Anyone else just fed up of customers at the moment

[IronMike]

2 minutes ago, Mick Dempsey said:

While we’re on a customer rant..

 

Drove an hour to see some work, further than I’d normally go for a quote but they were friends of other clients.

When I get there the husband is keeping stuff from me, suggesting reductions and fells that are odd, then asking me if I think it’s a good idea, so I say ‘sure we can do that, what is it you’re after?’ More light to the pool apparently. So we go through a number of scenarios and then his wife comes out and we go through the whole thing again (that really pisses me off) and she reveals that they’ve had numerous tree surgeons to advise and now they don’t know what to do.

It becomes clear that he was trying to find out if the poor bastards who were there before were lying to them, or trying to rip them off somehow.

Then they want a mix and match of prices and options, so I’m fed up by now and just rattle off a load of exorbitant costs and get in the van and go, fuming.

 

Bullet points.

1: Clients who are keeping stuff from you.

2: Couples where one can’t be arsed to come out and listen to your pitch, even if it’s a 2 hour round trip.

3: People who haven’t a clue what they want.

4: People who get loads and loads of quotes, wasting people’s time.

5: People who ask for a menu of options, like it’s a sweet shop.

 

Where is the piss boiling emoji! 🤬🤬🤬🤬

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

1 hour ago, IronMike said:

My customer these last few days is causing me a few headaches. Wealthy family, dad must be in his 80’s and still appears to be the holder of the purse strings. Clearly been an active and involved fella on his land but now not capable. Son who is in his 40’s is an absolutely lovely chap but has no idea what he wants doing with his woods. They’ve had me hoovering up and sorting out some windblow that’s been down for 4 years. Some decent sized larch mainly. But the spec changes almost hourly 🤦🏼‍♂️ First I was to process and extract windblow. Next they decided they wanted some for milling (!) so I had to grade off (!) the best stuff for that, the rest they’ll keep as firewood. Then they wanted “a wagon load” of saw logs to sell?! From where, I have no idea! I have had to start felling some heavily leaning Larch just to try and make up a wagon load for them to recoup some money. It’s ran on from one day initially (they thought I could do it in a day obviously) to three days now, and I’m being paid to fell these Larch to make up a wagon load to ultimately reduce the cost of me being there..... it’s backwards! But I’ve been honest, told them my thoughts and at the end of the day, I’m doing what they ask. 
 

Sometimes you can’t win. Or you can win. Or maybe it was a draw..... 🧐

Hate it when they’ve “changed the plan” between agreeing it and start of work AND they haven’t communicated changes. 
 

I like to get my ‘head’ (and the right kit) prepped and ready for the day ahead. Some small changes of direction are par for the course but wholescale changes affecting work scheme, equipment, timescales etc really annoy! 

[Cowmop]

My Mrs is a blacksmith, people (mainly men) who tell the wife to put something down as they will make one when they get home with that 1980s Clarke welder and 3 inch vice.
Normally something that's taken her a day to make.

[Andy Craig]

Or the one where you spend all morning getting it just right because they 'want it smaller but still look nice'. Then by the time they are finished telling you what else to take off you're left with a skeleton and it's your fault it looks bad.

[Rough Hewn]

A regular timber client phoned me last week, he’s been on about some willows overhanging his sheds.
They belong to a school woodland next door.
Could I do them cheap as a favour...
Drop and chop, leave on the floor.
Half a days faffing.
I said as a regular client I’d match the quote of £300.
And it needed doing ASAP!
The other firm couldn’t do it for several weeks.
Day before the job, I get a call from the client apologising as the school have found someone to do the job for £200.
Can’t understand how?
🤷🏽‍♂️🤷🏽‍♂️🤷🏽‍♂️

[TIMON]

Just say yes if it’s in the back garden [emoji23]

And don’t use sign written vans.....

[Paddy1000111]

1 hour ago, Mick Dempsey said:

While we’re on a customer rant..

 

Drove an hour to see some work, further than I’d normally go for a quote but they were friends of other clients.

When I get there the husband is keeping stuff from me, suggesting reductions and fells that are odd, then asking me if I think it’s a good idea, so I say ‘sure we can do that, what is it you’re after?’ More light to the pool apparently. So we go through a number of scenarios and then his wife comes out and we go through the whole thing again (that really pisses me off) and she reveals that they’ve had numerous tree surgeons to advise and now they don’t know what to do.

