Dealing with Incorrect Patterns as a Customer—A General Question for All Authors

Dear all,
I know that a friendly atmosphere is valued here, and that’s exactly what I like about this forum, but I’m really upset right now and don’t know how to handle this.

I just bought another pattern, and I have to say, this is the third one that’s been written incorrectly! First of all, I assume that I made a mistake due to a lapse in attention, so I diligently unravel it again and then work through it once more with even greater concentration. I’ve now gone through this process five times in a row with the new pattern, but it just doesn’t add up. When I look at the diagram, I understand what it’s supposed to be in conjunction with the photos in the pattern. So I follow the diagram, only to find that the numbering is incorrect. Nevertheless, I’ve understood what it’s about and have now summarized it in writing. When I compare my notes with what the author provides as the written pattern, I can clearly see where the author’s mix-up occurred. It’s taken me an hour to find the mistake.

As I said, this isn’t the first time; the other two times involved a different author. I’m paying money here to be able to recreate a product based on an author’s idea. But then I also expect that, with the excitement I have about recreating it, I’ll be able to successfully recreate the product! But when, instead of joy for my money, I get only frustration, anger, and wasted time, how am I supposed to deal with that?
Personally, I’d like the authors to offer, as an apology, a free pattern of my choice to compensate for my wasted time and lost enjoyment.
Because in the last two incidents, the author simply thanked me, corrected the errors, and that was it. But I don’t see why I should be doing essentially unpaid editing work here! 

Just so you understand: If it’s a minor issue, I’ll send the author a quick message and that’s that. 
But if the very beginning is problematic and you can’t even get started, or if you get stuck in the middle of the project after putting in a lot of preliminary work, then my patience really runs out, and it’s hard for me to remain polite and objective.

I’m aware that most of you put a lot of time and effort into a pattern—from the initial idea to testing it out and writing it down—and I also know that mistakes can happen. 

I just wanted to share my frustration with you as a customer. 

Dear Anja,
I think it’s great that you’re putting your frustration into words and writing it down here so we can talk about it.
Of course, it’s a shame that this has happened to you—and not just once. It’s great that you’re taking the time to contact the authors in question, explain the error, and give them the chance to correct it, etc.

Is this specifically about this particular pattern, or is it more of a general expression of frustration—or perhaps both?
Did the author of the most recent unsatisfactory pattern respond to your private message? I could, of course, contact the author in question via private message and ask her to follow this discussion here so that you two can come to an agreement, perhaps via private message as well?
If that doesn’t help, you could perhaps contact support and ask whether a cancellation would be possible in this case. Only support can make that decision.

Hi Josefa,

No, I haven’t contacted her yet, but I will. It’s also a general expression of frustration. I just wanted to hear what the ladies here have to say about it.

  Perhaps CP could introduce a kind of testing stage in between: For example, authors could provide their patterns to a small number (2 or 3?) of people for free; these people would commit to working through the patterns promptly (within x weeks) and giving honest feedback, complete with photos. These “testers” could then be specially highlighted in the reviews. Something like: “Lovingly test-made by XY,” followed by the experience report. And these testers would then be in close contact with the authors and, if necessary, optimize the patterns together.
However, these should truly be a diverse group of CP customers—not friends, acquaintances, or relatives of the authors! This “tester” option should appear before the “Buy” button.
If a tester is unable to deliver a result within the specified time, they must pay for the pattern as usual. (This would then only work for customers with CP store credit.) Or conversely, you pay first and then get the money credited back for the help you provided after you’ve completed your trial work and submitted a report on it. (As I said, this would only apply to a limited number of people willing to act as testers.)

This should boost customer satisfaction, and the authors would essentially have a seal of quality as a result.

Would that be a good idea? 

If you’d like, I can contact the author for you.
Let me know if you need support with that.

I think it’s great that you’re putting so much thought into this topic.
Your idea of pattern-testing scouts is basically great, but with the large number of patterns here on Crazypatterns, that would be a considerable logistical effort.

However, I do know that we have many authors here who have their patterns tested on their own initiative.

@Authors,
would you like to share your experiences with pattern testing?

@Customers / Users
would you like to tell us what the situation is like for you? Do you sometimes get frustrated when a pattern isn’t quite right? If so, how do you deal with it? Do you contact the authors? What were the authors’ reactions?
Would you test patterns and give feedback on them?

More opinions would be welcome.

Dear Anja,

First of all, I also think it’s great that you’re honestly expressing your frustration here—and even offering suggestions for improvement.

I’m speaking here both as an author and as a customer. And I’m happy to take the time to give you a detailed response.

