Who are the worst customers? - Page 2 - UK Business Labs

satureyes · #26 (**permalink**) 26-03-2009, 01:49 PM

I just had a classic reply from a meeting I had on Tuesday..Here's what happened.
Monday - Hi, are you interested in editing this footage? You are.. great.. can you pop in sometime soon this week and have a chat - tomorrow? Sure.. see you at 11am

Tuesday - Hi, great to meet you.. here's the edit suite, can you take a look at the footage, oh.. its been removed.. can you try and sort it? How about you come in on Friday and spend the afternoon sorting it, then we can start next week on the main edit. Dont worry about your hospital appt on Monday, we can start Tuesday. I am seeing one more person...
(this was a 2 hour chat and I started to sort her edit suite)

Thursday - Thanks for meeting me, the project needs to start on Monday and due to your committments I have had to offer thie to the other editor.

What sort of b/s industry do I work in!

**INDIZINE** · #27 (**permalink**) 26-03-2009, 01:55 PM

that means they were cheaper than you. They always tell fibs when they are choosing on cost!

satureyes · #28 (**permalink**) 26-03-2009, 02:03 PM

She didnt even ASK cost. she told me the cost per hour before I'd even met her....

I'd rather just have heard 'we chose someone else' How DARE they use the hospital thing as an excuse..especially after using my services for 2 hours for free!

**INDIZINE** · #29 (**permalink**) 26-03-2009, 03:28 PM

yeah, that's really cheeky, strange though even so.

satureyes · #30 (**permalink**) 26-03-2009, 03:34 PM

VERY ODD
Sometimes I hate the 'creative' industries..

Mind you.. I know that this woman would have actually sent me insane. No money is worth that!

**INDIZINE** · #31 (**permalink**) 26-03-2009, 04:15 PM

I think it's normal to experience issues with whomever you work, it's never plain sailing with customers, staff or management. It's more about how effectively you deal with what arises.

I have only had one experience of what I can describe as a 'bad' customer - one that was dishonest and showed their true colours

They thought they would pull a fast one on me ...... I mean, that's about as likely as thinking you can win an argument with Sir Alan in the board room

satureyes · #32 (**permalink**) 26-03-2009, 04:16 PM

very topical

Label King · #33 (**permalink**) 26-03-2009, 05:46 PM

THE WORST CUSTOMERS ARE THE ONES WHO SEND EMAILS THAT ARE COMPELETLY IN UPPERCASE DONT HAVE NO PUNCTUATION IN ARE FULL OF SPEELING MISTOKES LOOK LIKE THEYZ BEEN LIKE RITTEN BY A TXT MAD 14 YR OLD AND HALF THE TIME YOU CANT ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THERE QUESTION OR POINT IS BECAUSE THE GRAMMER AND ABILITY TO STRING A SENTENCE TOGETHER SEEMS TO BE ENTIRELY MISSING...

When you see emails like that, you just know you're going to get problems...

oh, and they always have hotmail or yahoo accounts for some reason...

**1clickprint** · #34 (**permalink**) 26-03-2009, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Label King

THE WORST CUSTOMERS ARE THE ONES WHO SEND EMAILS THAT ARE COMPELETLY IN UPPERCASE DONT HAVE NO PUNCTUATION IN ARE FULL OF SPEELING MISTOKES LOOK LIKE THEYZ BEEN LIKE RITTEN BY A TXT MAD 14 YR OLD AND HALF THE TIME YOU CANT ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THERE QUESTION OR POINT IS BECAUSE THE GRAMMER AND ABILITY TO STRING A SENTENCE TOGETHER SEEMS TO BE ENTIRELY MISSING...

When you see emails like that, you just know you're going to get problems...

oh, and they always have hotmail or yahoo accounts for some reason...

i get those too , "can ya pront em now nd pay ya l8ter"

cinnamondm · #35 (**permalink**) 26-03-2009, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Label King

THE WORST CUSTOMERS ARE THE ONES WHO SEND EMAILS ...

... in reply to your email where you have asked several important questions requiring concise answers, only to receive simply

" Yes "

leaving you without a clue as to what they have actually said Yes to.

bobpilk · #36 (**permalink**) 27-03-2009, 08:21 AM

Customers are all great, security staff, usually employed for the night, always know more than I do:
Am I setting up in the right area?
Why has the display not been cleared by security?
Why are you putting this equipment here?
And my personal "favourite" on turning up before a rugby match to do a display for their end of season party night the security bloke said "no you cant park here, you must leave the van in the public car park" ......I had about 1/2 tonne of fireworks on board so I asked him if I could park next to his car, strangely enough he allowed me into the compound with the tv crews which is out of bounds to the general public.

