So I do a bid on the phone a week ago, lady wants some Rain flow and gutter cleaning with only upper windows exteriors done. I get there yesterday at 10am, and for an hour and 15 minutes she go’s on this tirade of how bad every single contractor that has worked at her house was, and hopes that I wont be the same. WOW. Big red flag. I do it anyway.
She stand behind me the whole time asking me if I’m doing it right etc…even getting on the ladder to make sure. My guy was doing the windows, and she started in on him, he couldnt take it anymore and went home.
She told me that he was rude to her, and how she should just use FISH again!
That did it. When she said that, I actually stayed for another 30 minutes after I was done and swept the sidewalks and backyard after she checked to see if she was happy when she claims now she has a broken screen…which was missing a corner peice, THAT WAS NOT THERE FOR SOME TIME! I showed her how I came to that conclusion, you know, how there was dirt and spider webs in the hollow part of the screen where the corner shouldve been, that if we broke it, there wouldnt be a spider web. So, since the customer is always right, I WILL go and make her a new screen.
I shouldve known. All the warning signs were there. I was so concerned about eating the price for the material, that I did it anyway thinking I could handle this woman when I KNOW from experience that no matter WHAT you do there will be a problem.
Insane. Now she wants me to come every month to do the windows. No way will I be doing that. After the screen- IM OUT!
Mike, Damien, Doug…I got a residential for you guys
I try to make the worst customers help me to become the best professional.
I had a pain in the neck contact at a small business I do monthly. I’d done this business for over 2 years before she was hired. She gave me attitude left and right. I wanted to quit the account after the 1st month. I decided to stick it out and learn from her.
It’s been about 8 months and she now smiles when I come by. She’s happy now and gives me no problems. Dealing with her has helped me improve handling clients and potential clients.
I’d suggest you try sticking to it a few months. Smile and say “yes ma’am” when she talks to you. You just might impress yourself at your ability to turn such a client into one you like. Imagine if she ends up being nice to you. If she complains so loudly about what she doesn’t like, there’s a good chance she’ll tell her friends about the window cleaner she does like. You could get referrals from her.
If it doesn’t work after 6 months, then drop her. At least you’ll have tried. There are some people in this world you’ll NEVER please.
You know what? That is something I never thought about. You are absolutely right. Okay. I will give it a shot. She’s got me so gun-shy its ridiculous. Did I do right on the screen issue? Or would you have not given her a new screen. The reason why I am going to do it is because I know she will shout on the rooftops about it, and I dont want ANYONE saying they had a bad experience with me.
I agree. I hate customers like that, but I stick it out with them, primarily for the same reason you want to: I don’t want her to have any negative comments about my business.
Another thing I suggest is: when she comes out to watch you, try and distract her by giving her something to do. Ask her to go inside and look at the windows from the interior to help you find any missed spots. You can turn this into, “Well thats on the inside. Would you like me to set you up for an interior cleaning too?”. Chances are she’ll do it, or she might get distracted while she’s in the house and just leave you alone.
I know how you feel man. Just make it a positive thing for you.
I think that you did a great job. I always say if you can please the worst customer that means you can please anyone. Sounds like you were professional and that’s why she wants you back every month. Just go the extra mile as long as she’s happy and as long as you’re working for enough pay. If it comes to the point where her nitpicking is going to eat up your profits start tacking on to the price. If she asks why tell her it takes longer to her home because of suchand such. Then you’ll be able to weed her out if she’s a good customer she’ll stay if not she’ll go back to Fish. Just wait it out a little.
I’m one that always goes the extra mile to make sure my customers are happy with my service no matter how difficult they may be. I experienced my most difficult customer ever back in the Spring of this year. I wanted to unload on him so bad but kept my cool, did a great job, and won him over. I ended up getting several really good referrals from this guy.
I saw a sign in front of a church just last week that said:
“The key to failure is trying to please everyone.”
Tell her when she calls you again that you just landed a huge account for a well known bank chain and that your hands are full. Thats what I would do. I had the same issue with a lady about 5 years ago and she was a serious pain in the neck. She didnt want me to use a T-Bar to apply my solution to the glass for fear of staining her interior woodwork- all work by hand with a spray bottle and towels. She wanted me to put socks over the tops of my ladders (they have rubber bumpers on them already) so that I wouldnt scuff her exterior wood siding up. The lady was OCD for sure. Two days on that mother. I thought I was in hell. Every job since then has been cake!
I hear what you guys are saying about being professional and doing all you can for the customer. The customer is always right. But they don’t have the right to be impossible! I did a community college for ten years. I did everything to please this psycho woman Facilities Manager. I scraped paint and tape off for free. I redid windows when birds crapped on them. I thought that this was the one job that was safe. Next thing I know I hear that my competitor was doing it. And when it was due again she refused to let me bid on it, claiming there were “problems.” I totally lost it and I went off on her. I know it was unprofessional but I couldn’t take it anymore. Sometimes you have to fire the customer.
You obvioulsy did your job well and she’s happy. Maybe she was testing you. You never really know with some people. However, she wants you back. You have the upper hand and you can dictate your terms to her. If she doesn’t like it, then, walk away. Never burn bridges!!
Everything inside of me would have been screaming “There’s no way in H**l I’m giving you a new screen lady”…but on the outside I’m pretty sure I would have done the same thing you did.
I’ve replaced one screen in the 13 years I’ve done this. I actually did break that screen. I remade it myself. I spent about $20 on the materials to make the screen, the customer was pleased with the result, and I learned a new trade! Although I haven’t made one since, nor marketed for it.
This lady was the exact same way. She told me she did not want not even a drop of water to hit the stucco when the window was cleaned! She said that she thought that the solution would stain her stucco!
Then she said we could not lean the ladder on her stucco because it would damage it- I use bumpers too.
Sooooo, talk about a long day. Thats okay tho. I WAS getting ready to dump her, but I will give it another few months. The price just went up big time tho, I just need to find a way to be nice and have decorum when I tell her why.
A very sucessful man told me. Give all your worse customer to your concetitors. And I do just that. Works for me. A whole lot less strress. LOL
When she told me no water on stuco. I would have said call Fish. Chances are thats why there not using fish.
Just remember the point made that the customer doesn’t have the right to be impossible. I had a situation last April that raised my dander to say the least and I ended up leaving the woman in just shy of a tirade after letting her rip me off from about $40. This was so obviously a scam. There was no hint of reasonableness or a mere misunderstanding.
This year I fired a customer for business reasons, and when I left the message I made that clear, that is was a BUSINESS decision and why I had decided to discontinue scheduling them in. The man called back quite indignant and said he’d play my awful message to all his customers (he’s a plumber) and sway them from ever using my services.
I have to admit, doing these things goes against my grain, but after dealing with thousands of situations over the years I’ve learned to trust my judgment of what is a lose/lose deal. There are too many better customers out there to fret over the downers. Especially with residential, you are rendering them a luxury service. There are reasonable inconveniences to deal with and there are unnecessary ones. If the potential result to accommodating difficult customers is more good accounts, then so be it. But if it’s frustration and gaining none of your customer’s trust or respect, then I say let her go.
The other reason of being a one man show is when ever i come across broken screen problems i address the problem right away , so i dont run into problems like this. your employee prob. did not break the screen, but it is hard to tell the customer that.
