What's the worst you've done to an idiot customer?

[pdqdl]

I wonder if I could get in on this I'll Just tell a small little story and it goes a little kinda like this.... so it's middle of July and the company I worked for gets a call of a guy wanting 3 trees cut (standing) and 2 cut that were already down along a road.. now here's the kicker he didn't clarify what kinda road and so anyways the boss sends out a old guy to quote him on these 5 trees and to see if we can get logs out of them (we're loggers not tree monkeys) so anyways the old guy comes back and says yeah boss we can get logs out of them and yeah boss there good trees so the boss says alright then we will send jaden (me) and 2 others so before we can do this job we had a small one (we were called Monday to a small tract)and we finished it on Thursday well then the guy called the boss back and said hey I'll help you guys out a bit. I got a tractor I'll load the logs for you and what does the boss say ok sounds good my guys will be out Friday and so sure enough Friday morning were dragging to this job get there the guy comes out points to the trees down the road and now this is when my partner (Jacob) asked .sir is this a private road? And he says oh no this public and I own both sides so I own the road (one sides a mountain and woods others a hay field) anyways we call the boss explain the road thing he says were good just quote Throw some cones out and so we put cones and a tree work sign and a road closed well these 5 trees are leaning towards the road and none of us are climbers so we just grab are saws and take to it also to add to it these trees are 24 to 30 inch oaks so we get 2 cut (24 inch oak n 26 inch oak both red) last ones 30 inchs and so I start in on that only to be stopped by the road district and its the road commissioner which is a women named Karen (ironic) anyways she's throwing a fit cause we're blocking her road and blah blah blah we explain the job and that she can call are boss (total idiot) but for now we're cutting these trees she insisted we weren't and then she said we'll if i have to I'll go get the backhoe and so by now I'm kinda getting mad and Jacob's still bucking up the 2nd tree but the 3rd guy we brought that's just kinda standing off watching walks up and his exact words were lady can you go vibrate yourself out of here please .wel by nows she's really pissed and then out comes the homeowner and he's fighting with her and so I seen a good 10 secs I could finish the tree and get it down so I did and sure enough boom the tree falls and she's REALLY REALLY MAD NOW I'm talking ready to lay hands and so we pull the homeowner aside and said hey can we leave and finish this job Sunday and he said yeah that quote he's tired of listening to this lady's story on how here husbands a cop and so anyways we pack up and we leave these trees in the road cut to logs and some of the branches stack on the side (road still ain't passable really) so we leave and tell the boss what happens and he's pissed so Sunday we go back out and he goes with us and so we pull up get out look down this road and there's no logs so now we're like wth weres these logs at? And the road appears to be really clean so we ask the landowner hey sir where's the logs we cut and his response is the road district came back with a dump truck and backhoe loaded them up and left...well by now the boss is mad I'm so mad that I wanna KO someone and so anyways we can't get the road districts number to try to get these logs the landowner wants to sue her about them we are out money and the landowner refuses to pay us since we did nothing and the other 2 logs were rotten maple so no money from them so long story short we don't do tree jobs no more unless there's 10 trees or more and 20 acres or more now you might say we'll you can't block a private road my response is when there's almost no one else on that road for 3 miles and there's a road that goes around yes yes you can and that we shouldn't of left.. we did cause all of us have bit of a temper and last I knew wanting to cut someone in half was illegal and you might say well sue someone and if I owned this company yeah definitely but the boss was a absolute piece of gimme a s h i t ( quick side not 2 weeks later I quit do to safety and the company went down about 3 months later due to being sued

That problem would have been solved by just saying "Yes, Ma'am. Let us go clean up the mess right now." Take your logs and go. Come back later if you feel like it.

After all, she did say she'd come back with a machine and get it.

 

[OM617YOTA]

Wish some of you folks would post your company names so the rest of us know who not to hire.

I wouldn't pull the BS some of these homeowners have pulled, but you guys sure didn't handle it well either.

