# I hate when customers--



## tedanderson (May 19, 2010)

POOLMANinCT said:


> a clean organized truck is a reflection of a pro.... i laugh at guys who open the door and soda cans fall out, and im sure clients do too


IMO there is a difference between having messy truck as a result of the day-to-day business and a truck that's hauling garbage along with your tools and stuff. And even at that, the remnants from yesterday's lunch is one thing but I think that if you have a weeks worth of garbage, that is definitely something that can be controlled.

And I think that the appearance of your truck has a lot to do with the particular type of trade that you do. For instance, a locksmith is more likely to have a truck that is neat and organized at all times than someone who finishes basements.. unless of course you are able to bid high enough on the job to outsource the jobsite cleanup and waste disposal.. and if you are busy enough in one area of your trade where you don't have to take multiple types of gigs in order to keep your cash flowing.

But as for customers/situations that I hate; HO's that get multiple opinions from different contractors and then they expect YOU to fulfill what THEY promised. Last week I get a lead from an associate who does commercial low voltage (I primarily do residential) who didn't have the time or resources to the job. When I met with the HO to walk the job he kept referring back to my colleague, Joe.

Essentially there is an apples to oranges comparison in the methods that we use in our work but we usually end up with the same result. So as I am discussing the work and the plan of action, the HO calls Joe three different times to compare notes. First he wants to know why I am going to pull the wire up from the basement to the attic when Joe said he was going to pull it down from the attic into the basement.

THEN he puts me on the phone with Joe.. and we both make small talk recognizing that the HO is the only one that thinks there is a problem. So we finish the conversation and the walkthrough continues.

10 minutes later, the HO decides to call Joe again saying, "But I thought we talked about doing_______?" and this time he puts Joe on speaker phone! :blink: At this point I walk away into the next room as he argues and fights with Joe.

And after it's all over, I think that everything is fine and I will be starting the job in a few days- I give him a hand-written quote on the spot and ask for a deposit. But wait! He picks up the phone again and calls Frank who is a Geek Squad installer at Best Buy. And of course he has an opinion also! 

The HO needed some time to think it over. I don't think I will be answering my phone if it rings. :no:


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## jmiller (May 14, 2010)

I like it when they come out to the truck. I usually invite them if we're out milling around the house, so I can get their email address and whatnot.

I especially like when the old timers want to rest their arms on my truck bed, which for whatever reason is a very natural thing to do, and they can look at the specialized roofing junk in my bed. You can pretty much tell i'm not a handyman from the crap that accumulates in there. 

If they don't like pop cans falling out, well screw them. I pretty much live in that thing, and between me, the tools, and the pop cans- somethings gotta give.


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## Accurate (Apr 4, 2011)

tedanderson said:


> I was doing the finishing touches on an alarm system install many years ago and the HO followed me EVERYWHERE.. even into the attic! .... but I guess when people take their homes very seriously, they want to know and see everything and everyone that comes and goes.





Rob PA said:


> I have one customer now, that for some odd reason doesnt like work being done while they are not at home... But the work can only be done on weekends and after 4-5 pm during the week. I am always resistant to working weekends on a project that can easliy be done at any other time.


Just retired from Police work, so I have a different angle on this. Some people just don't trust anyone to walk around their home without watching them, or being there while they work. Getting some people to give you their key or alarm code...never going to happen.

In their defense, you wouldn't believe the number of thefts due to maids, installers, delivery guys, babysitters, etc who get let into peoples homes.

Think about it. Your wife can't find an expensive pair of earrings. Did they get lost, was it the babysitter last friday, or the three guys doing work 2 weeks ago. You don't know for sure, but I bet in the future you keep a closer eye on people who come into your home.


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## cairnstone (Oct 26, 2008)

BC Carpenter said:


> I'm pretty fortunate I guess with the great majority of my customer's. I tend to get along well with them and don't mind them having a look, although it makes me uncomfortable if I get a "watcher" who stands for awhile and just watches us work.
> 
> A couple bad incidents though:
> 
> ...


So far I have been lucky, all the lesbians I have worked for have been on the sexy cute side. I have worked for a couple gay guys and there house was discusting. I don't think they ever cleaned. I was there to change a bathroom fan.

I had one client that follwed me around his house and asked me how often I did every task example how many light bulbs have I changedand how long every task would take. It was a long 2 days at his house


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## mehtwo (Nov 14, 2010)

cairnstone said:


> So far I have been lucky, all the lesbians I have worked for have been on the sexy cute side. I have worked for a couple gay guys and there house was discusting. I don't think they ever cleaned.


Cuteness and cleanliness have no preference to sexual orientation.:jester:


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## SC sawdaddy (Oct 15, 2008)

OK I'll throw one in here after the phone call I just had.

I hate customers who come right out in the beginning saying,
"I dont want to put too much money in it, I just want to put a band aid on it."