As an author, it’s very important to me that customers are happy with the patterns and can easily follow them. Fortunately, that has almost always been the case for me so far. Of course, a mistake can slip in from time to time, and I’m very grateful when a customer brings it to my attention. That’s the only way I can learn from it and improve the patterns. For particularly valuable feedback, I also give a pattern as a thank-you.

These days, I have my patterns test-knitted. That clearly shows me whether everything is understood well. Finding good test knitters, however, isn’t necessarily easy. I don’t know to what extent your suggestion can be implemented. Josefa has already commented on that.

What I’d like to mention here, surely on behalf of many authors:
Writing a pattern is truly very time-consuming; I thoroughly underestimated that when I was just a customer. I only realized it once I became an author myself. The many hours and days of work are only worth it if the pattern is purchased frequently. And unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

As a customer, I’ve also had experiences similar to yours, Anja. There was one instance where I couldn’t make sense of the pattern at all. And I was then able to cancel the purchase with the help of Support. In all other cases, I contacted the authors. To be honest, I wasn’t always satisfied either. But I just let it go and moved on. For example, I told myself that if I buy a magazine and then realize at home that I can’t make sense of the content (patterns), I can’t return it either.

The patterns here are written by many different people. Everyone writes them differently, and everyone has different ideas. You’ve had bad luck three times now, so I can understand your frustration. I really hope that you’ve been happy with the patterns you’ve bought here much more often. I certainly wish that for you from the bottom of my heart.

My recommendation is to let Josefa help you. That’s what I did back then, too. You’ll surely be satisfied with the solution and feel better again.

Warm regards
Monika

Hello, 
this has happened to me before too, that I couldn't work from a pattern. After contacting the author, I received a refund IMMEDIATELY. I thought that was great. Best regards 

Dear Anja,
I have a question: Would you be interested in being a test knitter? I think you have all the right qualifications for it.

Warm regards from Monika

Have you signed up here yet?
Looking for testers: you can do so here (Regular promotional thread)

Good morning!

The janitor across the street just woke me up while shoveling snow. Do you guys have such lovely snow, too?

Thank you so much, Monika, for taking the time to write such a detailed reply. ♡

And as for being a test knitter, feel free to ask me if anything comes up. I’ll have to see if the project appeals to me then. I bought your Mowi heel back then and it was great, but I’ve realized that I generally don’t enjoy knitting socks.

With my idea, you’d just look for topics you’re passionate about anyway.

Thanks for your effort too, Josefa! 

Dear Anja,

Thank you for your reply. I’m glad to hear that, and I’d be happy to get back to you about your offer. Test knitters who not only knit along but also spot mistakes are truly invaluable.

Do you have any particular preferences? Would you like to share them? I’m not sure if I can fulfill them all, but I’m sure there are still quite a few authors here who would be delighted to have a good test knitter like you.

Warm regards from Monika
in snow-covered Bavaria

For me as an author, it’s practically a worst-case scenario when there’s a mistake in my patterns. After all, people who buy a pattern do so precisely because they want to follow it without having to do a lot of calculating or thinking.
To rule out mistakes and check the clarity of the pattern, I therefore find test knitting and crocheting extremely important. I have all my patterns tested by several knitters (always a mix of experienced and less experienced ones). That way, I feel confident when I list a pattern for sale.
If a mistake does slip through despite this, I’m truly grateful when a customer reaches out to me and points it out. Because then I have the chance to correct the mistake.
That’s why, dear Anja, I think it’s great that you went to so much trouble, and I think it would be really helpful for the author if you reached out to her...

And yes, I also think you’d definitely make a great test knitter!

Dear Anja, 
I think it's great that you're speaking up here and explaining it in such detail. I agree with Frauke; my patterns are all tested, since little careless mistakes creep in very quickly and you always read right past them. That's why I also always include inexperienced knitters as testers. 
Personally, I don't think it's okay to sell untested patterns for a fee.

@Anja,
has your problem been resolved?

@everyone:
could you please remember to rate the patterns you’ve purchased / downloaded for free? That would be great if you could do that.

Hi Josefa,

I admit that after I modified the pattern for myself, I was too lazy to write to the author. I’ll go ahead and do that right now. 

@Anja,
in this situation, my main concern was that you were able to successfully follow the pattern, rather than providing feedback to the author. But if you say that you’ve found a solution for yourself by making adjustments and are also giving feedback to the author, then I think that’s great.

The author and I have successfully talked it through. The pattern will be corrected. And on top of that, it was a very pleasant interaction. :-) ♡

nice :-)