 

[Crftrapper535]

That problem would have been solved by just saying "Yes, Ma'am. Let us go clean up the mess right now." Take your logs and go. Come back later if you feel like it.

After all, she did say she'd come back with a machine and get it.

We could of said that but the other 2 guys weren't helping and I will 100 percent admit I really was not to hyped about this especially when we're relying on the customer to use his tractor since he insisted to and the **** part is she didn't even do it she had the guy that does the grading and everything do it

 

[Crftrapper535]

Wish some of you folks would post your company names so the rest of us know who not to hire.

I wouldn't pull the BS some of these homeowners have pulled, but you guys sure didn't handle it well either.

Oh hell well like 4r logging there a joke ashplundh is a safety hazard and I seen that first hand when a young guys ran his hand cross the top of a 661 stihl taking it off quicker then quick then kenny singer construction can be a pain they don't care about the homeowners at all (I got a story if yall care) then I worked a little with lenhart construction and there semi ok one guy was a absolute dik then then both Hutchins construction and Roark diesel is jokes keep in mind this is all in southwest MO

 

[SS396driver]

Here's something else for you to think about,
Doctors, lawyers, plumbers, electricians, and mechanics don't negotiate.
Professionals don't negotiate.
Be a professional.

Have no idea where you get that from . I’ve negotiated with my DR about my deductible. I just had a plumber do a job for me and he negotiated a price . Everyone you posted there will negotiate.

Crap I even negotiate at Home Depot . Got a $400 sink base for 325 .

 

[SS396driver]

I didn’t do it to the customer he did this to himself .

Winched a car out of the mud on the parkway after being called by the county police . Owner wasn’t there his wife picked him up but was at the shop when I got the car back to the shop . I dropped the car and gave him the bill he refused to pay . Now I couldn’t lower the bill as it was a contracted price with the county for the parkway contract . It was cheaper than if I had just been called by the owner on a side road. Guy gets all steamed up swearing up and down . He then jumps into the car starts it and guns it in reverse . Twisted the lower control arms on the car as the safety chains were still attached . Now the car is non drivable .

He had it towed to another shop and tried to sue me for the damages . He lost and I got the tow money albeit a year later as the county put a stop order on him renewing his registration.

 

[TNTreeHugger]

Have no idea where you get that from . I’ve negotiated with my DR about my deductible. I just had a plumber do a job for me and he negotiated a price . Everyone you posted there will negotiate.

Crap I even negotiate at Home Depot . Got a $400 sink base for 325 .

People up there must be desperate for work. None of those I mentioned, and others I thought of like barbers and beauticians negotiate here.
In fact, my roofers showed up this morning and just for the heck of it I asked the owner if he offers cash discounts. His reply, with a grin "Everything's cash." And that was the end of that.

Never in my life have I seen a professional dicker on price... well there was that one time we visited the river walk in San Antonio. I recall the vendors were offended if you didn't dicker.
Then there was the Indian man who wanted to dicker on the price of a watch in the display counter of the grocery store where I was clerking. I just couldn't get it through his head that I wasn't the one who set the prices.

 

[lone wolf]

People up there must be desperate for work. None of those I mentioned, and others I thought of like barbers and beauticians negotiate here.
In fact, my roofers showed up this morning and just for the heck of it I asked the owner if he offers cash discounts. His reply, with a grin "Everything's cash." And that was the end of that.

Never in my life have I seen a professional dicker on price... well there was that one time we visited the river walk in San Antonio. I recall the vendors were offended if you didn't dicker.
Then there was the Indian man who wanted to dicker on the price of a watch in the display counter of the grocery store where I was clerking. I just couldn't get it through his head that I wasn't the one who set the prices.

Well with the flood of illegals they are undercutting everyone that is established!

 

[TNTreeHugger]

Well with the flood of illegals they are undercutting everyone that is established!

Nah, we've got them here too. Must be some other reason.

 

[lone wolf]

Nah, we've got them here too. Must be some other reason.

That, the high cost of living and inflation, what else?

