I just fired a customer...

[harryball]

I'm sick of attitudes like this and you know what... he's fired. I cancelled his order. We clearly state it takes 2 to 3 weeks to ship as we custom paint our bat houses. RARELY do we ever miss that window, but we were blessed with more than 40 bat house orders in one week about 4 weeks ago and have struggled to get them out. In the end, we missed the 3 week window for 3 orders by a couple of days. We notified all three customers of the delay BEFORE the 3 week ship date and we always include an extra perk when we do ship. Two of the three were appreciative of the information.

One returned this...
"Had I know this, I would not have bought from you. You owe it to your customers to let them know the time needed to get their purchase. Poor business management. Not good for the bats, either "

I don't know what else he wants, it's on the order, it's in the shipping and return information, it clearly says it takes 2 to 3 weeks to ship. We rarely miss and we never hear complaints and such.

Now, after working so hard on the orders it got the best of my wife and made her cry. After working so hard to face such a rude uninformed comment.

After explaining the 40 orders etc... I ended with:
---
I vowed early on to build the very best bat house and never have unsatisfied customers. To date we have done just that. To that end, I can see you are not a satisfied customer, I will cancel your order immediately.

Sorry it didn't work out, but honestly, I'd rather not work for anyone with your attitude, so you're fired.
---

And I cancelled his order. I also left my phone number, I doubt he has the guts to call but hey, if he feels like it he's welcome.

------------

All that said, probably a bit of an over reaction but you know what? **** on him, he's fired, I don't want him to have one of our bat houses, he can go buy something else from someone else and have a nice life.

/RB

[MogulTx]

Some times you NEED to fire them. Sometimes you need to do it for our own sanity. Don't back up. Just be gracious if they call. Thank them for their previous business. When they press to get more material from you, thank them again and decline politely. And IF, in 2 or 3 or 6 months, they call back with their hat firmly in their hand ( not today! Not this week! Not next week!) MAYBE you might want to accept their contrition and sell to them again.... but for now- foryour sanity and for your wife's- stick to your bat guns.

[gundog]

I have on one occasion refused to do a project for a guy then he basically begged and I gave in. I had one guy get upset and not order from me and to be honest I am not sure what upset him.

Life is short I do my business because I like making things so if something takes the fun out of it I need to remove that element. I used to make anchors but I really don't like welding even though I am fairly good at it. I stopped making anchors and have not made them for over 4 years but I still get customers calling wanting me to build them an anchor.

Mike

[ken_rychlik]

Everyone gets one of "those" customers now and then. Don't let it get under your skin.

[harryball]

Yep, sometimes you do need to fire them, it makes things go much more smoothly when you don't have a "business critic" who isn't smart enough to read before placing an order.

I could have lived with "I'm disappointed in the delay" or even "I'd rather cancel, thanks" but to arrogantly tell me how I should run my business based on his inability to read and then have the gall NOT to cancel the order like he's doing me a favor... nope, that got to me.

Gundog said "Life is short I do my business because I like making things so if something takes the fun out of it I need to remove that element."

Yep, perfect wording, thanks!

But, I'm over it now. I have a feeling if I'd kept the money and shipped anyway I'd have regretted it. If he's dissatisfied now because he can't read, no telling what would happen if he tried to hang the bat house. And heaven forbid he got the rare "damaged during shipment" bat house that occurs... he'd be telling me how I packaged it wrong and choose the wrong carrier.

Thanks guys!

[curtiss]

Sometimes you just have to put a "saddle on them" and ride them out of town...

sounds like this guy is already out of town.

[Brian Harnett]

Most of my customers are great but a few I refuse to do anything more.

I treat my customers fairly and expect the same.

[bleeth]

Several weeks back I got a call from a local GC wanting me to bid a couple jobs. I did, and never heard from them. This happens all the time and I don't worry about it. Yesterday I stopped for lunch and noticed a couple guys who looked like management wearing that companies shirts. I was enjoying a sandwich and ice tea (I do drink but not during work hours) while I watched them chugging down drafts. Inwardly I rolled my eyes and decided to not go over.
A couple hours ago I got a call from a guy who used to do some installs for me and opened his own shop up in Palm Beach 5 years ago. After the usual "how the hell have you been" stuff he told me he had done a bunch of jobs for them and was owed money big time. He was calling me as they had tried to get him to reduce his price on a job by claiming I bid 12k on the job he had bid 16 for. I laughed and told Marco I wouldn't touch that job for 12! I thanked my old installer, and let him know I wouldn't work for them.

