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Projects Firing a customer!

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by BlackMagicKustoms, Nov 11, 2010.

  1. BlackMagicKustoms
    Joined: Jul 5, 2006
    Posts: 322

    BlackMagicKustoms
    Member
    from Denton,TX

    Ever have to tell a customer to just flat out get lost. Even when you know it's worth another 20k? Sucks to be in this position. But I refuse to allow a customer to demand more fore less even after comping him 135 hrs labor due to my divorce affecting build schedule. And still trying to get me to knock off another 5k. I've done everything as asked and recieved this truck in every sense of completely disassembled. Had every group of parts approved and draws accounted for. He's getting what he wants. I told him to buy someone elses project and save some money. Oh well. He gets what he wants.

    It's nit a matter of wanting to finish it as much as it is the enevidability of a customer never satisfied. Frustrating enough, I've got the truck at interior fir mock up prior to paint. I've got a few weeks before I take it to paint at my shop. Then the reassembly. That he wants for free! Crazy. I've got money to be made. But I'll loose mone and time on other things chasing his wants and needs. As he freaks out that he is spending more money than he wants but had been told he would and was ok with the ball park. You want a 100 point build.... Be ready to put up or shut up.

    Does this make me a dick?
     
  2. bobwop
    Joined: Jan 13, 2008
    Posts: 6,131

    bobwop
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Arley, AL

    I understand your frustation.

    On the other hand, YOU are the businessman. It is YOUR responsibility to make certain all the i's are dotted and the t's crossed. It is YOUR responsibility that the communication be to the point of mutual understanding.

    My suggestion is that you sit down and work it out to the last detail. Put it in writing. If you can't get to that point, then agree to disagree and find an agreeable solution to dissolution.

    Kind of like a divorce.
     
  3. Da Tinman
    Joined: Dec 29, 2005
    Posts: 4,222

    Da Tinman
    Member

    Nope.

    I had a guy I built a truck for that would call me up and accuse me of stealing his parts or throwing them away. He would also tell me I fucked this up or that up when he couldnt read his tape measure properly.

    My favorite thing he did was tell me that since reassembly and plumbing/wiring was not "heavy" fabrication I would have to lower my shop rate if I WANTED to finish the job.

    Yeah I fired his ass.
     
  4. edcodesign
    Joined: Mar 30, 2007
    Posts: 4,875

    edcodesign
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Nope, he won't realize how many hours are used up unless he tries building it himself!
     
  5. Francisco Plumbero
    Joined: May 6, 2010
    Posts: 2,533

    Francisco Plumbero
    Member
    from il.

    When the wedding ain't fun any more it's time to send the bride a packin, it's best for the bride and best for the suitor. Hard to make pretty when both attitudes are shitty. You can have that little diddy if you like it, they won't let me run that on my truck side.
     
  6. Larry T
    Joined: Nov 24, 2004
    Posts: 7,914

    Larry T
    Member

    I've been in business since 1978 and during that time I've probably told half a dozen folks to never set foot in my shop again. There are quite a few that I'm always too busy to work on their stuff and several I've told them I'd raise the door, hang a foot on their car, push it out and help them put it on the trailer.
    While folks have been convinced that the customer is always right, there are a lot of customers you're better off without.
    Larry T
     
  7. Oh boy I love a good vent. You're feeling a little better about this now right?

    I think anyone who performs a service for customers has probably been to this point. There's people out there that you can hand over paradise to and the trees wouldn't be green enough for them. Just the way it is with some folks, and it's very frustrating to work with people like that.

    To answer your question, YES, having worked many years in the motorcycle business I have had to tell certain customers that we just were not a good fit to be working together and that they should take probably take their business elsewhere, as this seemed to be the best outcome for the situation that was being created. It's a tough thing to give away business or turn away anyone that's willing to pay these days, but in the end it's just what you have to do every so often.
     
  8. metalshapes
    Joined: Nov 18, 2002
    Posts: 11,130

    metalshapes
    Member

    I used to work for a guy who'd bend over backwards to passify the "squeaky wheel" customers that were not going to be happy, no matter what he did.

    But it made him neglect his reasonable customers, to the point that some of them just quietly left.

