# Told someone off....



## andcon83 (Dec 10, 2005)

Just got a check in the mail from a customer. Last year I raised his price by $5, and told him prior to the season. Then I plow 6 times last december, so he called and complained. Got that starightened out. So this year, I sent him his December bill, and he pays it no problem. Sent out January's, and just got the check. He wraped the check in a piece of paper. On the paper it said "$xx is too much". The same price I've been charging him for two years. Well, I've had a bad few days and tonight was not much better...he picked the wrong day to send a note. He thinks that the price of gas has gone down a bit so the price of plowing should as well. I told him he could find someone else if he wanted and gave him some names. He calmed down and said keep doing it.

What would you have have done?


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## ryde307 (Dec 3, 2009)

Something similair. Otherwise if it is to much and issue we just tell people they would be beter of finding someone else to service there property. Not everyone works well together and the headaches are not worth the money.


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

andcon83;996547 said:


> Just got a check in the mail from a customer. Last year I raised his price by $5, and told him prior to the season. Then I plow 6 times last december, so he called and complained. Got that starightened out. So this year, I sent him his December bill, and he pays it no problem. Sent out January's, and just got the check. He wraped the check in a piece of paper. On the paper it said "$xx is too much". The same price I've been charging him for two years. Well, I've had a bad few days and tonight was not much better...he picked the wrong day to send a note. He thinks that the price of gas has gone down a bit so the price of plowing should as well. I told him he could find someone else if he wanted and gave him some names. He calmed down and said keep doing it.
> 
> What would you have have done?


you handled that quite well


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

Could of just said ,I'm sorry to have to cancel your service.


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## andcon83 (Dec 10, 2005)

buckwheat_la;996568 said:


> you handled that quite well


I may have raised my voice and said a few more things. Guess it just hit me wrong.


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

andcon83;996618 said:


> I may have raised my voice and said a few more things. Guess it just hit me wrong.


hey, any argument you can get into with a customer, and retain the customer, was handled well. i make a point of walking away from a customer that pushes me to being angry, i had one guy corner me once and keep chirping, finally i lost it, and started shouting back, when he got more ignorant, i got on my phone in front of him, and started phoning other lawn maintenance companies, telling them his address, name, and that he was a ignorant @SS. He had a hard time finding anyone to do his lawn for about 2 years, (nothing quite as satisfying as watching that [email protected]@RD pushing his POS lawnmower for 2 years)


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## snobgone (Feb 2, 2010)

if you retained him as a client you did the right thing. I bet he will think twice about his invoice comments. Try not to take it personally in the future. If you know you are supplying a great service at a fair price then you can smile and walk away.


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## hlntoiz (Jan 13, 2009)

Remember just like customers say "their is always someone else with a plow", there is "always someone else that needs thier house plowed"

When the shoe is on the other foot manytimes customers will remember the quality of the service. That customer prob remembered his last plow guy and liked your services better.


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## burlingtonplow (Jan 6, 2010)

You should just ignore it and send a letter back saying you no longer are giving service to the customer because you cannot satisfy them. I wouldn't call, just write a letter back and move on. Never yell at someone even if they yell at you just go away. People are stressed out for whatever reason.


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## andcon83 (Dec 10, 2005)

I guess I shouldn't have called and got mad. But this wasn't his first time b*tching. He doesn't even live there. It's his second house. He was complaining to me that the house was a money pit and he just wrote how he was feeling. I told him it wasn't my problem. Then I made the comment about how he can go on vacations all around the world but can't pay me (cheap money) to plow his driveway. I probably should have bit my tounge, as he always pays. It was as I told him, "It went up my a$$ sideways!!". Maybe I need anger managment.


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## cubicinches (Oct 19, 2008)

I just cancel guys like that... I don't even think twice. If it wasn't his first time *****ing, then it certainly won't be his last. I make every effort to have an a$$hole free customer base... it helps lower my number of headaches, and I would rather my competitors wind up with the guys like that. While they're doing cartwheels and jumping through hoops trying to accomodate guys like that, we're out efficiently servicing our good customers. It's a continuing process, year to year, of weeding out the dickheads. Been doing it that way for years, and we have over 700 residential customers.


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## the new boss 92 (Nov 29, 2008)

i would have done the same thing, but at the end i would have asked when he didnt call me and discuss instead of writing a letter and being a dick about it


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## hndswthtshdws (Dec 16, 2009)

You kept the customer and didnt lower your price. You win.


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## ff610 (Jan 9, 2009)

Great Job! Sounds like he was just trying to intimidate you like you were the local cable company! Maybe if I call and complain they'll just lower my prices..... LOL, sorry, find someone else then!


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## go plow (Dec 14, 2004)

thats the way to do it, i had someone yell at me over lawn mowing, same service and price for over five years, then one day i recieved a nasty call, he must of had a bad day himself , after several minutes of trying to calm him down i told him that i dont need to be sworn at and talked to like that, and he should find some one else, next he says he only wants me to service his property and no one else.... what is wrong with people these days?


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## augerandblade (Jan 17, 2009)

Be prepared to get a upper cut to the jaw by this guy. Make sure your invoicing is exact and you have proof that you provided service cuz he is out to get ya.


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