I guess that's called firing a customer before he's a customer.

Sometimes you just have to do it. In my end of the business there are bunches of GC's who work you to get bids just to beat up their regular subs. We call them bid fodder. When I get a call from a new prospect I always ask them why they called me. Usually it's either their regular guy is overloaded or went under. Maybe one in ten ends up giving me work. I'm not the cheapest guy in town. After 3 bids, I either get work or some damned good reason why not.

Everyone has the right to refuse to serve any client for a decent reason. Hearing about your client's attitude I just wonder if he happens to live in South Florida! There are tons of people like that around here and it can really be a pain in the a--!

[genek]

Customers can be harsh, and that is why I have a sign in My shop that reads.
This is not Burger King, you can not have it your way. It is my way or not at all. I do only top quality work and nothing less.
We sent out notices to our customers last week that we would not ship any more orders until after the Ky State Fair. First thing this Morning one of best customers called wanting a order. I explained that we had already started packing up the Trailer and that most of what she was wanting was already too deep in the trailer to get too. I told her that since she was close to the Fair Grounds that she Could come by and pick up her order. She Got sort of bent out of shape because she could not have it in time for this weekend. I explained to her again that we sent out notice in July to get orders in for any upcoming events before the last week of July. She Canceled the order. Said she would order from someone else. I told her fine. What she does not know now, I will replace her with someone else in that town and she will not be able to order for at least one year and only if I have not established a new customer in that town. I know my competition, She got bent out of shape because she did not plan ahead. wait till she see's the work and when he fails to tell her that a order is going to be late and it never shows up. I have had customers to go this person only to want to come back and I always make them wait for a year.
They want loyalty from me they have to show me loyalty also. I only allow one customer per town No exception.

[Ajcoholic]

Customers can be harsh, and that is why I have a sign in My shop that reads.
This is not Burger King, you can not have it your way. It is my way or not at all. I do only top quality work and nothing less.
We sent out notices to our customers last week that we would not ship any more orders until after the Ky State Fair. First thing this Morning one of best customers called wanting a order. I explained that we had already started packing up the Trailer and that most of what she was wanting was already too deep in the trailer to get too. I told her that since she was close to the Fair Grounds that she Could come by and pick up her order. She Got sort of bent out of shape because she could not have it in time for this weekend. I explained to her again that we sent out notice in July to get orders in for any upcoming events before the last week of July. She Canceled the order. Said she would order from someone else. I told her fine. What she does not know now, I will replace her with someone else in that town and she will not be able to order for at least one year and only if I have not established a new customer in that town. I know my competition, She got bent out of shape because she did not plan ahead. wait till she see's the work and when he fails to tell her that a order is going to be late and it never shows up. I have had customers to go this person only to want to come back and I always make them wait for a year.
They want loyalty from me they have to show me loyalty also. I only allow one customer per town No exception.

That is a great post Eugene! I agree - loyalty and good will does go both ways in business.

Personally, I think I am very lucky as the greater majority of my customers are very appreciative of the work I do (as I am for getting it in the first place) and understand custom work takes time. I do on occasion encounter people I get the feeling will be "hard to please - under the best conditions" and I politely refuse to work for them. Generally say I am not up to the job, too busy, etc. After 20+ yrs you have to trust your gut feelings some time.

I recently did a railing for one fellow (just a pc of hard maple hand rail) and in my haste to finish it I let it go out the shop with a few small sags along the edge. He came back and wanted it re done. Which I happily did, and appologized. WHen I returned the rail, there was the slightest little "drip" on one end - something that you wouldnt see unless your nose was up against it, and IMO completely acceptable on such an item. He was lookign at it, pointed it out and I went to grab my buffing kit, and sanded and buffed it out with some steel wool and wax. Again, no issue (although I was thinking, "man... this is a little fussy for a length of hand rail). If they wanted a museum quality finish, I would have priced the job out accordingly... and the finshing would have cost 3X the railing cost.

Then, he started talking about this veneered table they had just bought that the finish was already marking up on (not the best quality by any means) and if I would refinish it. I stated no thanks, as I knew in my experience based on that rail, that even my best finish (which would usually make most thrilled) something like this dining room top - I would never make this couple happy.

Better sometimes to just decline the job than to put up with the hassles of hard to please people. Especially when there is loads more work waiting to be done for people who are great to work for.