    So then he had a shop full of squeaky wheel customers...




    I'm glad I dont work there anymore.
     
  9. junk yard kid
    Joined: Nov 11, 2007
    Posts: 2,717

    junk yard kid
    Member

    No amount of money is worth my sanity.
     
  10. Mike51Merc
    Joined: Dec 5, 2008
    Posts: 3,855

    Mike51Merc
    Member

    Welcome to the world of customer relations! I've worked in residential development and homebuilding as General Counsel so some unhappy customers often ended up in my office.

    While some had legitimate complaints, my experience is that some people will never be satisfied and some will try to nickel and dime you to death asking for freebies. Meanwhile you're knee deep in a job that has to be finished because not finishing it is a lose-lose for the parties. As pointed out above, you need to protect yourself ahead of time in your paperwork. Another trick is to never, never ever, let your work get ahead of the payment stream. If you have their money, their hearts and minds will follow. Sometimes you have to play hardball which comes unnaturally to some people. If you do good work, then you can be a bastard but the customers will still come. Think "soup nazi".
     
  11. The place where I worked years ago had an employee we called spinner, always wanting the best and couldn't be satisfied. I might add he couldn't do the work himself and was always bitching about the work he had done by fellow employees. Oh ya he was a cheap bastard too. Most people stayed clear of him as you have broken ties with your pain in the ass.
     
  12. I am a finish carpenter and at this time I have the worst client I have ever experienced so I can respect your feelings. Two weeks ago I said I will be finished this coming weekend , and the woman took a step back that was the first time she actually look at me as a person able to do the work and not a drone to bark orders at.
    My advice is cut and run your customer will never be happy he is just pissed because HE underestimated what HIS project would cost , not you.
    The lesson I learned is always communicate what was said during meetings , write it down, then get the customer to read it and date and sign it . Rob
     
  13. BOERNESTAGE
    Joined: Oct 29, 2009
    Posts: 245

    BOERNESTAGE
    Member

    we had a customer load "HIS'' truck onto our trailer, got too far off to the rt and scraped the side of his truck got out and blamed us the entire time for messing his truck up. How is that our fault , he was driving? ....yea we fired his ass!
     
  14. This is a big deal... We are distracted by this stuff.
    I have a day job now - had it for awhile, but before that I ran a body shop.
    I look back on my reasons for being in business and on the way other shop owners I knew ran their business and remember that they are guys that "Solved" these problems and did not have them as much.
    The problem solvers were ALWAYS real clear about the purpose and mission of their shop and had it posted where all could see.
    They were really self confident when they dealt with prospective customers and current ones.
    My policy with Insurance claims folks was simple back then.
    "This is what its gonna take to fix the car. Somebody is going to pay me. You want to negotiate, come out and see me and you will find out I tell you the truth. or you can just approve this and move on - you tell me how much car rental you want to buy for the owner. I ask only for things I need, what I need goes in the car We never convert parts into labor and I don't buy whiskey at Christmas".
    We were so damn busy I couldn't have lied to anyone if I wanted to.

    You guys are dealing with customer pay stuff. It is a bit different. My situation was simple, and considerate. If we ran into a problem, I called them in. "This is what we need" I would say. If it was "Well, can't you do this?" (some BS hack way of dealing with it) I would simply say "NO".
    To the inevitable "why not?" question I would reply that we just do not do that here, If you want that done, I will stop, put the car outside and you can find a shop that will do that. My standard of quality was guarded with firm policy - it is the life blood of the shop. If you find alot of people are messing with you like this try a little more confident approach - based on never being afraid to lose any customer over honoring you committment to quality. Period. Sounds like a good wall hanging for the lobby. Right next to:
    "if ya got junk, just know that junk can be expensive to fix" "If you have never had your stuff looked at by professionals in the junk ressurection business, you really don't know if it is junk or not" "no projects will be started on without all involved agreeing to what is to be done, what to do about the other stuff that comes up (it will) and what 'Done' means"
    Don't think - even for a second - that your stuff will leave here with out having been paid for - ever.
    :D
     
  15. Francisco Plumbero
    Joined: May 6, 2010
    Posts: 2,533

    Francisco Plumbero
    Member
    from il.

