# picky costumer. i need help responding politely



## svronthmve (Aug 3, 2008)

I ALWAYS have a contract no matter the price. Only exception is on a service call.


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## KennMacMoragh (Sep 16, 2008)

Inner10 said:


> You are going to ink a contract for a dinky little tile job?
> /QUOTE]
> Yup, it only takes a few minutes.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

svronthmve said:


> I ALWAYS have a contract no matter the price. Only exception is on a service call.


I'll close up shop and go work at home depot before I have to start getting contracts signed for piss-ant jobs...handshakes not exist anymore?


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## svronthmve (Aug 3, 2008)

Perhaps part of your problem is that you were working for a costumer rather than a customer. 

Just kidding btw!


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## svronthmve (Aug 3, 2008)

Inner10 said:


> I'll close up shop and go work at home depot before I have to start getting contracts signed for piss-ant jobs...handshakes not exist anymore?


Go to work for HD and you'll wish YOU had a contract!

Yes, handshakes still exist, but unfortunately most don't mean much anymore......

And like Kent said - it only takes a couple extra minutes. IMO it 1.) makes me look much more professional than most of the other contractor bums out there, and 2.) gives both of us some protection against the other if one turns out to be a slime ball. I know that's not me, so basically without telling the customer, I'm protecting my own interests!


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## C2projects (Jan 9, 2013)

It's been said. But explain to then that the contract was fixed, remind them of the 10% material discount when you didn't have to give it to them. Tell Them when you buy your materials you purchase 10% more to make sure you dont need to go back to the store. And then if they put up a fuss ask them if they would have given you more money had you mis quoted. If they are still being unreasonable keep the $100.00 and tell them they can try prying it from your cold dead fingers.


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## TimberlineMD (Jan 15, 2008)

THRemodeling said:


> yeah i did order a little bit too much on this job but i way underestimated time to do the project. Even with the extra 100 i still made about $10 less an hour than i normally do. Also i did not have a contract. I normally dont for anything under $1000 and this one was $1200 so i went ahead and did it. But i made sure i sent them the final price before i started and got a conformation in writing giving me the go ahead.


Based on the above I would tell them...

"I'm glad you brought this up, I came up short, because the time it took to do this job was longer than I had expected. Would you mind paying me for the extra time I spent?" :whistling


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

Give them their 100 bucks and call the tile store and tell them they owe you a 100 dollar credit for embarrassing you and giving out your information of your sale to strangers on the phone. Your sales info is proprietory and they should understand that.

If I called the tile stores vendor, and their vendor told me what they're wholesale price for tile was, they would be pissed too.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

If you are going to collect for that tile you should of left it there it belonged to them. They paid for it


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## bob_cntrctr (Jan 30, 2008)

Dear Customer,

Thank you for the kind words about the job. I'm glad you like the result, and it was a pleasure doing this for you.

The quote we agreed on for this job was for a single, fixed price, without materials and labour breakdown, for the finished result you received. Meaning that I asume all the risk for estimating my own time and materials. Where I might end up slightly ahead on materials, I might also - as I did on this job - end up spending longer than estimated and be short on labour charges. Thanks to the fixed-price formula, you do not have to worry about any of that. The price is the price and I stick to my promise to you to deliver a result at the agreed price. 

Again, I'm glad you're happy with the result that was delivered at the agreed upon price, and I look forward to serving you again in future.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

THRemodeling said:


> It was a fixed cost i sent them a total cost when they picked out the tile. i did not break down the estimate, but when they where at the tile shop originally they asked how much of a discount contractors get. they told them usually 10% so when i sent them the bid they asked about the 10% i gave it to them. basically they figured up how much tile i installed and i suppose they called the tile shop and they told them how much i returned. since i paid for material the tile shop is getting a call in the morning


So is this in writing? And was it signed?


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

Californiadecks said:


> So is this in writing? And was it signed?


If it's a fixed price like you say it is and they are adamant about getting there money for the material send them a bill and tell them it took 4 hours longer them you expected 

Be sure to break it down so it reflects their credit but make damn sur they owe you at the end. 

I didn't see the part where you said it was a fixed bid. So please excuse my prior posts. This is what I get for not reading before I post.


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

bob_cntrctr said:


> Dear Customer,
> 
> Thank you for the kind words about the job. I'm glad you like the result, and it was a pleasure doing this for you.
> 
> ...


I really like this answer, except for the part about coming out ahead on the materials.
Instead, I would explain that the extra materials are your insurance, so that you don't have to return to the store in the middle of their job, costing you time and money.


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## Stunt Carpenter (Dec 31, 2011)

Did you leave any extra tile for future use if a tile breaks or they want to match it in another room. 

I'm not saying leave a case or open a new case to leave a few tiles but they might feel that they should get a few tiles


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## CompleteW&D (May 28, 2011)

jlsconstruction said:


> I go through this all the time with shingles left from a job.
> 
> Ask them the simple question. If I didn't have enough material would you have given me the additional cost of materials?
> 
> ...


We have a project checklist that every customer must sign in addition to our contract. One of the items on the checklist is *ANY* leftover materials are the property of Complete Window and Door. 

In covering that clause when going over the checklist, I explain your exact situation. We always bring or have extra materials delivered to expadite the completion of your project. Anything left over, is ours to return or leave at our discretion. We never have this situation arise.

With that being said, I would tell them why you had extra material and why you don't owe them a refund. I'd also tell them that because they were such a wonderful client to work with (purely stroking their ego), you will be glad to share the overage with them on this job, this ONE time. I'd then buy them a $50 gas card and send it to them in a Thank You note.


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## Big Shoe (Jun 16, 2008)

THRemodeling said:


> email i got from a costumer recently. i did their backsplash and gave them a total job cost, i got paid then a couple days later i get this
> 
> Hey Tyler.
> 
> ...


Late to the party. 

:no:

First, how did they know you had returned left over tile?
Second, how much of it was there?
Third, back splash = height x length plus border.
Fourth, I would have left at least a box plus some trim pcs.

Back splashes are ''mostly'' pretty basic,tile 101. I think you may have to suck it up on this one. 

Good luck.


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## Kowboy (May 7, 2009)

THRemodeling:

Too many times on threads, our fellow contractors take our side. Sometimes this is deserved, sometimes not.

Take a long deep painful introspective look at yourself on this job. When I look at this situation, I see you've made plenty of mistakes, customer and vendor selection just to mention two. You have to pay for your mistakes.

You are going to make a purchase. You are either going to spend a hundred bucks on tuition and get a satisfied customer from whom you may get more work and/or referrals, or you are going to buy a pissed off customer who can do all kinds of damage.

Man up and move on.

Joe


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## THRemodeling (May 22, 2011)

just got off the phone with the tile shop and the manager remembers her raising hell in the store. The guy that helped them got fired. Apparently the few peices i left there for a repair she took back and tried to get a refund. The guy told her the refund would go to me since i paid for it and also told her how much tile i returned from that job.


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## ToolNut (Aug 9, 2012)

Almost everyone on here is blaming the customer I believe the one at fault is the tile store. If they had done their job professionally none of this would have occurred. I would not only find a new tile store but I would go in and see the owner and tell him face to face in words he can understand why he won't see my smiling face in his store again.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

THRemodeling said:


> just got off the phone with the tile shop and the manager remembers her raising hell in the store. The guy that helped them got fired. Apparently the few peices i left there for a repair she took back and tried to get a refund. The guy told her the refund would go to me since i paid for it and also told her how much tile i returned from that job.


Ah yes typical case of ******* salesman meets ******* client. Classic.


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