**BinhZientek** · #37 (**permalink**) 07-04-2009, 12:05 PM

I can't stand customers who are really cheapskates. I don't have a problem with any customers wishing to negotiate or have a budget, as this is only normal, but there are those who want everything for nothing. They think that if they nag enough I will give in but they are wrong.

**Kay** · #38 (**permalink**) 07-04-2009, 01:40 PM

The worst are customers who don't pay at all. We made a web page to name and shame bad debtors. Only one so far - a media company running an advertising campaign for a British govt. department. We met all our obligations then they denied all knowledge of it when we asked for payment. The staff member had left. The debt was old so maybe they could pay half. Did their client specifically request advertising on our site? (We eventually got some of it after three years, but they're still owe us money.

)

Very occasionally our company (not me!) does sites for tradespeople. Some of these customers are great. They've no idea about doing it themselves, and they don't want to know. You give them a price and they just want you to get on with it and give them the finished result. Then they're happy. (Hey, if I hire a plumber I don't tell him how to do the job.) But you get the others - "could you not liven it up a bit?". They want animated gifs

and all that kind of stuff that newbie webmasters like to do just because they can.

But I think the very, very worst are those who want you to change everything to suit them, especially when they're using a FREE service. Last week we had a complaint along the lines of "My mother can't understand how your forum works. I think you should simplify it." Also, "Why do you charge for things?", "I don't understand why I can't post about my website - ie a blatant bit of self-promotion - I was only trying to help people", and the one that really, really creases me up is "I thought you were here to help people and now you've not changed everything to suit me and my demands, I won't be coming back". OK, thanks and goodbye, we're glad you're not using our bandwidth any more.

JGOffshore · #39 (**permalink**) 07-04-2009, 07:25 PM

Family. For example, I've been doing my wife's accounts for decades. She is the most demanding client and she never pays.

**Mat** · #40 (**permalink**) 07-04-2009, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JGOffshore

Family. For example, I've been doing my wife's accounts for decades. She is the most demanding client and she never pays.

You're an accountant. Be thankful you have a wife at all!

**Mark** · #41 (**permalink**) 07-04-2009, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kay

...Last week we had a complaint along the lines of \"My mother can't understand how your forum works. I think you should simplify it.\"

Right with you there: Are message boards hard to use?

JGOffshore · #42 (**permalink**) 07-04-2009, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mat

You're an accountant. Be thankful you have a wife at all!

That's unfair!

I'm a tax accountant. I like arguements and hate doing sums.

groovycart.co.uk · #43 (**permalink**) 08-04-2009, 01:16 PM

I describe all my products in as much detail as possible including any faults.
My customers have all been very happy with their purchases.
I have no worst type of customer they are all lovely.

**Mat** · #44 (**permalink**) 08-04-2009, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by groovycart.co.uk

I describe all my products in as much detail as possible including any faults.
My customers have all been very happy with their purchases.
I have no worst type of customer they are all lovely.

Not been in business long I take it?

groovycart.co.uk · #45 (**permalink**) 08-04-2009, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mat

Not been in business long I take it?

Ha ha.

I have been selling for 10 years online but I have realised that if I give as much information that I possible can, the customer will find it difficult to complain.
Probably the only thing to let me down is the postal service and even then I have only had a few problems in the past 10 years.

redboxva · #46 (**permalink**) 08-04-2009, 03:30 PM

The ones that don't pay...

AboveParr · #47 (**permalink**) 09-04-2009, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simonr

One of the columns included is headed MBI which starts off at 1.0 but gets changed up and down depending. MBI stands for Moany Bastard Index: it's not unknown for a client to have an MBI of 2.5 which means, all other things being equal, our day-rate for them would be two and a half times our day-rate to someone else.

S

Absolutely love it - trust you won't mind me copying such a great idea???

groovycart.co.uk · #48 (**permalink**) 09-04-2009, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by groovycart.co.uk

Ha ha.

I have been selling for 10 years online but I have realised that if I give as much information that I possible can, the customer will find it difficult to complain.
Probably the only thing to let me down is the postal service and even then I have only had a few problems in the past 10 years.

Previous to selling online my worst customers were parents who let there kids play with the stock and climb up the shelving units. How happy I am to be selling online.

**Gorgeous Office** · #49 (**permalink**) 09-04-2009, 05:26 PM

I find its clients who don't really know what they want and so find it hard to make a decision on anything!

Kim

fundingportal · #50 (**permalink**) 30-04-2009, 02:05 PM

Like the advert says, 'your worst customer is the one who doesn't complain'. At least when they are moaning you are communicating.

Don't want to spoil the fun of the MBI, but remember that sometimes problems can be down to one bad experience or a clash of personalities. Passing over a contact with a clean sheet can work wonders!

For those comments on slow payers, we can't solve the problem, but we have created a simple, free guide to Credit Control, available as a download from our website Business Funding Portal