As far as the original story goes, you should have smacked your partner up side the head, got in the truck an left. No reason to blame a home owner for asking as many questions as possible to educate himself, especially if you're partner is standing there giving him the education for free. I deal with custom production equipment for a living. I have all of my quotes itemized so I can pick and choose which options I want the equipment to have.
What's the worst you've done to an idiot customer?
- Thread starter Chucksta
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I don’t have any idiot customers. They’re all geniuses you can ask em! I just nod my head and thank em for their business. Have to have VERY broad shoulders in this business.
Husky77
ArboristSite Operative
We all done work at some time when a customer either dont want to pay or drags out paying. You only ever do work for these people once, but you dont tar everyone with the same brush. In my view your doing a professional service, you keep the job site clean and safe and the clients treat you the same. It's easy to fly off the handle and row but then all respect is lost. It's best to walk away, even if you need the work you dont need it that bad.
kshansen
ArboristSite Operative
Not to be too fussy but that is the wrong product application!
I would recommend this:
https://www.loctiteproducts.com/en/...cts/specialty/loctite_threadlockerred271.html
Note this one product description item:
- PERMANENT FIX: Permanent seal prevents tampering and is only removable once cured by heating parts up to 500°F (260°C)
Your doing it wrong then .
Maybe, but I still say it's a guy thing.
I tried to dicker with the guy at the lawn and garden shop several years ago on a new Husky mower. He wouldn't budge.
When I told my boss about it, he went and bought it for me, with a discount.
So, what's your technique, is there a secret code, or handshake involved?
No secret I just say “Not paying that, you have to do better “ and then say nothing . Make them talk first . My wife is even better at it than me . Must be the Brooklyn in her
I'm 1/2 Sicilian, moms from Brooklyn. That talent must have skipped a generation.
I'll try out your line next opportunity and let you know how it goes.
Be prepared to walk away too . I’ve had people call me or send a new lower quote days if not weeks laterI'm 1/2 Sicilian, moms from Brooklyn. That talent must have skipped a generation.
I'll try out your line next opportunity and let you know how it goes.
Oh, I get it now! Kind of like eBay "make an offer" bidding! I always make my first offer 30% less than start price.
I do that all the time.
I think that applies to dealing with the public in general
My day job is business to business sales. We have our share of idiots here too, and I fire customers all the time. Usually just stop getting in touch is all it takes, but sometimes "xyz competitor is going to take better care of you than I will" is the nudge they need. I'd never go out of my way to cause any of them problems. If I did, I sure as hell wouldn't brag about it online, like it's something to be proud of.
Farthest I'll go is a PITA fee built into the pricing. Either this quote is going to make you go away, or it's going to be profitable enough for me to be worth the hassle.
Farthest I'll go is a PITA fee built into the pricing. Either this quote is going to make you go away, or it's going to be profitable enough for me to be worth the hassle.
I've actually encouraged some of of the integrators and machine shops to charge us a PITA fee. When I was in Automotive, I encouraged it because because we were a big enough customer that we could get them to do what ever we wanted and when ever we wanted. I'm in med device now, and I now I encourage the PITA fee because we THINK we're as big as a GM plant.
100%, same here. Need a custom part, factory rep that I have a good relationship with is hesitant and clearly doesn't want to do the job, I tell them charge me enough so it's worth doing on their side.
I like the win-win-win sales, not out to screw anyone over. Factory makes money building the part, customer makes money building whatever they're building and selling it, and I make money doing the legwork and logistics and handling the PITA.
Exactly. I try to isolate my integrators from the BS as much as I can, but I tell them to make sure they are charging enough to make it worth all the pain because I'm more interested in developing, protecting, and preserving a business relationship than I am saving a buck or two. They know that I'm not going to call and ask for something unless I actually need it, but if I make the call, then answer needs to be yes. If my contact doesn't have enough authority to tell me yes, I get a contact that does.
Husky77
ArboristSite Operative
yep, done that but its crazy how it works out. the job you dont want and think they will never accept a high price they always do. Probably out of desperation because they subconsciously know they are a PITA and this is one job you know deep down you should walk away but something draws you in. It's a funny old world
lets see, so far the worst I've done really was leave a guy with a 20ft tall 5ft diameter oak "stump" in his yard, his fault for lying to me when he said that there was concrete but only the bottom few feet, I spent $1500 more than quoted on a crane, and close to $400 in chains to bring it down from 40ft to the last cut at 20, dudes son showed up after we started and said "oh yeah its FULL" to be honest I should have quit when I hit the first piece at 40', I knew it would get worse and worse, yes I still billed him for the entire job, told him if he wanted me to continue to remove it that I would do so, at $400 an hour + all equipment damages, he refused, told me he should have called the other company that quoted $100 more, took all I had not to say "well its not too late to call them and offer them $100 to come finish the job"
also to OP, yeah you're an *******, "customer" should have sued you
also to OP, yeah you're an *******, "customer" should have sued you
How in the world does a person get concrete 40' up a tree trunk?
I'm guessing a pump? The tree was hollow, I did a bore cut for a crane pick and bored right into a brick sized piece of what seems like mortar mix, wrecked that chain, customer acted dumbfounded by it, the extra dumbfounded when I explained my chainsaws cannot cut anything other than wood!How in the world does a person get concrete 40' up a tree trunk?