[mikeacg]

I had someone call me from a bait shop one town over on a Friday afternoon while I was inside the local prison doing a weekend ministry program. Then he/she (hard to tell on this one...) bad mouthed me to one of my good customers on Saturday for not getting back to them. I called on Monday when I got home, apologized for the delay and explained the situation. They wanted designs (and they didn't know what they wanted) as well as lots of embroidery and printing done right away so I dropped what I was doing to try and make them happy. Emailed a number of designs and pricing over but never heard from them again. Probably not a bad thing in retrospect. I'd rather not deal with them - ever!
I have had to fire customers in the past while working for someone else but now that I am working for myself it is so much easier to do! Is that a sign that I am turning into a crotchety old man? Ha ha ha!
I'm going to make me a sign like Gene has for my shop!!

Mike

[myxpykalix]

I would have simply replied with this line.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeiwsLLAbdI

[GlenP]

Good for you Robert. I have fired a few customers over the past years. The last one was last spring. He ordered some maple raised panel doors to reface his kitchen. I gave him the timeline for delivery in writing right on the contract he has to sign. He response "oh that is ok we are in no rush, take your time". His order was still going to be done in our regular timelines as no rush usually means just the opposite. So 4 days later I get a phone call "just checking to see how my doors are coming along" WHAT THE F. I replied to him in kind of a chuckle "your kidding right". Told him still on track as per agreed. Week later same bs. I told him the more he bugs me about it the longer it may take, kindof kidding around. He politely hung up and I thought ok back to work. One week later (it has no only been less than 2 weeks for order confirmed) he shows up at the shop wondering if his doors are ready. He was in luck as a order before him got delayed so I had all his panels glued up and cut to size, the stile and rails all machined and ready for assembly so I showed updated him and figured he would be happy things were ahead of schedule. Well he started ranting and bitching that I told him a week or so and he had family coming and his kitchen was torn apart and had other projects on the go and couldn't finish them til kitchen was done and so on. I let him rant and rave on and then went over the the desk and gave him back his deposit, told him to get out and don't ever come back. If had not bitched and chewed I would have had his doors finished in 2 days and that would be the end of it but I have kindof a rule in the shop. IT IS MY SHOP AND WHAT I SAY GOES. IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU IN THE ARSE ON THE WAY OUT.
Not sure how the " oh we are in no rush" applied.
I believe in the saying you can't please everyone so if I find there is no way the customer is going to be happy then we are done. They will complain to all their family and friends no matter how good your product or you treat them. No I have some maple door stock ready for doors.....lol

[harryball]

Yep, not a peep from this guy, no email, no phone call, I'll probably never hear from him. Not man enough to admit he didn't read and apologize I guess.

Turns out, out of the 3 potentially late orders by cancelling this one we'll only have one order that shipped late. Not a bad deal and it my wife was happy about it.

/RB

[myxpykalix]

Having been in retail for over 30 years, i realized that you will never make everyone happy no matter how far you bend over (forwards or backwards). You just look at each situation and figure out what is a fair compromise and if that isn't good enough then tell them to go piss up a rope...

I had one guy who always wanted to add work on after you agreed to a contract, and i would tell him any alterations are seperate and apart from our original contract, give him a time estimate and he would say just add it on....

THEN when it came time to pay the bill, he wanted to negotiate...that's not the way it works so after a few months of back and forth i just put a mechanics lein on his property with a 9% interest rate. He couldn't sell the property without satisfying the lein. A tip...After you file a lein you must "perfect the lein" (justify it). I got paid....sometimes you just have to be a prick if you want to survive in business.
I am sometimes surprised by some of you who feel like YOU are the one who must make the concessions or lose money.
In the law even on a contract, it is an agreement between parties, for example, for you to build cabinets, and deliver by a specified date. Now lets say you miss that date.

The customer may be mad, but he has the burden to prove that he was damaged in some way by your delay. If there was no proof of damage (like you had to install the cabinets to perfect a sale on a house) then they are not damaged and you have no legal obligation. You may want to do something in the way of a reduction to make them happy but even if you do, they are going to bad mouth you anyway.

So don't be so quick to sell yourself short....

FYI....when people ask for net terms with me, i usually answer with....when you get krogers to finance your groceries for 30 days then i will......

[mikeacg]

Good to hear that I'm not alone out here! If I can't survive without jobs like that, maybe I'm in the wrong line of work! I am definitely a lot more relaxed since I moved to the Upper Peninsula and every day seems to be a lot more enjoyable than I can remember for a lot of years...

Mike :D