First year in business and just had my first digruntled customer

[Mule]

This landlord/customer called us last november and poco had denied service to a duplex she had, due to "change out policy" with old "A" base meters. The sructure was un-occupied and she was worried that the pipes would freeze. We build her a new service with two meters and a common riser, and charged her $1486. We then told her, and stated it on the invoice that we were busy and would come back at a later date and hook up her a/c condensers. The invoice was T/M and showed hours worked and material used and the prices. So the other day, it was getting warmer, and I decided we better get over there and get them hooked up, and we did. Sent her the invoice for $350....two condensers.

So, after recieving it in the mail, she calls me today and says that she paid me $2000 for that job and that should have been included. I was very busy, and told her I would call her this eveing while I have my paper work in front of me. So I called her, and told her that the $2000 check was for two different jobs we did for her, and she must have combined the amounts. I re-stated that the bill was $1486. So long story short, she is now stating that I gave her a verbal quote on the whole job and that I was crooked and was double dipping. She went on to say that we will have to go to court and let the judge decide as she wasnt payin it. I tried and tried to confince her otherwise but no luck. She kept getting louder and louder, so I told her to take the second invoice and tear it up, as I cared more about my name than the money. Then she calmed down a bit, and said I should comprimise on the second invoice. I told her nope, she'd done called me a crook and questioned my word, and to mark the bill paid, and never call me again.

This lady has alot of money, and is a freind of the family, but I take offense to someone who thinks Im a crook.................

 

[480sparky]

.......The invoice was T/M and showed hours worked and material used and the prices.

Why T&M? Give her a price, and leave the hours and material out of the equation.

.......So the other day, it was getting warmer, and I decided we better get over there and get them hooked up, and we did. Sent her the invoice for $350....two condensers.

So, after recieving it in the mail, she calls me today and says that she paid me $2000 for that job and that should have been included. I was very busy, and told her I would call her this eveing while I have my paper work in front of me. So I called her, and told her that the $2000 check was for two different jobs we did for her, and she must have combined the amounts. I re-stated that the bill was $1486. So long story short, she is now stating that I gave her a verbal quote on the whole job and that I was crooked and was double dipping. She went on to say that we will have to go to court and let the judge decide as she wasnt payin it. I tried and tried to confince her otherwise but no luck.She kept getting louder and louder, so I told her to take the second invoice and tear it up, as I cared more about my name than the money. Then she calmed down a bit, and said I should comprimise on the second invoice. I told her nope, she'd done called me a crook and questioned my word, and to mark the bill paid, and never call me again.

This lady has alot of money, and is a freind of the family, but I take offense to someone who thinks Im a crook.................

Welcome the the wonderful world of ECing.

 

[Karl H]

I would have told her the same thing Mule. I take great offense to being
called a cheat,thief, crook, or anything along those lines.

 

[fisherelectric]

Sometimes it's worth $350.00 to take the moral highground and move on and don't look back.

 

[quogueelectric]

There are plenty of other customers out there forget about this one and move on to better ones.

 

[480sparky]

Sometimes it's worth $350.00 to take the moral highground and move on and don't look back.

Fact is, you could have sent her the $2g back, and still lost her as a customer.

 

[Rewire]

welcome to the wonderful world of electrical contracting.Written spelled out contracts will prevent this from happening again. The days of doing business with a handshake and your word are a thing of the past ,remember in another post when i mentioned being willing to let go of old ideas? Business is business weather friends or family the more you do the more you will come to realize that this is true. Nothing is easier than pulling out the written signed contract to convice an errant customer that the truly owe you money. In our state without a written contract you cannot recover attourney fees.We do alot of service work and small repairs and without written documentation I simply would be unable to remember exactly what was discused.

 

[Mule]

This lady just lost her husband last fall, and she is taking care of the rental business now, and is in over her head as theres alot of things she doesnt understand about our work. But for her to question my word, sends me over the edge......I told her Ive never been in court a day in my life......The previous job we did for her, she griped about it too, Im done with her............I told her Im still her friend but could no longer work for her, then I hung up on her.....I was spittn nails......

 

[480sparky]

Or are you really saying all your other customers are gruntled?

