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

[Groundman One]

Nothing bad. We just walked away from a job.

Boss did an estimate to clear for a satellite dish. We show up a few days later and I asked the guy to show us what he wanted cut. He gets all grumpy with me and tells me he already told our boss what needed cutting and didn't see why he had to come out and show us again. I just said, "okay".

Go back to the truck, talk to my climber, we pack up and leave.

Not long after the guy calls the boss, howling mad, saying we never did the job and he still has no TV reception. My boss just told him that we thought he was grumpy and decided we didn't want to work for him, and so we left.

We all thought it was pretty funny.

 

[NEXUS]

OK, guess I'm the only one
That Figures.

 

[lone wolf]

I think that's what it is, they see a couple young guy that's about something and they see $$$

I guess so if they come on that strong right away! I had one woman open the top buttons on her shirt come running over and say “oh wow you own your own business looks like you do real good”. How stupid and obvious can they be!

 

[Ed Penney]

I just walk away and remember them. I will warn some of the people I know that also do the same type of work. It's just a simple way of blackballing a customer and giving them a hard time finding a professional to do the job. I have caused a few of them in violation of city ordinances to get fined or the city charging them to do the work.

 

[tomsteve]

not tree care related but I used to be a carpenter/framer. I worked for another company but did quite a few side jobs. it took a bit of time but I got to know how to read a potential client. when discussing what they would want done, taking notes, and asking questions, some made it pretty clear they'd be a PITA so my estimates would be so astronomical they would find someone else.
eventually I made business cards. had something similar to the pic printed on the back. I always handed the card to people that wanted estimates backside up. seems homeowners that hired me after that only came around to offer a soda or sammich

 

[Ed Penney]

I guess so if they come on that strong right away! I had one woman open the top buttons on her shirt come running over and say “oh wow you own your own business looks like you do real good”. How stupid and obvious can they be!

$Dollahose$

 

[lone wolf]

$Dollahose$

Zactly!

 

[Ed Penney]

not tree care related but I used to be a carpenter/framer. I worked for another company but did quite a few side jobs. it took a bit of time but I got to know how to read a potential client. when discussing what they would want done, taking notes, and asking questions, some made it pretty clear they'd be a PITA so my estimates would be so astronomical they would find someone else.
eventually I made business cards. had something similar to the pic printed on the back. I always handed the card to people that wanted estimates backside up. seems homeowners that hired me after that only came around to offer a soda or sammich
View attachment 1231521

Cost of living increase needed. Depending which political party they vote with, could vary, especially the how to do my job price.

 

[Rich 07830]

One summer a guy stiffed me on a bill and was an absolute rectum about it! In the winter did commercial snow removal. About 2am, in the middle of a nor'easter, I was passing his house. We already had 12" on the ground with at least another 12" on the way. I decided to plow his driveway 1/2 way. It was long & narrow. With the plow straight, I left a big pile of snow, packed tight!

 

[BrentStir]

I did a stump for a guy who said to just do the job but then only paid half. Late in the fall-cold night- I brought over 3 big buckets of stumper waste, soul and chips and dumped it in front of his garage door, a good 3 feet high. He drove a muscle car, with 3 inches of clearance.

But there were others that didn’t want to pay - rich people and lawyers were the worst.

 

[BrentStir]

I did a stump for a guy who said to just do the job but then only paid half. Late in the fall-cold night- I brought over 3 big buckets of stumper waste, soul and chips and dumped it in front of his garage door, a good 3 feet high. He drove a muscle car, with 3 inches of clearance.

But there were others that didn’t want to pay - rich people and lawyers were the worst.

That was soil and chips

 

[diver64]

not tree care related but I used to be a carpenter/framer. I worked for another company but did quite a few side jobs. it took a bit of time but I got to know how to read a potential client. when discussing what they would want done, taking notes, and asking questions, some made it pretty clear they'd be a PITA so my estimates would be so astronomical they would find someone else.
eventually I made business cards. had something similar to the pic printed on the back. I always handed the card to people that wanted estimates backside up. seems homeowners that hired me after that only came around to offer a soda or sammich
View attachment 1231521

When I did carpentry/chimney's we used a similar tactic. Most of the customers were pretty good but the ones that looked like they were trouble or if the job was not something we really wanted to do we just priced it way out of normal. We still got a couple of them but most just went somewhere else.

 

[Marley5]

Did something I'm not proud of.
Had a small repair shop in my garage and did minor repairs to chainsaws, carb replacement and general maintenance but did do a lot of chain sharpening.
Worked with a guy at my full-time job that would bring me his chains to sharpen.

I did friends for free.
Well this guy was bringing me more and more chains and was taking me hours to sharpen them by hand.
Finally he brought me 2 shoe boxes full of chains, some rusty and many hit nails and rocks.
Chains from his dad, chains from uncle's and grandfather, about 50 chains.
I sharpened one side of each chain and returned them.
Never saw another chain from this guy ever again.

 

[OM617YOTA]

Did something I'm not proud of.
Had a small repair shop in my garage and did minor repairs to chainsaws, carb replacement and general maintenance but did do a lot of chain sharpening.
Worked with a guy at my full-time job that would bring me his chains to sharpen.

I did friends for free.
Well this guy was bringing me more and more chains and was taking me hours to sharpen them by hand.
Finally he brought me 2 shoe boxes full of chains, some rusty and many hit nails and rocks.
Chains from his dad, chains from uncle's and grandfather, about 50 chains.
I sharpened one side of each chain and returned them.
Never saw another chain from this guy ever again.

Why be passive aggressive, why not say something to him?

"Hey bro I can't keep doing this for free, a chain or two a year you bet, or a pile of them once, sure. If this is going to be a routine thing I'm going to need to be paid." Then you discuss an equitable price.

You could have made some side $$$ and he could have still got his chains sharpened by someone he trusts to do a good job for a good price. Instead you both got pissed off.

I seriously don't understand a lot of you people.

 

[Marley5]

Why be passive aggressive, why not say something to him?

"Hey bro I can't keep doing this for free, a chain or two a year you bet, or a pile of them once, sure. If this is going to be a routine thing I'm going to need to be paid." Then you discuss an equitable price.

You could have made some side $$$ and he could have still got his chains sharpened by someone he trusts to do a good job for a good price. Instead you both got pissed off.

I seriously don't understand a lot of you people.

Never was I pissed but accomplished something with out saying a word.