How do you deal with difficult customers???

[LD1]

Some people just dont seem to get it.:mur:

MY ad reads something to the effect of "prices normally 35-50/acre" and "minimums apply"
This ad is for field mowing

So I had a lady call earlier this week. Explained she had ~2 acres of overgrown pasture. And lives about 15 minutes away. I told here I have a $150 minimum and should be able to do it all for that price.

So I show up this AM to get started. This overgrown pasture, was actually 3 smaller fenced in areas, and more trees and briar patches than one can shake a stick at. IT really wasnt mowing, it was land clearing. Constantly stopping and having to back over briar patches and dogwoods. And nowhere on the whole job was I able to go more than 20' in a straight line without having to go around a tree.

I finished after working about 2.5hrs, and she asked me If I could do an area (~1 acre) outside the fence. It was just as dense with trees and briars as the rest. I told her I had no problem doing that, but that I had exhausted my $150 minimum and it would be an additional $50 to do and would probably take me another hour.

She instantly got upset and said "I though your ad was $35-$50 per acre and you only have done 2 acres".

I told her that prices were Normally 35-50, but normally I am mowing fields and overgrown grass, NOT clearing brush and going around trees every 2 seconds. I explained that if the whole lot were open and no trees, it would have taken me less than an hour and it wouldnt be a problem to do a little more.

She then said " so your charging me $150 for 2.5hrs of work". I said that my target is $50/hr from the time I leave my house till the time I get home, and a 15min drive each way, I am now at my 3hr limit for my minimum.

Her reply was "well Im in the wrong line of work then" I tried to explain to her about the cost of equipment, fuel, trailer, damage, etc. But she just didnt get it:mur:

This is precisly why I dont do work by the hour. I bid by the job (as I did on this one), but she thought she didnt get her moneys worth @ only 2.5hrs and wanted more for nothing:confused2:

How do you guys handle people like that?? What do you say to them??

Okay, rant off.

 

[jenkinsph]

You won't please everyone no matter how hard you try. I would have this discussion before I unchained my equipment, easier to drive away and pass on the whole thing. You can expect a small percentage of people who just don't get it, don't let it get to you. You have to build a clientele of good customers who expect you to make a reasonable profit and are willing to pay on time, that does require some culling of customers.

 

[LD1]

You won't please everyone no matter how hard you try. I would have this discussion before I unchained my equipment, easier to drive away and pass on the whole thing.

I would have loved to have the discussion before I unchained. But this was after I competed the job. I google mapped the area she wanted done, confirmed everything when I got there, and was good with my $150 price.

I did all she asked, parked the tractor to talk to her and ask if everything looked okay. Thats when she hit me with all this. Wanting me to do more that we didnt previously agree on, and not charge any more for it.

Now if this was just a small bit that I did, and was only there 30 minutes, but still charging $150 cause of my minimum, I would have done it without hesitation. But I was already their 2.5hrs and exhausted the $150 worth of my time.

 

[BeeferMan]

Sounds like a classic misunderstanding, unfortunately. With all due respect, IMO if the job was 15 minutes away you probably should have gone and looked at it before giving her a price? Not saying you were wrong, just would have been easy to avoid the misunderstanding by having a look and a talk before.

 

[paulharvey]

Sounds like a classic misunderstanding, unfortunately.

I disagree about a misunderstanding, ill bet she understood fine, just wanted to see what she could get out of you. That's what makes working for home owners so difficult. Many of them want a fixed price, then tweek the scope of the work. For example rough cutting said field, then complaining about it looking rough...

 

[wedge40]

You're first problem is you trusted someone. People need to earn your trust, I know I dont feel slighted when someone I just met or talked to doesn't trust me. Was it really a 15 minute drive away? If so a little gas and time and you could have scoped out the job ahead of time. Me I would have gotten payed for what I had done, told her I had another appointment to meet and if she needed the other stuff cut to contact me and we could arrange a time and price.
People like that I'd be worried about getting paid at all!!

Wedge

 

[BeeferMan]

I disagree about a misunderstanding, ill bet she understood fine, just wanted to see what she could get out of you. That's what makes working for home owners so difficult. Many of them want a fixed price, then tweek the scope of the work. For example rough cutting said field, then complaining about it looking rough...

That certainly could be, but without being there and seeing the interaction, it's hard for anyone to say. So in a case that like where I'm not sure, I tend to expect the best of people, not the worst. Just the way I am. Keeps me smiling. I can't say I never got burned, but only rarely and I can honestly say that was because of their behavior, not mine.

To answer the OP's question more directly, I have one customer that comes to mind. Not quite the same type of "difficult", but... I sell beef, and there's one guy that always wants just a little bit more. An extra steak, or a extra bag of bones. More organ meats, etc. From the start I could have just said no, you get what you get. But I give him a little something to make him feel like he's getting just a bit more than he paid for, and he's turned into a good customer, always pays on the spot, no issues. Yes, he's kind of a pain - difficult if you will, but I'll take him over some others I've met.

For the OP's type of difficult customer, do what you can to make them happy and walk away smarter...

 

[jveretto]

We have become a nation that wants something for free and can explain away any quirk or strange behavior. Houwever, a look in advance might have helped you make up your mind if you could do the job for the amount you quoted. Good luck on your next job!

 

[LD1]

Sounds like a classic misunderstanding, unfortunately. With all due respect, IMO if the job was 15 minutes away you probably should have gone and looked at it before giving her a price? Not saying you were wrong, just would have been easy to avoid the misunderstanding by having a look and a talk before.

No mis-understanding at all.

Sure I could have met first, and scoped the place out, but she done live there. She just bought the place so it would be an inconvenience for both parties. And after talking with her on the phone, and google mapping it, I had a clear understanding of what needed done, AND so did she which was confirmed when I got there and she showed me.

The issue was: I finished sooner than she expected. (It actually took me longer than I expected to mow 2 acres). And since she thought $150 was worth more of my time than 2.5 hrs + 0.5 hrs road time, she wanted me to do another hour of work that was NOT discussed before hand.

People like this dont have a clue what owning and operating equipment cost. And they think $50/hr is outrageous cause they only make ~$20 at their day job. They dont get the fact that their $20/hr job has no overhead and is closer to a $40/hr job with insurance, retirement, and other benefits. They dont have $60k invested in truck, trailer, tractor, and mower. And dont have to pay insurance accordingly.

Like I said, I a reasonable. I have a $150 minimum. And if I was only their for an hour. I would have done whatever else she asked for the next 1hr+ and not charged a dime more for it. I spent alot of extra time doing a good job and getting right close to trees and taking out some big briar parches that normally I would just go around in a big field. I guess maybe I shouldnt have done as good a job so I could have done the other plot for her, but I am sure she still would have found something to complain about or want something else done after that.

It all boils down to SHE dont think $150 was fair for my time. But I bet if I had a 4' cutter and a SCUT and taken half a day, she would have had no complaints.

I guess I am luck I just have a small tractor and 6' cutter. Imagine her complaint if I rolled in with a 100HP and 10' cutter and did the same work in 1hr......

 

[haveissues]

I just charge by the hour. It's $100 an hour from the time I walk through your doors to the time I'm walking out. I try to keep to an 1 hour minimum unless I am already in the area. If you want just a couple of more things done that is fine, but the clock is running.

Oh, and my wife always knows when I am on the phone with somebody that is difficult. I end up just calmly repeating myself verbatim until they get it. Occasionally she will get pissed when she realizes I am using the same strategy on her.