Some customers never change

[gabagoo]

I have this customer that has a fleet of trucks we used to do. have not heard from them in a couple of years, but do work for one of the brothers other companies.... He told me that they no longer buy trucks for the workers and they use their own, so they don't bother lettering them up...

Last week one of the other brothers comes in ( this guy would lie to his priest to get his way) and tells me he has 2 pick ups he wants done. I look outside and there is a pick up and it has new lettering on it. I don't ask questions but it is obvious they went somewhere else. I went out and measured everything and then he asked me a price. I told him $375 per truck and he said he would let me know and send me a PO, but would bring the trucks in the following Monday. I told him I would need to know before weeks end as I needed to reset up the new layout.
I was swamped last week with school buses and taxis and they are all last minute but fairly fast applications. he never called so I went about my other business and now have school bus here and a caravan taxi plus a Ford escape for minor lettering, all due today.

Who comes in at 9 am but this guy...the liar. he says he is dropping off one pickup and bringing the other later. I said he never called to let me know if I had the job and I never received a PO. he now gets angry with me and says " I told you I was bringing them in Monday" which I replied "Yes you did ,but first you would let me know and send a PO. he denies this.
Why would I set this up and cut for even one pick up considering they already had one done. My thought was that he had my price, I did not hear from him so maybe they went back to the other company to get it done.

What the %$%#$$ is wrong with people

In any case I said to leave it and I would have it ready by 6pm today..... I want to be busy but not like this!!

 

[2B]

payment before the truck drives off.......

 

[CanuckSigns]

I agree, we have a few clients who we made the mistake of turning their jobs around very quickly, either because we happened to be slow when they came in, or they begged and pleaded. Guess what, now they expect their job to be done in the same time frame everytime, and they don't understand why I can't always meet their next day deadline because "I did it last time"

Try to do someone a favour....

 

[Gino]

Friday, I probably would've called him as a friendly reminder and explained you will be scheduling other things in his place, if you don't here from him. If no answer or communications, then just tell him to bring it back on Wednesday or Thursday when you can give him your full attention. I've had people already scheduled who came in later than the agreed upon time and told them after everything was inside and all the discussing was done..... I can't meet my deadline of today anymore, but we'll call you tomorrow with an hour's heads up call. If they stammer and b!tch, hand them the keys and say.... Okay. Try Sam down the road. He's never busy and can probably get you in immediately. In fact, his prices are less than anyone else around. Gotta ask yourself, why he's so cheap and convenient and not busy, huh ??

 

[gabagoo]

Friday, I probably would've called him as a friendly reminder and explained you will be scheduling other things in his place, if you don't here from him. If no answer or communications, then just tell him to bring it back on Wednesday or Thursday when you can give him your full attention. I've had people already scheduled who came in later than the agreed upon time and told them after everything was inside and all the discussing was done..... I can't meet my deadline of today anymore, but we'll call you tomorrow with an hour's heads up call. If they stammer and b!tch, hand them the keys and say.... Okay. Try Sam down the road. He's never busy and can probably get you in immediately. In fact, his prices are less than anyone else around. Gotta ask yourself, why he's so cheap and convenient and not busy, huh ??

Your correct...but I was solo and extremely busy...never had a chance..... I will get it done... he knows what he said and I am sure when he left he was thankful that I would take it as he booked the driver off for the day...Not sure when he thinks I am doing the second one....

 

[Gino]

Your correct...but I was solo and extremely busy...never had a chance..... I will get it done... he knows what he said and I am sure when he left he was thankful that I would take it as he booked the driver off for the day...Not sure when he thinks I am doing the second one....

Then, instead of playing his game, when he picks it up, tell him, instead of his paying extra for overtime on your part, due to his inability to communicate, you will just charge the agreed upon price. Now, when you call him to tell him it's finished, tell him to make sure he brings his check book. You don't intend to invoice him when the second one is finished. Tell him about your new payment schedule. As things leave, they are paid for immediately.

We don't actually run into this, but keep all customer's truck keys in a safe spot and don't hand them over, til the truck is paid for in full, as per your instructions.

This whole scenario should give you time to go home, eat supper with the kids and then call him and head back to the shop.

 

[Techman]

just do the job and move on. No drama.. No special favors,,, Do it and move on. No need to create any friction even though the client operated in his own sphere.

Some people do not operate in the mind of a production worker. They move in the world of impulse. Deal with them and move on. Get paid

 

[gabagoo]

just do the job and move on. No drama.. No special favors,,, Do it and move on. No need to create any friction even though the client operated in his own sphere.

Some people do not operate in the mind of a production worker. They move in the world of impulse. Deal with them and move on. Get paid

Yup I am doing it now, just needed to vent.

 

[TimToad]

Yup I am doing it now, just needed to vent.

To you or anyone else who simply needs to vent. Go for it. I would much rather comfort and support any of my peers here over a bad customer than have any of us lose our cool with a customer. No matter how much they deserve it.

We inherited a few when we took over this business that did it all. No respect shown during process, bad scheduling practices, hammering us on price on EVERY job, slow pay including one who used to use US as a credit reference. We'd do maybe $5,000 a year worth of work for him and you'd think he was paying in gold bullion the way you had to pry the checks out of him. He'd pull up in his $75,000 Mercedes to shuttle one of the drivers back after dropping off a truck and then give us the runaround on every invoice. We'd have to hound him for months on every single invoice. The previous owner may have put up with it, but it takes a lot more than a couple thousand a year in revenue for us to do so.

Gone. Gone. gone. I just kept raising the prices until he obviously went elsewhere. They can have him and thankfully only a few others.

I'd rather pound the pavement for new clients than compromise our self-respect dealing with headaches.

 

[Vinyldog]

Any time I talk with someone from the sign / print business it isn't long before we're comparing customer stories. It does make me feel better somehow to know that everyone has those customers to deal with.

 

[TimToad]

Any time I talk with someone from the sign / print business it isn't long before we're comparing customer stories. It does make me feel better somehow to know that everyone has those customers to deal with.

I'm afraid it's human nature. Maybe not as bad in other more advanced countries, but in our particular brand of capitalism, it seems to go with the territory. Rent the film, 99 Homes if you really want to see a jerk.

Don't get me started on my days as an innkeeper. I could write quite the tell all book about some of the schmucks we hosted and the awful, outrageous things some of them did.

 

[threeputt]

.


I said to leave it and I would have it ready by 6pm today.....

The behavior that gets rewarded is the behavior that gets repeated! Good luck with this client.

 

[biggmann]

Gone. Gone. gone. I just kept raising the prices until he obviously went elsewhere. They can have him and thankfully only a few others.

I'd rather pound the pavement for new clients than compromise our self-respect dealing with headaches.[/QUOTE]


I find doing this here more and more often, its not worth the headache any longer.

 

[2B]

I'm curious to see how this played out.

willing to bet the "customer" didn't show up until really late and/or will leave the vehicle there for several days..

 

[Gino]

I'm curious to see how this played out.

willing to bet the "customer" didn't show up until really late and/or will leave the vehicle there for several days..

Me too...... and did ya get paid right away or are you gonna still play banker ??