So fed up with ignorant customers

[helpsy]

Maybe it's time to take part payment!

 

[helpsy]

When booked

 

[Wet dream]

Part payment sounds like the way forward. A friend of mine does this but I have always felt in easy asking.

 

[gassafe]

Part payment sounds like the way forward. A friend of mine does this but I have always felt in easy asking.

Yeah I imagine it would do more harm than good, the genuine custards don't wanna pay before hand? Plus no would it work anyway? Knock on the door and ask for a tenner for my part payment?

 

[rpm]

Maybe it's time to take part payment!

More and more tradespeople are taking £50 deposit around where I live.

 

[helpsy]

Get a card machine!

 

[woodsy]

More and more tradespeople are taking £50 deposit around where I live.

Crikey, struggle to get £50 when I've done the job, never mind before it.

 

[Wet dream]

Yeah I imagine it would do more harm than good, the genuine custards don't wanna pay before hand? Plus no would it work anyway? Knock on the door and ask for a tenner for my part payment?

That said my friend is all ways busy. And in 18 years he has only lost £800 in bad debts where as I have lost in excess of 18k. He takes deposit and full payment before leaving property. I just don't see to have the balls to do it for some reason. As you may tell it is something we have been talking about lately

 

[Wet dream]

Crikey, struggle to get £50 when I've done the job, never mind before it.

You need a min charge and confirm this before going to job if your serious

 

[lame plumber]

had the normal one today, oil boiler needs a service, next thursday at 0900 says I, oh,can you come at 4.30 as we are both teachers, when was it last serviced says I? on bout 3 or 4 years ago says she. My little cell in the head whirrs for a bit, 4.30 and no service for years will mean late home that day, so NO thanks. do you work weekends says she, do you says I of course not says she, you all know my reply

my question about 3 weeks holiday and planning ahead failed to enlist a response bar a click of the phone dropping, seems I didnt need that sort of customer this year

 

[Mike Jackson]

agree totally

just went to a customers house at an agreed time she let me in and theres already a plumber upstairs quoting her for the work

he looked at me and said "giz a min will ya" so i stormed out.
can understand customers getting quotes from elsewhere but booking the tradesmen to come all at same time?

I had something similar. I turned up to look at a job and was wandering up and down the street looking for the place. I noticed another guy wandering about aimlessly as well. Turns out he was looking for the place as well. We teamed up and found the place. I was flat out at the time and the other guy was going through a quiet patch so I told him what price I would be quoting so that he could go lower if he wanted. No point falling out with other plumbers over things like this I've possibly got a few jobs to do for him because he's got some customers that want LPG boilers put in and he's only got NG.

 

[mfgs]

had the normal one today, oil boiler needs a service, next thursday at 0900 says I, oh,can you come at 4.30 as we are both teachers, when was it last serviced says I? on bout 3 or 4 years ago says she. My little cell in the head whirrs for a bit, 4.30 and no service for years will mean late home that day, so NO thanks. do you work weekends says she, do you says I of course not says she, you all know my reply

my question about 3 weeks holiday and planning ahead failed to enlist a response bar a click of the phone dropping, seems I didnt need that sort of customer this year

I can see the frustration of the times being awkward, but as a one man band or small business, flexibility can get you jobs off the big companies who only work 9-5. I regularly book in evening appointments etc and as such have very loyal customers. If you are busy enough to be able to turn work away and pick and choose jobs that's fine and good luck to you, but for people starting out this attitude wont get you very far.

 

[SimonG]

I can see the frustration of the times being awkward, but as a one man band or small business, flexibility can get you jobs off the big companies who only work 9-5. I regularly book in evening appointments etc and as such have very loyal customers. If you are busy enough to be able to turn work away and pick and choose jobs that's fine and good luck to you, but for people starting out this attitude wont get you very far.

Ah but theres flexibility and people extracting the urine. If its truly a service then no hurry but through tbe day at a convenient time to both. I would do a service on a saturday morning. A breakdown is on my terms. If somebody cant be available on my schedule to have heating and hot water then they can stay cold and dirty.

But it does depend on your own position. Starting out or not a lot on then you will be flexible. Works steady and you like your family, then all bets are off.

I like the fact that I'm busy, have a good customer base and I am comfortable saying no. Saying no takes a lot of getting to.

 

[Best]

Sometimes doing an emergency job at after hours, weekends or, say Christmas eve, can win you friends as the customer (especially if they were a stranger) will often tell everyone they can about how you helped them.
Trouble is you are only brilliant in people's eyes until you fail to jump to their next demand some day & then many will not want to know you.

 

[Ray Stafford]

Sometimes doing an emergency job at after hours, weekends or, say Christmas eve, can win you friends as the customer (especially if they were a stranger) will often tell everyone they can about how you helped them.
Trouble is you are only brilliant in people's eyes until you fail to jump to their next demand some day & then many will not want to know you.

But isn't that what being in a service industry is all about? You are as good as your customers last experience of you.

An old mentor of mine used to say "There is no such thing as a customer list. What you have is a list of people who used you last month. You have to win their business again tomorrow, next week and next month. Never assume that they are your customer - the moment that you do, you are half way to losing them."