# Best way to refuse work?



## Pearce Services (Nov 21, 2005)

I think I am walking away from a job that I feel is a great fit for my company, because I do not feel comfortable with the homeowners.

Every time the husband speaks the wife jumps in with a comment, she mostly offers a contradictory remark as to what the husband thinks is needed. Then she proceeds to ask how I handle my employees "If they take souvenirs" from her house. 

I spent a good amount of time on the phone, screening them, and let them know of my enthusiasm to help them, then following my first visit, I now need to tell them "no thank you".

Is honesty the best policy? Do I tell the Husband that his wife scared me away? or do I take the job only after a solid contract, that specifies everything that will be done? 

Note- I do not need the work. The work would be T&M. I gave them a price $10 per hour higher than my regular rates to try to scare them off, but they still want me.


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## IHI (Dec 25, 2004)

If you dont need the work, and your gut is telling you no..walk away or you'll regret it later.

You could be honest with him if you think he could handle it without making you look like a bad guy. Or you can just "fit it in" when you have time...which will never happen.


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## Glasshousebltr (Feb 9, 2004)

You could ask him if he's into wife swapping, you'll either have interesting afternoon or he wont want ya near the house.

Bob


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## RobertCDF (Aug 18, 2005)

The wife jumps in all the time and changes everything the husband says? This is not the norm for you? I would love to work for your customers, 90% of mine the wife is the one making the decisions, sometimes I have never even met the husbands. And my wife changes almost everything I say doesnt yours? If not are you interested in wife swapping?:cheesygri


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## kenvest (Sep 27, 2005)

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

just tell him you can't do it and if he ask why tell him. i wouldn't be afraid to tell him that you don't think you could make him happy. if he keeps pulling for info, tell his wife's souvenir crack put you over the edge. he's probably looking for some positive reinforcement regarding his old lady......:thumbsup:


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## Grumpy (Oct 8, 2003)

What I have learned this year. GO WITH YOUR GUTT.

You have two options. Mr. Customer I do not feel we will be able to help you with this project. When he asks why just say "I do not feel we will be able to please you. I am just not sure than you and your wife have the same goal for a finished product."

OR

Don't answer the phone when they call 

Let me repeat. GO WITH YOUR GUTT
I feel we have a psychic ability to know before hand when a job is going to go sour. I know every time I ignore my gutt I regret it.


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

I have been in this situation a few times. I tell them that they need to get together and come to a firm decision on what they want. The first proposal is included in the job, rewrites and change orders are $50.00 ea.

Some folks are just going to be a PITA no matter what you do or say and this sounds like a pair of them. I'm going along with everybody else with the exception of our class clown, wife swapping is not a good option. Funny though!


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## nadonailer (Nov 15, 2005)

I agree, tell them you don't feel you can fulfill their expectations, and if they push you tell 'em the truth.

Or you could bid the job ridiculously high, if that would make it worth the hassle?


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## noreast05 (Sep 4, 2005)

The h/o and the contractor must be comfortable together. If thye are not it will not be a good experience for the two of you. If it's good for your company, but not good for you it will eat inside of you the whole time which may sacrifice your end product.


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## DecksEtc (Oct 27, 2004)

Run, Forest, Run...

I have to agree with everyone above. The one thing I've learned after my first full year of running my own business is that my gut feeling is always right.

Options:

1. Tell them you signed another contract while they were deciding about your price, etc. that will take you until "x date" to complete and you're unsure as to when you can schedule their job - you've probably booked other jobs since you say you don't need the work, right? That way it's not a 100% fabrication of the truth.

2. Any of the other options suggested above (except Bob's - unless the wife is worth a try :cheesygri )

The bottom line is you have to be comfortable taking the job, isn't that one of the reasons you're your own boss?


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## Brian (Jun 9, 2004)

These types of jobs can be profitable, if you take the proper steps on the front end.

I would give them a solid price for a very specific and well defined scope of work. And my price would be 10% to 40% higher than normal for the PITA factor (how much would depend on the anticipated PITA). If your contract is well written, you are protected, and have some wiggle room for the hassles.

I would not do a job like this T&M. They have already sent up warning signs about being a problem. What kind of problems do you think you'll have when you present a T&M bill? 

Brian Phillips


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

Brian has good points. The true measure of yourself as a man is how you deal with the rough times in your life. It's easy to be great at sitting on a beach drinking a tall cool one. What separates the men from the boys is how you deal with adversity when things go to sh#t.

If your company and yourself are set up and prepared to handle situations like this one smoothly, there are benefits that will trickle down to everything else you do and create opportunities for great success when you are dealing with customers who are less "troublesome" so to speak.

I follow a few investment realestate forums and such and most of the newbies are all asking the same questions about where are the big fat deals at, they can't seem to make any big money on their projects. Part of that is that the majority of investors are all chasing the same deals which are the easy ones that anybody can do. The seasoned guys are raking in the home runs by being prepared to tackle the projects that the newbies are scared to touch such as mold homes, foundation problems, fire damaged homes.

How well is your business set up to handle the "problem" clients? Can you do it or can you only handle the easy ones which everybody else can handle also? Many hard to please clients are ready to pay handsomely for you to complete their tasks. Many of these discriminating types of clients know what quality is and know what they want and can afford to pay for it, when they find somebody who can finally deliver you may have a cash cow customer for life since they will be reluctant to have to go back out into the labor pool and try their luck again.


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## Humble Abode (Mar 19, 2005)

The only thing I have to add to this is *don't insult his wife*. Even if he knows she is a PITA he may not want to here it from you, remember where his loyalty lies. You could end up looking like the bad guy real quick.


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

Just to back up Humble, most decisions are made by the wife, the dude usually crumbles. For a trophy wife, you can tack on some extra profit.