    This is the nail, square shot right on the head.People are like fish, fish swim in schools, schools of fish all are alike, schools of people exactly the same. SO, if you bend over backwards and kiss your own tail for a guy he tells his friends in his school of friends how he worked you over and that if any effort is put in you can get a great deal cause the guy is desperate and weak, next thing you know you have all of this moaning little losers friends as customers, and very soon they start to assert them selves as a group upon your ability to exist demanding preference and service or they will all go elsewhere, shimmy along fishes, go poop on another part of the pond. Focus your attention upon quality customers who appreciate your work your quality and your need to charge a fair rate, toss this fish back into the pond for another fisherman to harvest, let them cut him up and make bait out of him. he he.
     
  16. 8-Track
    Joined: Jul 26, 2008
    Posts: 396

    8-Track
    Member

    This is a business, not a charity. Maybe one day UNICEF will get
    into the impound business......but until then, we're the people to see

    Joe Dirt
     
  17. been there done that !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I know take a car with no firewall or floors and have them say make it nice!! ok it will take this and this is approx hours it will take shop rate is 40$ per hour. sure do it. Tinman tell em floors take time and doing a new tunnel new cross braces it adds up real fast so you call and say its ready
    they come over and wow I love them ok well it took this many hours and they go how could that be?????????
     
  18. VOODOO ROD & CUSTOM
    Joined: Dec 27, 2009
    Posts: 1,310

    VOODOO ROD & CUSTOM
    Member

    I absolutely HATE chiselers ! ! ! As mentioned above, NEVER let a client/customer/friend/etc... get ahead of the cash flow for work already performed. That way, when the ol' Chiseler gets an
    attitude, the project gets rolled out into the side yard and you'll
    just have to tell him that he is paid in full for what has been done, and no one is the looser. In past posts, there has been a lot of "eating" hours" posts on restorations, customs, etc....... If you are a "professional" restorer, customizer (weather or not you are at it full time), you shouldn't have to "eat" any hours that you don't feel weren't because of a screw up on your part. Fair
    is Fair. I now prefer to build a car and merely sell it once completed. Customers can be too much of a P.I.A. Good luck
    with settling up with your customer and parting ways !! You'll feel a lot better.

    VR&C.
     
  19. BOWTIE BROWN
    Joined: Mar 30, 2010
    Posts: 3,251

    BOWTIE BROWN
    Member

  20. Chuck Most
    Joined: May 8, 2009
    Posts: 176

    Chuck Most
    Member
    from Saskatoon

    I've said way less courteous things than 'get lost'- I tend to prefer 'fuck off'! Or 'If you're such a damned expert why'd you hire me to do it instead of doing it yourself?' You just can't please some people.
     
  21. CutawayAl
    Joined: Aug 3, 2009
    Posts: 2,144

    CutawayAl
    Member
    from MI

    The people aspect, dealing with customers and/or employees, is the most challenging part of running any business.

    I'm pretty sure I have done work for your "problem" customer, or at least one of his relatives.:D Sometimes it isn't about the work, and what the customer really wants to feel more special. Some customers are defensive due to bad experiences in the past. To justify their ego, position, or expenditure, there are some who feel obligated to be a spoiler. Some people are innately unhappy and dissatisfied. But no matter what the case, you need to be sure the problem really is the customer and not you.

    Dealing with ametuers, hobbyist, and the general public seems to be where the most customer relations aggravation can be found. But, professionals and corporate customers can be a challenge too. Doing a good job and providing good service will turn around some problem customers. Be sure you are doing what you were hired to do, the way it should be done, and completing it when promised. In general, don't let customers(especially unknown and problem customers) be in a position to cheat you. Beyond that you can either find better customers, or try not to take any of it personally.

    Because I didn't want to deal with them for one reason or another, I have avoided customers/accounts that were potentially very profitable. To do that one has to be blessed with more work than needed.
     
  22. Francisco Plumbero
    Joined: May 6, 2010
    Posts: 2,533

    Francisco Plumbero
    Member
    from il.

