The customer is NOT always right!

[gpreen]

I work in engineering and deal with customers all the time now i would consider myself to be quite chilled however there are some people who no matter what you do you will never please and there are others who are only ever greatful for what you do for them personally id charger her double next time and if she asks why tell her its an attiude thing and hers is **** it cost her more just my view tho

[E.w.]

I feel for you bud, we run a farm and on the farm is a DiY Livery yard that my dads partner runs. She does a great job but on more than one occasion there seems to be problems with someone not doing something right, complaining or "my horse is injured because of something in the field, you can pay the vet bill" some of them are as loopy as their horses.

 

Believe me I'm a registered farrier and work with horses everyday it's not the horses that are any trouble it's the ***** that own them.

[UKPoacher]

I work part time as a self-employed mole trapper. One day I got a call from a woman who does grass cutting and gardening for Brits who have holiday homes over here in France. Her client had a mole problem that she wanted to refer to me. Normally I base my quote simply on how far I have to travel and the size of garden. Sometimes the job is harder than I expect, sometime easier. Swings and roundabouts but it works OK and I've never needed to change that in over four years. But she wanted a site visit entailing my meeting her at the customer's garden and giving her a quote. I was booked solid for two weeks so told her that I'd ring her at the end of the following week to make arrangements. A week later while I was out on a farm putting some traps in I got a text from my wife to the extent that the customer had phoned asking where I was and insisting that I had promised to do the site visit that day, which my wife knew I hadn't.

 

So I phoned the customer and left a Voicemail explaining the misunderstanding and confirming that I would phone her at the end of the following week as I was too busy to deal with it until then. While out on the land placing traps I heard my phone ring twice. There were two Voicemails from the customer wanting to discuss the arrangements. So I phoned her back and told her to Asterix x 4 Off!

 

For around 35 years since I was 19 I had been in service industries - retail and latterly the police, where customer is king and there are a raft of gaffers waiting to stamp all over anyone who is perceived, usually based purely on the customer's say-so, that doesn't come up to Head Office Approved Standard. And, Boy! wasn't it bluddy satisfying to be able to ditch a problem customer directly with no comeback from the Shudder Squad*

 

 

 

 

* Shudder Squad - You should have done this. You should have done that.......................

[Vince Green]

Its not just women believe me! Years ago I worked with a bloke called Roy who was a serial complainer and very proud of it. The stuff he got for free or hundreds of pounds off because he complained.

 

He knew he was going to complain before he even went anywhere or bought anything, it was his entire raison d'etre. Later in life I used him as an example when training younger members of staff to deal with the public.

 

In role play exercises I would become Roy in my mind, totally unreasonable, never backing down. The only time I ever saw him floored was when a sales manager called his bluff and said OK sue me, we have legal insurance.

 

I realise now, many years later it was attention seeking, he got a sense of empowerment from being the big PITA that he was

[Salop Matt]

Sorry to hear that Ben.

 

Like many others on here my wife also is a horse owner and rider, we met aged 13 as both of us horse ride how ever I spend my money on shooting and she spends hers on the horse these days.

I have always known 99% of the female horse owners are nutters awaiting return to the asylum, but the last 18 months on the yard we are on have only affirmed my opinion......... Some grade A nutters who cant look after themselves & shouldn't be allowed to look after a horse. How ever thankfully the one saving grace is they do all on this yard seem to be good and polite when hacking etc. Although with recent motorists and townies behaving badly as they do not like to see horses in the countryside, we are seeing a gowning number of our yard adding body/helmet cams to there equipment list in a bid to stay safe.

 

With regards to the work you undertake surely you have a written contract for them to sign to stop funds being with held and to iron out these issues before they arise? If not I would get one in place to safe guard yourself going forward, any out lay could be a saving of lost funds in the future.

I really hope you get your money but alas the cow knows it wouldn't be worth you going to the small claims court etc.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Get yourself some Terms & Conditions written up. Get the client to sign them before they drop the horse off. So long as you aren't too daft then they will stand you in good stead. Something along the lines of 'No horses left without signed T's & C's'. 'No horses released until accounts are settled in full'. 'If the client wishes to remove the horse before the end of the 6 weeks then the full amount is still payable'. 'No horses to be ridden on site unless they are a direct employee of the business', etc. I think you get my drift. If it ever went to court and it was signed then they can't argue.