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## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

Some of my most profitable customers are the biggest PITA's. They are (mentally) troublesome, but they still pay the same as everyone else. If they change stuff all around, and cause me to have to redo some of my finest work, they pay even more. If they add something we never talked about in the beginning, they pay more yet. Just get resolved that darned few people really know what the hell they want. Submit bills in a timely manner, so that there are no big bills to argue about at the end. Weekly, if you have to, for a T&M job. Anything that changes or is added, verbally communicate the fact that this is a change or an extra- which will cost more, and get the change order signed. If you're up front, nobody can get blindsided. The wife might be wacky, but I see this as $$$ signs. I would also mention to the hubby right off the bat that if the wife starts changing and adding, it's gonna get real expensive real quick. That way he's on the same page with you from day 1.


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## Humble Abode (Mar 19, 2005)

mdshunk said:


> Some of my most profitable customers are the biggest PITA's. They are (mentally) troublesome, but they still pay the same as everyone else. If they change stuff all around, and cause me to have to redo some of my finest work, they pay even more. If they add something we never talked about in the beginning, they pay more yet. Just get resolved that darned few people really know what the hell they want. Submit bills in a timely manner, so that there are no big bills to argue about at the end. Weekly, if you have to, for a T&M job. Anything that changes or is added, verbally communicate the fact that this is a change or an extra- which will cost more, and get the change order signed. If you're up front, nobody can get blindsided. The wife might be wacky, but I see this as $$$ signs. I would also mention to the hubby right off the bat that if the wife starts changing and adding, it's gonna get real expensive real quick. That way he's on the same page with you from day 1.


word! :thumbsup:


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## Grumpy (Oct 8, 2003)

Hell yeah WORD. A customer called us today from his work to tell us he was thinking of changing his downwspout configuration.. A friggin $800 job! Argh!!!!

Anyways I told him we had already finished and my crew was on their way to the next job. After discussing the changes I told him there would be additional charges. I, my gutter crew, my salesman and the customer are going to meet up tomorrow morning and most definetly i will be submitting a change order. It might even be necessary to undo some work we did today. 

The thing is I told the customer to expect extra charges for his changes and he didn't flinch. I am willing to bet if I hadn't brought that up until the work was done, I'd have had osme problems. He already knows we will be asking for extra $$$ tomorrow morning and he has a full night to reconsider his changes.


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## Tom R (Jun 1, 2004)

As a side-note, - - whenever a 'new' customer wants to sign-on with me to do multiple jobs on their house, - - I'll usually say "let's just start off with the first one, - - and then we'll see if we even like each other enough to go on with the next". :cheesygri 

I always get a kick out of it, - - they're usually not too sure how to take it.

Usually it works out, anyway, - - but it also gives me the built-in excuse to do the second job at a later date, - - I don't like gettin' tied down to one place for too long, - - others are waiting.


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## Pearce Services (Nov 21, 2005)

All solid comments. 

I turned away the work mostly because I'm too busy, But Tom R.'s advice would have been my best method of handling the situation. 

Thanks to all!


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## jproffer (Feb 19, 2005)

How about running...screaming like a school girl...saying "you people are crazy...don't call me anymore...PLEASE" As you get in the truck put your index fingers in the shape of a cross and point it at them. It's subtle, but it works:thumbup:


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## 747 (Jan 21, 2005)

Pearce Services said:


> I think I am walking away from a job that I feel is a great fit for my company, because I do not feel comfortable with the homeowners.
> 
> Every time the husband speaks the wife jumps in with a comment, she mostly offers a contradictory remark as to what the husband thinks is needed. Then she proceeds to ask how I handle my employees "If they take souvenirs" from her house.
> 
> ...


I have a different take on the stituation. I assuming your talking interior for this customer. I would recomend a interior designer to these people. There experts at getting husbands and wifes on the same page.


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## Pearce Services (Nov 21, 2005)

this work was to replace damaged window trim on the exterior and repair sheetrock on the interior. We were to support a painter that had asked for the repairs prior to his start. 

I could agree with you 747 if I was caught in the crossfire over designs but this was nothing more than doing work as specified by the painter. I guess now that I think about it, she was second guessing the painter too.

I figure that if she has this much opinion about something she know little about, then she may have an equally offensive opinion when it comes time to pay the bill


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## urbanrevivals (Mar 26, 2005)

I'm with the previous poster on writing firm fixed-priced jobs with tightly scoped statements of work, that also include contingency clauses for "gotcha's", such as surprises we might find when we take something down or uncover something.

THe downside is the labor it takes to write such a contract. It also helps if you already have change order forms already written, that you reuse for all your contracts. Those change order forms should contain everything you need to define (or be allowed to define) incremental cost increases. With fixed price bids, you have to make sure your butt is covered.

Make sure to get signatures on all change orders. No verbals.

This has worked very well for us, particularly on those jobs that are more subjective (historic, unusual, or artistic finishes/trimwork/ornament). Of course, we only use this structure on jobs we can anticipate pretty much from beginning to end.

Cheryl


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## shopdust (Apr 9, 2005)

I'd run, not walk from this project. I can just picture her saying to her friends, " My Harvey was going to ignore the theft of that heirloom cufflink, but I said no and got them to take $5,000 off the bill".

You make money from the jobs you walk away from and this gal is screaming :
"BOHICA".


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## Pearce Services (Nov 21, 2005)

I'm gonna take a stab at it......

Bend Over Here It Comes A--hole

What's "BOHICA"?


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## shopdust (Apr 9, 2005)

Ayyyup.

People like what are described here don't flinch at prices, 'cause they know they aren't going to be paying. California is full of them.


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