Cowboy customers

[Centralheatking]

For the first time for years I had a customer who had issue with some work that we were unable to complete due to old fittings and badly maintained house. He was refusing to pay us !

Barney called in and I jumped on it - called round hewas still throwing toys out of his pram. Call my solicitor he said - I threatened to call around all his neighbours
in person this evening and tomorrow and tell them what he had done to us a local company.

Guess what ? paid up the invoice there and then !

THere are cowboy builders etc but there are also COWBOY CUSTOMERS

 

[justlead1]

Ambulance chaser are not restricted to ambulances. Any opertunity to save a shilling.

 

[moony]

ive been getting it a lot lately - the best payers are...... the ones who cant afford it. worst ones are the ones who are so well off they think they can bully you.

 

[dontknowitall]

I never give my customers the joy of me complaining if they pay slowly - I just sit and wait and they get fed up with me not contacting them and just pay. (Luckily around 99% of my customers pay as I leave or within a couple of days.)

 

[fuzzy]

i remember fitting a basin, it took be about 2 hours as i had trouble with the taps and waste leaked (as ever on a swap!). he siad how much and i just said £25 (not realising it had took me so long) he asked me for change of a tenner. i said i had no change so he gave me a £20 note and the £3 in change, said hed drop the rest off later, never saw the other "2!! 2 weeks later he asked me to fit a new bath, i said i carnt for 2 weeks, he said BUT I NEED IT NOW, you can guess my reply!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dannypipe]

Doesn't make you feel much better, but we all meet customers who have no intension of paying....they should be nicked as far as I'm concerned.

Luckilly there are far more goon ones than bad, and Moony is right about who's more likely to knock you.

 

[plumbster3456]

ive been getting it a lot lately - the best payers are...... the ones who cant afford it. worst ones are the ones who are so well off they think they can bully you.

very true its the normal people who are always nice you want a tea and biscuit and all that.
Then the rich ones want you to take your shoes off at there door and dont offer you a glass of water never mind a tea.
I have had more problems from this type of person than the ones without so much cash.

 

[dontknowitall]

Not all the rich ones - but I agree many are like this, and there are a few who both should and DO know better.

 

[royston]

Yeah i agree, and you usually find the customers that you think are not that well off end up giving you a tip, and the rich people dont.

 

[GQuigley67]

very true its the normal people who are always nice you want a tea and biscuit and all that.
Then the rich ones want you to take your shoes off at there door and dont offer you a glass of water never mind a tea.
I have had more problems from this type of person than the ones without so much cash.

maybe they think wer are "common working class scum" haha just kidding but i know what you mean, I always try to be nice but the whole taking your shoes off at the door really ****es me off.

 

[REDSAW]

maybe they think wer are "common working class scum" haha just kidding but i know what you mean, I always try to be nice but the whole taking your shoes off at the door really ****es me off.

i had one yesterday doing a shower replace.
i usually refuse due to health and saftey but in this case i had some of those blue shoe covers that i slipped on.
should have seen her face leading me through the hall way, lost for words. lol.

 

[GQuigley67]

haha yeh well she can't do much there can she thats a really good idea actually, saves you from hurting your toes. i hate wearing those things though had to wear them all the time when i worked in commercial, where can i get a hold of them ?

 

[Dannypipe]

Screwfix, fiver for a load of them. Always wear them in peoples homes...they are annoying, but so's been told off for marking a cream carpet.

 

[Avatar]

Dead right about rich people being the tight ones - how do you think they got rich, it wasn't by spending money now was it?

Last people who stiffed me were well-to-do. Insisted on a fixed quote as I would take my time if paid daily (rude too huh?), and on the final bill tried to renegciate amount based on my daily rates, insisting final figure was too much . . .

I told him many other factors within my quotes that I have to consider - you heard of the X Factor, well I have the rshole Factor in my quote! Its called an extra £2-300 for dealing with a rude objectionable prig like himself!

Still he stiffed me, with a smile on him face at the end (although I lost £100, if I had no contract it would have been more!)

When I quote a fixed price I have to consider 3 things:

- does the job have unknown commoditiities which may require extra work?

- is the customer going to be 'high maintainance'?

- do I distrust the customer?

On a big job you can add at least £200 for each yes . . .

 

[tiling spread]

when i was working part time for a firm subed for DFS 10 jobs a day ranging from say just a arm chair to the full monty soffa beds up 3 lifts of stairs and a full corner group
got lost for 2 hours ******* satnav
in the peak of summer get there propper stuck up ***** take your shoes off please sorry no can do m8 health and safty wood flooring come on
so off come the shoes get the sofas in the frunt room feet on unpacked loaded the lorry (can you take the sofa bed up stairs yep luv
shoes off egen (can you put sheets down please) yes luv starting to get the ump half ay up there sliped on the sheets and my socks sofa on top of me not even a glass of water or a tip ****** hopped to the lorry told her to get stuffed left the soffa in the hall LOL and went on with my day