 

Women do seem to be more 'emotional' than men when it comes to arguing a point. I had a client's daughter call me up some weeks back as I'd been chasing her dad for a cheque for work done over a year back. She really went to town on me and when she'd finally paused to draw breath I told her I can't discuss the matter with her as she's not my client and it was a matter of data protection. If her father wants to do so then he had 30 days from the issue of the invoice. She couldn't argue it. I finally got the cheque but after giving a discount. Some people are a pain. You just tell them next time to find someone else.

Edited October 11, 2016 by Doc Holliday

[Benthejockey]

I think the trouble is that people think they can do my job. Which to be fair a lot of the time they probably could, there aren't that many rotten horses about although there are a good few! But if you take your car to kwikfit for new tyres you wouldn't argue over the price just because you'd changed a tyre 20years ago.

I've got a contract with t&c's on it. But horse women are a breed apart!

[Pugs]

I've calmed down now! Horse people are hard work! Theres a few things that regularly p me off. Lateness - I've worked since I was 14 and it was drilled into me from an early age not to be late. It's almost a running joke that I'm often 15 minutes early to be 15 minutes early for an appointment. It doesn't take a minute to send a message saying I'm running late because a crocodile landed on my head. Sorry.

Being told how to do my job. Yes I look like I should still be in school but I've spent over 15 years now working with horses and the last 8 years I've been running my own business and I've broken in hundreds of horses. I accept you broke something in 20 years ago before you had a horrendous fall but you have come to me for my expertise. Ive got a HGV license and drive lorries a lot but I wouldn't tell my mechanic how to fix my lorry.

And lastly they all want to argue a deal over money. I've got a flat horse that's entered for the Swedish Derby next year to get going, the woman has got 4 more to send in the new year, I told her the price and she wrote me a cheque 6 weeks money when she dropped it off and I haven't heard a peep off her since. I charge £140/week for horses, that includes everything except shoes and vets bills. £20/day. And people moan that I'm expensive. If I go and ride out I charge £20/horse/hour and people are happy with that! Anyway she's gone and bar sending me the last £100 I hope never to see her again!

 

I feel your pain in two ways. The first being that, you should see how many horse people try it on and claim with the 'No win no fee' err solicitors with helicopters and so forth operating 1mile or further away, legitmately I might add from their 'steadings' and then claim some really stupid excuses for the helicopter making the horse bolt, injury to a leg, die of old age, break a barn door down, injure the owner, cause a divorce, nervous breakdown and so forth...I kid you not! Then they find out that their lies are just that and all helicopters cleared to do survey work have GPS positioning and the flight paths are recorded, suddenly the claim is withdrawn or they loose in court. (Oh and each horse is a race horse worth 20k+)

 

Secondly, being an (ex)IT consultant (no 'cash in hand' in that as a consultant) and the **** you go through with HMRC\IR35, too many hoops to work through esp with HMRC but not all soul traders have to prove that they are outside friggin IR35 every year and oh yes back to subject, customers. Jacked it in now, hated it.

Edited October 12, 2016 by Pugs

[old man]

Trouble is a lot of people shouldn't be allowed a blinking guinea pig never mind a horse. And unfortunately working at this end of the spectrum you meet the worst side of the horse community. Theres a lot of nutters around horses!

They pair up quite nicely? IMHO.

[Benthejockey]

Ah the hovering devils! I've only ever had one horse worried by helicopters and he was a bloody lunatic flat horse and was corned up to the eye balls and very fit. And round here the helicopters readily fly low, especially when the river is up because I assume they're doing surveys or something. But they actually cause very little problem. And I ride hundreds of horses every year.

What is a relatively small amount of money to a salaried person with regular income can be hugely important to a small business but people don't see it.

[figgy]

So did you get your money off the mad cow?

[Benthejockey]

Texted her 8am Friday morning. Apparently it's in the post so I'll give her till Monday.

[Gunman]

Said it before and will say it again , life would be so much easier if work just turn up and we didn't have to bother with customers .

I have come to the conclusion through long experience that gun and horse owners are best avoided

[Old farrier]

Texted her 8am Friday morning. Apparently it's in the post so I'll give her till Monday.

I do death by face book now

 

Quick apologetic post

 

I am sorry but due to Mrs xxxxxx cheque bouncing I will have to increase my prices until the loss and costs incurred are recovered

Apologies for the inconvenience and cost incurred by you it's mrs xxxxxx fault

 

Dosent usually take long to get the money

 

I know it's not the small claims court but we live in changing times

 

Hope you get your money 💰 Ben

 

All the best

Of

[welshwarrior]

I feel for you it's the price of dealing with people happens in all walks of life even shooting!