 

[Mule]

welcome to the wonderful world of electrical contracting.Written spelled out contracts will prevent this from happening again. The days of doing business with a handshake and your word are a thing of the past ,remember in another post when i mentioned being willing to let go of old ideas? Business is business weather friends or family the more you do the more you will come to realize that this is true. Nothing is easier than pulling out the written signed contract to convice an errant customer that the truly owe you money. In our state without a written contract you cannot recover attourney fees.We do alot of service work and small repairs and without written documentation I simply would be unable to remember exactly what was discused.

I fully understand and thank for that good advice, but my opinion is that Im just a small guy, and I would rather not work for these type people rather than doing contracts, when my word and a handshake is good enough for the rest of the 99% of my customers. Your absolutely right in what your saying, but I would like to think that one case in a whole year aint bad either......

 

[Rewire]

I fully understand and thank for that good advice, but my opinion is that Im just a small guy, and I would rather not work for these type people rather than doing contracts, when my word and a handshake is good enough for the rest of the 99% of my customers. Your absolutely right in what your saying, but I would like to think that one case in a whole year aint bad either......

One definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different resut, the cheapest expierience you can get is someone elses. Two of my favorite saving.

 

[Mule]

One definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different resut, the cheapest expierience you can get is someone elses. Two of my favorite saving.

I could tell from the things she said that she would sue at the drop of a hat, so to me there is no reason to continue her as a client. So if I failed in anyway with my communication with her, Im not giving her a inch. So the job for for free...... YEP she was a CHEAP expierence all right.....

 

[B4T]

IMO working T&M is never a good idea. Right off the bat, people are think you are milking the job to make more money. Then there is the materials.. do you include your time in going to the supply house and wear and tear on your truck. There are too many hidden costs when doing T&M
Last and most important is if you can't give a firm and fair price for a job you are doing, there is something wrong in your business practice. I can't see any legit reason for a T&M job and I have never done one.

 

[B4T]

but my opinion is that Im just a small guy, and I would rather not work for these type people rather than doing contracts, when my word and a handshake is good enough for the rest of the 99% of my customers.

I agree with that 100%.. I have never used a contract for a job I did and never will. I know.. but it works for me :grin:

 

[Mule]

Just got a email from her...... I replied and gave her a ear full......she appolized about the ''letting the judge decide" comment. I told her that it sounded like that was a normal solution for her....and I dont work for customers like that. She's still stuck on the her facts, or should I say, the lack of.....

 

[LarryFine]

Tell her that, if forced to choose, you'd rather lose her as a customer than a family friend.

And you were forced to choose.

 

[Mr.Sparkle]

Mule,

I completely understand about you wanting to keep it personable by doing handshake work because you are a smaller operation but I truly feel it would be wise to start implementing signed contracts into your business practice.

My wife is a paralegal and when I was "organizing my game" her boss advised me that I would be insane to do any work on a handshake in todays world.

Handshakes are fine until something goes wrong, then you lose, and if it's a bad enough wrong you can lose it all.

 

[fisherelectric]

For smaller jobs type up a proposal with a scope of work...what you will do...what you won't do...who supplies what...and a schedule of payments or T&M if you want....sign it and fax it over. A few minutes spent doing this will save you a lot of headaches (and in a small town..friends) down the road. It's no reflection on your word and a handshake...we're humans, and humans constantly mis-understand,mis-interpret and hear what we want to hear. It's just business.

 

[bradleyelectric]

There are 2 things I have to offer on this subject. As far as how you documented on your invoice if would have been a good idea to add "at an additional expense". The other thought is to charge more and provide superior service. Complete the job while your there. Why would you want to do a duplex service for under $2000? The simple fact that you did the job months ago and didn't go back until now is where the problem is.

 

[Fulthrotl]

This lady has alot of money, and is a freind of the family, but I take offense to someone who thinks Im a crook.................

something i've learned in dealing with people is this... they are looking at
you thru a filter made up of their own fears. sorry vern, it isn't all about you.

you are not the center of her world. her fears are the center of her world.
she is projecting her fears onto everyone and everything she interacts with.

don't take it personally. it isn't personal. she treats everyone like this.