It becomes clear that he was trying to find out if the poor bastards who were there before were lying to them, or trying to rip them off somehow.

Then they want a mix and match of prices and options, so I’m fed up by now and just rattle off a load of exorbitant costs and get in the van and go, fuming.

 

Bullet points.

1: Clients who are keeping stuff from you.

2: Couples where one can’t be arsed to come out and listen to your pitch, even if it’s a 2 hour round trip.

3: People who haven’t a clue what they want.

4: People who get loads and loads of quotes, wasting people’s time.

5: People who ask for a menu of options, like it’s a sweet shop.

 

Don't forget

 

6: Client accepts your quote, you book the work in for a fair few weeks in advance, you get in a couple of guys freelanced in for the day to help you out, the customer rings you three days before and cancel because they have had a change of heart 🤦🏼 waste of your time and you've lost some trust from your subbies... 

Edited March 6, 2021 by Paddy1000111

[David Cropper]

1 hour ago, Mick Dempsey said:

While we’re on a customer rant..

 

Drove an hour to see some work, further than I’d normally go for a quote but they were friends of other clients.

When I get there the husband is keeping stuff from me, suggesting reductions and fells that are odd, then asking me if I think it’s a good idea, so I say ‘sure we can do that, what is it you’re after?’ More light to the pool apparently. So we go through a number of scenarios and then his wife comes out and we go through the whole thing again (that really pisses me off) and she reveals that they’ve had numerous tree surgeons to advise and now they don’t know what to do.

It becomes clear that he was trying to find out if the poor bastards who were there before were lying to them, or trying to rip them off somehow.

Then they want a mix and match of prices and options, so I’m fed up by now and just rattle off a load of exorbitant costs and get in the van and go, fuming.

 

Bullet points.

1: Clients who are keeping stuff from you.

2: Couples where one can’t be arsed to come out and listen to your pitch, even if it’s a 2 hour round trip.

3: People who haven’t a clue what they want.

4: People who get loads and loads of quotes, wasting people’s time.

5: People who ask for a menu of options, like it’s a sweet shop.

 

Mick, I drove to see a client of a tree surgeon who told me the job was a cert for me, grinding out 6 big hardwood buggers, not a problem. 2 and a half hours to get there, 130 ks, tree surgeons rained off so not on site. Client comes out, Porsche 4x4 in the driveway, plus I found out later, a garage with 3 Ferraris in there, asks the price, day rate or by the stump. I told him the price, by the number of stumps. Oh no, he says, too expensive, I was told your day rate is blah blah. I said yes it is, but only if I'm local and I'm not going to be going full belt to finish. I explained how far  I'd come, he seemed to think I was just round the corner. Please yourself I said as politely as I could, then drove another 2 and a half hours, 130ks home. That was a pisser  to say the least. I normally get the punter to send photos with a bucket next to the stumps to give a sense of perspective plus stump sizes. This bloke had insisted to the tree surgeon that he had to meet anyone who would be working for him. What was a sickener was that 9 days previously I'd been working 15 minutes away. The customer is always right, so goes the old saying. 

Edited March 6, 2021 by David Cropper

[Retired Climber]

10 hours ago, Paddy1000111 said:

Out of interest how do people feel about doing some of these jobs? I was watching a video on YouTube from an American landscaper and he turned a job down because he knew the outcome would look garbage and he didn't want to put his name to it. I've felt sometimes, especially with work in public view that I want to turn it down through fear that it will not just look garbage but kill the tree. I'm sure some ARB company will pick up the job but I am wary of being the company who made the tree look crap or "killed my beautiful tree" even though it was what the customer specifically spec'd

I'd always turn it down. It's done my way or not at all. If a client didn't respect my opinion enough to listen to it, they can be someone else's client. 

[Paul Cleaver]

On 04/03/2021 at 12:26, Khriss said:

@Clutchy  story of my life 🙁  customers do themselfs no favours "  just a little bit more off the top please"  K

That was very annoying on a 70 ft tree, after a careful, difficult reduction. The extra was normally not carried out