I need to rant!

[CES020]

I had a sign guy come into our shop, which is in a industrial complex, he wanted a job. When we didn't hire him on the spot, he told me that we weren't a real company because we didn't even have a logo.

We joke all the time, thinking "Man, if we only had a logo, we'd be rich by now".


Friday, a customer I did some work for one time (and it was painful to deal with), walks in the door. He has a wood object he wants engraved. His English isn't very good, he's an old man from somewhere in Eastern Europe. I really have to fight to get info from him. He said "come on, you engrave this now". I said "I'm sorry, I can't do it now, I have a backlog at the moment and I'm all booked up, I can do it Monday".

"Monday no good, need it now".

Sorry, I can't do it now.

"I'm going out of town on Monday and I need to take it with me".

Sorry, the best I can do is TRY to get to it some time over the weekend. I'm booked up and if you leave the item, I'll try to fit it in between jobs some time during the weekend, and then I'll call you when it's done, probably on Sunday some time".

"Okay, good. You call me on Sunday". He starts walking out the door. I said "Wait, you need to leave that if you want me to fit it into over the weekend".

He tells me that he's not leaving anything with me, and that I will call him on Sunday when I am ready for him, and he'll bring the item over and watch me set it up and do it to make sure it was okay.

I tell him that's not going to happen, he can leave it and I'll engrave it at my convenience, or he can have it done the next week, as I was trying to do him a favor.

He walked out the door with it, said for me to call him on Sunday and he'd be right over with it.

I hope he didn't sit by the phone waiting for me to call.

 

[TheSnowman]

Was taught always treat people as equals and with the same respect till you know otherwise.

I totally agree with this statement...and it's what I was taught too, however, being burned a few times, and having people just using me as something to waste my time and theirs, I've started judging people when they walk in the door. Normally if they carry a ton of drama, the project will be nothing but drama. I've been burned a few times, and had some very horrible situations because the customer was only out to burn whoever they could in life...so yes, I try to always give them the benefit of the doubt first...but I'm also trying to put the puzzle together in our first few moments talking, and this guy, I had his puzzle put together instantly...and he's missing a few cards in the deck.

 

[iSign]

every time I act like that, I get told to GTF off someone's property, so I would be treating him equal when I said the same

 

[Rooster]

I just quote these kinds of people ridiculous prices to make them go away.

Nothing drives them away faster than a high price. If they still give me the job at that point I'm charging enough to put up with them. So I don't mind having to deal with the odd a-hole if they're paying my a-hole rates.

 

[Gino]

I think you did the right thing. Whether or not this guy was hung over or still partially drunk.... you don't want to mess around with someone in either of these conditions. You're working around a loose cannon and the slightest thing could set him off. The thing you don't want is something going wrong, regardless of how justified you feel... getting your name and business name in the newspaper for kicking some drunks butt around for being a nuisance probably won't fare to well.

 

[btropical.com]

IF at all possible bring him/them/her into shop behind wall and run on and on about project . Have wife or worker run around and place 3 head on shrimp under their vehicle seat .

 

[Mainframe]

I would have told him to F off and get the F out of my F'n shop.
Jagoff.
Love....Jill

+ 1, that's how we do it in PA