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View Full Version : how to handle that problem customer



huggytree
02-10-2009, 06:06 PM
i have an unreasonable customer right now.

he alittle elderly & used to be a handyman

i installed a kitchen sink for him. he's having problems with the stopper for the garbage disposal. it was a special 'extra' piece which cost him $75.

he says its not stopping the water. i tried it when i finished the install, so i know it does indeed stop the water. He says its made too cheaply and he wants me to come over and look at it. I offered to switch brand names and install a different stopper...he says can he decline the new stopper if he doesnt like it....i said if you do then you accept the old one then.

also its a special color which matches the drain in the next compartment. so if i change one the color wont match pefect and i will have to replace both. he says he doesnt want me to replace the other one..

basically he wants me to remanufacturer his current one to match what he thinks is correct....he says get a different 0-ring....i told him that i couldnt spend all day driving to every hardware store to find him a different o-ring. I need to show up once and replace it....

right now i called the rep(who says they sell thousands of them) and have a new stopper being shipped to his house....

if i show up at his house and the stopper works what would you do?

i will have the new stopper with me...would you change it even though the first one works?....it was a small job and im going to lose money...im trying not to make 4 trips to please this guy....

he's a lost cause in my opinion and will not be happy either way. I need to atleast stop him from bad mouthing me to others and make him somewhat happy....if this were a $10,000 job it would be different, but its a $350 job..a 2.5 hour job will end up being 6 hours with all the phone time and extra trip.

vangogh
02-10-2009, 06:57 PM
In the end this probably depends on how much you want to do to keep him from badmouthing you. Only you can decide how much that will be.

It seems reasonable to me to go back to his house and check to make sure the stopper works. Yeah, you know it works, but it's still good service to check. Maybe one day after working in the area so you're nearby. If it doesn't work you replace with the new one and make sure he's there with you when you check to see it working.

If the stopper works, which we know is the case, you can show him and then let him know if he still wants the new stopper you can install it for $x. At that point he'll probably be happy with the current working stopper. If not you make a little extra for reinstalling it.

If he really is a lost cause then you really have nothing to gain in trying to please him. There's also a good chance the people who he would recommend you to know that too and wouldn't think anything less of your services. Those who would believe him are possibly just like him and not the customers you really want anyway. Also don't be surprised if just because he complains to you doesn't mean he won't recommend you. I've known lots of people who'll complain like that, but still end up being happy with your service. You might already be more patient than anyone else he's ever complained to.

orion_joel
02-10-2009, 07:20 PM
I am surprised you have not had more customers like this. For the most part you often will find yourself spending a large portion of time with the customers that contribute least to your business. Often the rough percentage which you have probably seen before is 80% of your time is spent with the 20% that generate the least income. Which may not directly translate for you as much of your time is fixed on hourly rates.

What this may mean for you though is that 80% of your time that is not billable but spent on your business is spent on the bottom 20% of your customers, eg extra hours on the phone to this guy, going and redoing something small, etc. If you really believe that this guy may refer a big job, then spend the time, but otherwise the time is likely just wasted, and as Vangogh said, may not actually result in any extra business at all.

seolman
02-10-2009, 09:55 PM
I used to build and sell reverse osmosis water treatment plants and sometimes we built small plants that were <$1,000 installed so we would have these kinds of problems too. What we tended to do was let these clients know we would come and take a look at the problem but if we didn't find any factory errors there would be a minimum fee of $XX. Or if they would be patient we would drop by next time we were in the area at no charge. That was the best we could do. Most were OK with the idea. We always tried to keep our clients as happy as possible but if someone was unreasonable there wasn't much we could do about it.

The key to reducing these types of issues is having good client review procedures during installation and final testing. We would make triple sure that the client knew every little thing there was to know about the finished product. We would make them use it and approve it (sign off) before we leave. If the paper is signed we are done. If there is a problem later there is always a charge because they signed off that the product was properly installed and working before we left.

Dan Furman
02-10-2009, 10:01 PM
I like happy customers. If it means another edit (or in your case, another trip), I'll usually do it.

huggytree
02-11-2009, 07:15 AM
i will definately end up going back...when i put the part in the sink and it plugs the water the big question is what to do....should i replace it with a different style part or just say...it works...good bye

this customer says that he is not happy with either option already!...he wants me to remanufacture the current part with a different o-ring...a different type of rubber to be exact....he says he doesnt understand why its built that way and wants the manufacturer to make him a different piece....

its up to 6 phone calls with him between me and the contractor.....it took 5 just to understand what he was saying...at first we thought he had a leak under the sink..

there will be no pleasing him....either way...

its been over a year now since my last unreasonable customer...im way past due...

if the current part works and i ask him to pay for a replacement he will go nuts....because it will be $150 for labor and $75 for a new part...he's already complaining that the original part was $75....i think he expects more for the $75 and thats why this whole thing is going on...he doesnt like the way its made...

it looked fine to me!

CraigFLA
02-11-2009, 07:50 AM
My business is a member of the Better Business Bureau and we are committed to making sure the customer is happy(even at our expense). Obviously there are limits to this but so far they haven't been reached yet. Probably 90&#37; of our new customers are from referrals from old ones. Because of this, I work through the problems with the customer restraining myself so I don't look angry or be short with them. In the end I make sure they are satisfied with the solution and if it costs me some money on one job I don't worry about it as long as I'm profitable in the long run. There isn't a week that goes by that I don't hear somesone say that they TRUST our work. Even local competitors recommend our business if they specifically don't handle the product.

huggytree
02-11-2009, 10:53 AM
i was right in his neighborhood this morning and he said he would not be home and that i could not come...i called his house to leave a message and his wife is home...i find it unacceptable that HE must be there and not his wife...

I also went to the local supply house to try out the part myself and research it....i found the stopper worked so well that i could hardly get it out after shoving it in...

so either he's doing it wrong or the parts defective...i think he is shoving it in too far from what he is describing.

anyways....i pushed it off to the Tech guy from the manufacturer....he's going to talk him through it and send him any parts...im no longer involved...

there is no reason i couldnt have come over while his wife was there...he wants to make me suffer and be stubborn...he wants it his way or no way.

how come whenever you have a problem customer or a call back its never close to home....its always at the outer limits of your work zone...funny how that works...

cocoy
02-11-2009, 03:16 PM
Is this that little cover that goes over the drain hole?

huggytree
02-11-2009, 05:12 PM
yes..it goes over the disposal so you can fill that compartment with water.

it costs $75 because its a special color. a free plastic one comes with the disposal.

this one is alittle different than normal. it looks like a basket strainer with a stopper under it. overall very low tech. were now up to 8 phone calls and it still cant be described very well by the homeowner....the builder has officially given up on this guy because of the attitude of the homeowner. He's so sick of discussing him he's told me that we are not to discuss his name any further.

i havent given up yet. If the Tech. guy cant fix the problem ill still go over and install a new one

i stand by my 1 year warranty