 

[OM617YOTA]

In fact, my roofers showed up this morning and just for the heck of it I asked the owner if he offers cash discounts. His reply, with a grin "Everything's cash." And that was the end of that.

The time to ask for a cash discount is when getting bids. By the time the crew is on site, he doesn't need to offer any kind of discount to earn the business.

 

[TNTreeHugger]

The time to ask for a cash discount is when getting bids. By the time the crew is on site, he doesn't need to offer any kind of discount to earn the business.

Good point.
But, I got a lot of bids before deciding on this one. His bid seemed reasonable to me and he's local, so I picked him. A cash discount would have just been a nice bonus.

 

[stihl sawing]

Pfffttt! i don't even believe the OP's story. you're gonna knock on a guys door and argue price then without permission cut a tree in his front yard and walk away? i'm callin BS on that one. you either would be in jail now or the hospital bleeding profusely after that idiot move.

I've had many a tree guy stop here and ask to cut some trees. i tell them i can get them if needed but i appreciate you asking. they always are polite and say ok thanks. not a one has argued with me and none would do what the OP claims he did. now a couple have ask me do i have a saw big enough to handle it or the equipment to clean up. but they didn't get stupid and destroy someone's property without permission. sorry i ain't buying that story.

 

[Stihlproincky]

Well with the flood of illegals they are undercutting everyone that is established!

Tell me about it. Just last year we had a service show up, all amigos and Texas plates on their trucks, they've got signs plastered everywhere, they even sent us a flyer

 

[Stihlproincky]

One of our firewood customers once told us "you remember the white house on the farm that you took the half load to, can you take them a whole load plz"
So we load up a load and take to the white house on the farm that we took the half load to before. A few days later he text's "I thought I told you to take a load of wood to the m****'s", we said you told us to take it to the white house on the farm where we took the half load.
He says I don't know those people, so we go get the load of wood. He's not a idiot, but he's Irish so sometimes things get miscommunicated.
BTW the house we were supposed to take the wood to was 15 miles from the place we took the wood to which was a air b&b. Then later the owner of the house calls and says "can I get a load of wood, I had a bunch but somebody stole it" lessons learned.

 

[SS396driver]

People up there must be desperate for work. None of those I mentioned, and others I thought of like barbers and beauticians negotiate here.
In fact, my roofers showed up this morning and just for the heck of it I asked the owner if he offers cash discounts. His reply, with a grin "Everything's cash." And that was the end of that.

Never in my life have I seen a professional dicker on price... well there was that one time we visited the river walk in San Antonio. I recall the vendors were offended if you didn't dicker.
Then there was the Indian man who wanted to dicker on the price of a watch in the display counter of the grocery store where I was clerking. I just couldn't get it through his head that I wasn't the one who set the prices.

Desperate for work ? Not a chance but I guess we still do business the old fashion way .

 

[TNTreeHugger]

Desperate for work ? Not a chance but I guess we still do business the old fashion way .

You say you're able to chew down the price on just about everything from plumbing to medical.
No professional I know of dickers on price.

So?

 

[TheJollyLogger]

You say you're able to chew down the price on just about everything from plumbing to medical.
No professional I know of dickers on price.

So?

You should get out more, lol

 

[TNTreeHugger]

You should get out more, lol

I get out plenty.
It must be a guy thing.

 

[fields_mj]

You say you're able to chew down the price on just about everything from plumbing to medical.
No professional I know of dickers on price.

So?

If you're in the US, you REALLY should negotiate on your medical bills, but you have to do it before they receive any payment from anyone (including insurance). The hospital has no idea what the their services actually cost. They only know how much they can sell your debt for if you can't pay it.

It's also a good idea to ask how much something costs if you use your insurance vs if you pay without filing an insurance claim. My son needed to have a chromosome test a few years back to see if they could identify the cause of his epilepsy. Long story short, OUR share if we used insurance was going to be around $1,800 (total bill was going to be north of $3k). If we just agreed to pay the bill without going though insurance, the cost was an even $600.