Customer attitude...Am I wrong?

[JR Wood]

I recently fielded a call from a lady who was concerned about "A" rust spot running down a small spot on her roof. I agreed to come and look and see "what's up". Somehow I read the # wrong and went to number three instead of number eight. Can anyone relate? Well I went and found rusty nails in the gutter and left a big long note explaining the problem. Well, today the lady called me back saying I never showed up. I told her I went there and must have gotten the numbers mixed up, but I pretty much Know the problem. The development was only about 4 years old and the same builder did the whole thing. 90% of the homes on the street had rust stains on the roof where the gutters flowed down.
This lady said if I can't even get the number right she doesn't want me working for her. Well since my original offer on the phone was I would simply clean the small spot for "FREE" and to just recommend me when they heard of someone in need of my services I sort of went off on the lady. I told her I wasn't interested in her business but... I told her my findings anyway.
Was I wrong to snap a little or should I have just hung up and forgot about it?

 

[Chuck Richard]

Can't say i blame you, some people are hard to deal with. Would she of brought you lots of business or would she of brought you none at all? who knows. Sometimes its not worth finding out.


Maybe the other people from #3 will though. you never know.

 

[Mike Hughes]

I think what you did was fine.........some people need to be put in their place. I applaud you for doing so.

 

[Jon]

We are human and as such do make errors, no you were no totally wrong but her remark to you was.

I mean does she expect everyone she comes in contact with to be 100% perfect like her.

I sure would hate to be the person at the local market packing her food, put this there, NO that box goes next to THIS box etc.

Don't take it so personal, you lost nothing and had you done work for her I think she would complain about your good work too.

Jon

 

[Larry L.]

I think you where wrong twice,(1) offering to do it "FREE" (2) wasn't interested in her business.

number one put you on alert with her as to recommend you to others,free and recommend you what got you in trouble with her.plus saying
but I pretty much Know the problem,when you hadn't even seen her problem.

I would have agreed with her and said aren't you lucky you wasn't calling for a PM or 911.Alot of times saying something like that will cool them off long enough to work things out.Snapping back at a customer only hurts one person and thats you.After you hang up the phone you can kick things around kick the cat if you want.More than likely she's going to read your note you left at #3 and she will tell #3 what your like,than #4,#5,#6.

Snapping back at someone you know I think is OK but snapping back at someone you havn't meet is a no no in my book nomatter how snappy they get,Why should you let someone make you ack as they ack.

 

[Dan Flynn]

A week or so ago I was going to a job, and there are a lot of homes that look the same in color and style in the area. I pictured the house I was going to on the way. Thinking about the lady down the street I also estimated a few months before.

The house I was going to and the house I estimated long before had a wooded lot that separated them.

I pulled up went to the door and rang the bell to notify the customer I was there.

Nobody answered so I started to setup. I had the whole thing setup. Ladder out and everything!

This lady comes out; I didn't see her at first and thought she may have been a neighbor. She says what are you doing? I said cleaning this home.

She said why. I thought for a minute and then recognized her from the estimate I gave her. Then I said isn't this 182 ,She said nope 186.

I said Oop’s sorry about that. Then she said I got an estimate from you before and will get the work done in a few weeks.

Packed up my stuff and moved down the street a bit.

A few follow up calls later I got 186. Just did it yesterday

So you never know! I had a lady call me up one time acting real nice. She said I thought you said the last time you were out at my house you would schedule my driveway.

I told her that I must have forgotten and I would set her up for blahh blahh.

She went nuts with every 4 letter word you can think of. She turned into to a total nut bomb. I tried to stay composed. But it got to the point I said lady your nuts get someone else.

Before that statement was completely out of my mouth she hung up. Funny thing about it! She’s a crisis counselor. When I called her in the past her message said something about that, and if it's an emergency to call some other number.

This one calls me back a few weeks later like nothing ever happened. I very politely said. I didn’t like the way you acted the last time we spoke and think it would be in my best interest not to work with you.

Bingo, she went Nuuuuuuuuuuuttttsss. I just hung up on her. Believe it or nut I had a voicemail from her this year. Needless to say I did return the call.

Out of a few thousand customers over the years I may have had 2 or 3 tops that were rude or worse.

 

[PUREPOWER]

I had a lady that I booked for a house wash earlier this year. On the day that I booked it for Pittsburgh was hit with some pretty major storms.(the day Kennywood park got nailed with a tornado.....7 miles from our house) I called and tried to rebook and the lady got rather testy with me and I politely refused to work for her. Her son then calls and threatens to write a letter to the local newspaper and demoralize my business ethics....FREE ADVERTISEMENT in my book...

J.R., I would have let her have it for a miscommunication also, but, in the same respect, the free thing does not work in this area. If I receive all the work that those kind of people promise, I would have about $100 million in revenue every year. Take her as a lesson learned. Forget about her.

Jordan

 

[Bill B]

I had a lady leave me a voice mail message and she went off - crappy response on my part etc. I didn't know who she was, but called back (via caller ID). Bottom line - she called the wrong number and gave me someone else's hell! Is the fact that most of the irate calls come from women a common thread?

 

[Harold Brantley]

JR & Dan, Just think how lucky you are... you'r not married to these women. Someone else gets to live with them 24-7. Now don't you feel just a little bit better and feel real sorry for those poor husbands.

 

[Walt Graner]

I have found that; yes, be nice when you can, however I tend to get more work when I tell it like it is.

You did good

 

[JR Wood]

Being in multiple phone books with literally millions of prospective customers, I won't sweat this one. Especially since there is only eight people on the street. I tend to think that this lady doesn't even know her own neighbors or else "number three" would have called her to let her know I went to the wrong house.

 

[Larry L.]

I wouldn't have thought of it at the time but with only being 8 on the same street you could have left a business card in all the doors with a short note on back saying I showed up today please call me,who knows #7 and #4 may needed ya ifen your lost wondering around,lol.As most of us knows who lives around or close to us I sure the lady knows #3,the reason #3 didn't call her may be b/c she cann't get along with her either,don't sweat it,we all have run into that type one time or another but I had rather say yes ma yes ma yes ma and let it go as to stay on the phone and listen to them while I told them what I thought.

 

[reedsterstl]

AS was stated, aren't you glad you don't live with them!!!!!!!!!

Reed