints and after-care.

What you’ll learn

  • The five stages of a commission and what the customer needs at each.
  • What to put in writing before you start.
  • How to handle delays and complaints calmly.
  • How to turn one commission into repeat orders and recommendations.

The five stages

  1. Enquiry. Reply promptly. Ask what it is for, the cloth, the size, the colours and the date. Explain how commissions work in a few lines.
  2. Agreement. Send the chart and the quote (see Costing a commission, step by step). Get a clear written “yes”. Take the advance. Give a receipt.
  3. Making. Send one or two progress photos, front and back. If anything changes – a delay, a problem with the cloth – say so at once.
  4. Delivery. Press the piece, check it against your quality standard, photograph it, pack it with a care card, and collect the balance before or on handing over, as agreed.
  5. After-care. A short message a week later: “Is everything as you hoped?” Answer care questions. Ask, gently, for a review or a photo of it worn.

What goes in writing

  • The design (the chart), colours and stitches.
  • The price, the advance and when the balance is due.
  • The delivery date, and how it may change.
  • What happens if the customer changes the design after approval.
  • What happens if they cancel, and how much of the advance is kept.
  • How long you will keep uncollected work and cloth.
  • How to care for the finished piece.

A WhatsApp message the customer replies to is a record. Keep it.

When something goes wrong

  • Tell early. A delay explained a week before the date is forgiven; a delay discovered on the day is not.
  • Listen first to a complaint, then look at the piece together (or in photos), front and back.
  • Offer a fair remedy: mend, redo, or refund part, depending on the fault.
  • Learn from it: write down what went wrong and change your process.
Worked examples

Example 1: a delay. “Hello Asha, an update on your blouse back: the border is finished and looks lovely (photos attached, front and back). The Neyge centre is taking longer than I estimated, so I need four more days – it will be ready on [date]. I’m sorry for the change. Is that still all right for your event?”

Example 2: a complaint about colour. The customer says the maroon looks brown. Look at both in daylight together. If the thread matches the approved sample, explain kindly and show the approved message. If you used a different thread, offer to re-stitch the affected area.

Example 3: after-care. A week after delivery: “I hope the blouse was perfect for the wedding! If you wash it, please hand wash cold and iron on the reverse. If you’re happy, a photo or a short review would mean a lot to me.”

Tips, tricks and hacks
  • Use labels in WhatsApp Business for each stage.
  • Keep a delivery-date buffer of a few days that you don’t tell the customer about, and aim to finish early.
  • Send the back in every progress photo; it reassures and educates.
  • Pack with care: tissue, a clean bag, the care card and a short thank-you note.
  • Keep a customer list (with permission) with what they bought and their family occasions.
  • Remember names and occasions; a message before the next festival brings repeat orders.
  • Offer a small “thank you” for referrals, such as a bookmark, rather than discounts.
  • Reply to every review, good or bad, politely.
  • Write a short “how commissions work” note and send it with every first reply; it saves many questions.
  • Keep the customer’s cloth safe: labelled, in a clean bag, away from food, damp and sunlight.
  • Return offcuts of the customer’s cloth with the finished piece; it is theirs, and it is appreciated.
  • Thank customers by name in your after-care message, and mention the occasion.
Problems and how to fix them

The customer keeps asking “is it ready?”

  1. Send a progress photo and a date.
  2. Agree when you’ll next update them.
  3. Prevention: schedule updates at the start.

The customer doesn’t collect or pay the balance.

  1. Remind politely, with the written terms.
  2. Follow your stated storage period.
  3. Prevention: a fair advance and clear collection terms.

The finished piece doesn’t fit the garment as planned.

  1. Work with the tailor to adjust placement if possible.
  2. Offer to add a matching border to cover a gap.
  3. Prevention: confirm measurements and placement on the cloth before stitching.

The customer is unhappy with something they approved.

  1. Listen, show the approved chart and photos, and stay calm.
  2. Offer a paid change, or a goodwill gesture if the relationship matters.
  3. Prevention: approvals in writing, with photos.

A public bad review appears.

  1. Reply once, politely, and offer to talk privately.
  2. Fix the real problem if there is one.
  3. Prevention: after-care messages catch problems before they become reviews.
Mistakes to avoid
  • Going silent while you work.
  • Arguing in public.
  • No written terms.
  • Sharing customer photos without permission.
  • Promising a date you haven’t checked against your hours.
What to ask your CA, lawyer or the office
  • Lawyer: “Are my terms on cancellation, refunds and uncollected work fair and clear under current consumer law?”
  • Lawyer: “What may I keep, and for how long, about customers’ contact details and measurements?”
  • CA: “How do I record a refund or part-refund?”
Check yourself
  • Do your customers get progress photos without asking?
  • Are your terms in writing before you start?
  • Do you tell customers about delays early?
  • Do you send an after-care message?
  • Do you write down and learn from every complaint?
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