    But the economy is so bad right now, you know you should be happy to have any work at all right now, I'm actually doing you a favor. I should get a 20 % discount just for walking in the door, oh and do you give a cash discount ? I should get a 50% discount for paying cash, oh and I will need a receipt, Is a check OK? I'll just write you a check, thats the same as cash, Will this be ready tommorrow at 9 AM/, It's early still, it's only 4:15, I know you close at 5 but you should have people working here that would be happy to work, you know with this slow economy, I think they should just work extra hours for straight time.

    The previous has been a test of your ability to stomach the customer, keep in mind this was only a test, we provide this as preparation in case of an actual customer who may be this nuts, thank you and be safe.
     
  23. mattlepperd
    Joined: Oct 29, 2010
    Posts: 100

    mattlepperd
    Member

    I had a '56 caddy in my shop that was a disaster. The guy wanted me to work on it fifty bucks at a time. Drove me crazy. The final nail was "If you would give me a better price,I could have you do more work on it."
    Are you fucking kidding me? If I work cheaper I get to work HARDER TOO?
    Get out.
     
  24. Tell jerky to do it himself if he is gonna try and tell a pro how to do a job he hired you to do because he couldn't do it himself.
     
  25. HRod 50
    Joined: Feb 22, 2010
    Posts: 760

    HRod 50
    Member

    Customer response here.......

    As the guy sitting across from you shop owners I would have to say I would appreciate a builder who told me we are not a good fit. I would even still recommend the shop, if I knew they did good work, based on the shops honesty.

    I like to think I'm a shop owners dream client. When we agree on a price I pay when the shop asks. I get involved with the build as I have my own ideas for what I want. I search and purchase the parts if my builder isn't able to find or get a better price than I can. I work closely with my builder with bartering favors such as I pick up parts and whatever my builder needs if I can to help him with his other builds since he's way out in the boondocks. I even built a storage box to store all of my parts in one location to help keep the shop clear and free of my things and to have them in easy access. I support the shop by wearing shop shirts to every car show I attend and I visit the shop as often as I can. I've developed a great friendship with my builder, and by now he knows me pretty well. He doesnt even bother to call me when he finds something we didnt forsee to ask if he should fix it ( RUST-YUK!), he knows I trust him, and his pricing.

    BTW-I don't expect anything from my shop, other than they do the best job they can do and take their time to do things right.

    Now to some shop owners I may be too involved, and this is the type of shop that would probably not want me as a client, and I would have to say if a shop did not want me involved it wouldn't be a good fit for either of us.

    So you are only doing yourself, but your client, a favor by firing him, even though he probably doesnt know it just yet..

    ( In my pictures, that's me picking up a 1950 Merc chassis, the box I built for my parts, me wearing the shop t shirts at numerous car shows, I even took the shop truck to the George Barris show where it won best Kustom )
     

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  26. Francisco Plumbero
    Joined: May 6, 2010
    Posts: 2,533

    Francisco Plumbero
    Member
    from il.

    I want people like you, happy, smiling, friendly, positive people. It makes work fun and rewarding to make a person happy.
     
  27. tommy
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 14,757

    tommy
    Member Emeritus

    Yeah I did it. I had a customer come in and and start talking about how he had to sue his last mechanic before we even talked about his problem. It only took a second or 2 to realize that no one could ever please him and I was not going to be the next one to get screwed. He got indignant when I told him that I was unable to help him. So be it. I dodged a bullet.

    I tried too hard to satisfy my customers. I've eaten a lot of stuff just to please them. I always thought of it as good advertising and most of the time it is but there comes a time when enough is enough.

    There are too many nice customers that appreciate an honest mechanic to put up with the idiots. Cultivate the good customers and cut loose of the idiots. I miss the good customers but threads like this make me glad that I don't have to try to put up with it any longer.
     
  28. lawman
    Joined: Sep 19, 2006
    Posts: 2,665

    lawman
    Member

    "Flush" him !!!!. I had to do that several times in my 25 years in the Classic car parts buciness. I sold only to Vendors and some were always very late paying. I would tell them COD or nothing after several times being over 60 days late. It hurt but I started to get my money on time after that "Little Talk" LOL Tom (Tired Old Man)
     
  29. Old Gold
    Joined: Dec 31, 2007
    Posts: 437

    Old Gold
    Member

    The politically correct term is "attitudely challenged"

    Have to be careful thes days!
     
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