I did a roof patch job and built a cricket last Oct for one of the tightest home owners I have ever delt with. He had a nightmare designed roof with three sides coming down onto the shed roof of an addition built years ago by his FIL who, according to him was no carpenter. I concur.

Now 6+ months later he has another leak. He still doesnt even want to _talk_ about a new roofing job. Wants me to come back and see if I can "just caulk around up there.":furious:

I'm going to go look at it but I told him last year before we did it that I cant warrantee a patch job. If he wants to fix it right I'll stand behind it.
Maybe I can sell him on a new roof now that he sees putting a frigging band aid on it just wont work.


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## smalpierre (Jan 19, 2011)

PA woodbutcher said:


> My dad told me about 35 years ago, never leave a level or a square on the job. Some of these old houses, the only thing you need them for is a straight edge anyways. You can build a plumb/square wall and it make the rest of the room look like chit


I was doing some remodel work for a GC that had done nothing but new construction. He said (as if I'm an idiot or something) "all you need, is plumb, level, and square!" so I corrected him, saying - unless you're remodeling, then straight is all that matters 

He didn't get it until I explained.


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## smalpierre (Jan 19, 2011)

SC sawdaddy said:


> OK I'll throw one in here after the phone call I just had.
> 
> I hate customers who come right out in the beginning saying,
> "I dont want to put too much money in it, I just want to put a band aid on it."
> ...


I don't guarantee patch jobs either. You should see some of the crappy patch jobs I've seen ... Sometimes the customer asks for it. I bid a drywall job, but the roof was still leaking, so it's still a no go. I told him I'd fix the spot for $250. I'd have to rip out about a square of single layer 3 tabs, and replace. He's a friend, so I bid it cheap as all getout. He told me that a "reputable roofing company" had already fixed it - but all they did was spooge glue in the keyways, nail shingles on top and glue them down ... I had to take pics, if you want a good laugh, PM me, and I'll email them to you!

There was a brand new roofing nail that was sticking up an inch - holding down a piece of a shingle turned sideways on top of the roof - and instead of pounding it down and sealing it, they put cement on it, and didn't even seal the cement down to the surface HAHAHAHA!!!! :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

Turns out, he had spent 800 with them in "repairs", when I could have ripped out valley to valley between the dormers, and fixed it for good for about the same. They told him the shingles were too brittle to do that - LAZY!!!


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## smalpierre (Jan 19, 2011)

tedanderson said:


> IMO there is a difference between having messy truck as a result of the day-to-day business and a truck that's hauling garbage along with your tools and stuff. And even at that, the remnants from yesterday's lunch is one thing but I think that if you have a weeks worth of garbage, that is definitely something that can be controlled.
> 
> And I think that the appearance of your truck has a lot to do with the particular type of trade that you do. For instance, a locksmith is more likely to have a truck that is neat and organized at all times than someone who finishes basements.. unless of course you are able to bid high enough on the job to outsource the jobsite cleanup and waste disposal.. and if you are busy enough in one area of your trade where you don't have to take multiple types of gigs in order to keep your cash flowing.
> 
> ...



Geek squad HAHA!!! Thinking they are experts is like thinking the guy stocking the plumbing isle of Lowes is an expert plumber :laughing:

And what concern is it of his which direction the wire gets pulled. That's on a job to job basis - and even for the same job different people will do it different ways with equally good results - the wire gets installed in an efficient manner.

What a dbag!


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## SuperiorHIP (Aug 15, 2010)

My truck isnt the cleanest so I keep customers away usually. 

I was at a customers house one day and she was having her appliances fixed. Well, I walked by the repair guys truck who had no problem leaving his door open even when the home owner came out to sign paperwork and saw this.


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## mehtwo (Nov 14, 2010)

SuperiorHIP said:


> My truck isnt the cleanest so I keep customers away usually.
> 
> I was at a customers house one day and she was having her appliances fixed. Well, I walked by the repair guys truck who had no problem leaving his door open even when the home owner came out to sign paperwork and saw this.


A sunflower seed addict! There are times I've climbed in a backhoe or a skid-steer loader(aka Bobcat) and the sunflower mound is huge! Yuck!


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## SuperiorHIP (Aug 15, 2010)

I just dont get it. I ate sunflower seeds a lot when I quit smoking but always spit them in a bottle or cup of some sort. I would always throw that away before anyone got in my truck because it was gross.


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## SSC (Feb 8, 2011)

I can not stand customers breathing down your neck as your working. i actually work much better when left alone. Would they want their boss standing behind their cubicle or desk all day?:no:

Especially when working alone - i find that when i have a couple guys on the job its much easier for me to excuse myself from their pestering and give my attention to the job and men


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## robinsonroofing (May 16, 2011)

CookeCarpentry - I second that, although this post was amusing!


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## artiospainting (Mar 16, 2011)

lot of good answers People are queries.People do that a lot to mechanics. Have you. I bet you were queries to.I Get a lot of calls I talk to a lot of people who dont get Any. they would love- love- love your problem.


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