Who are the worst customers? - UK Business Labs

**Mat** · #1 (**permalink**) 31-12-2008, 03:27 PM

In my experience, the worst customers are nitpickers - Clients with too much time on their hands who consider themselves experts in every aspect of design and marketing, and feel that they're obligated to find imperfections in anything and everything which is presented to them. I've found the best way to deal with this is to approach the project with a clear plan, and have the client sign off on each stage with the understanding that further adjustments will cost more.

Who are your least favourite customers, and how do you deal with them?

CFUK · #2 (**permalink**) 01-01-2009, 05:27 PM

Slow payers are the worst customers

Nit pickers I have no problem with as my ethos is to make customers happy so that they tell others, which in turn can help grow your business, but slow payers can damage your business.

If you arrange payment terms of 14 days and not 30 days it is usually for a reason, to ensure that money comes in from a debtor before it goes out to a creditor, allowing you to have positive cashflow (or at least a steady trend).

Slow payers cause you to spend more on chasing them for money as well as affecting cashflow, leaving shortfalls in some instances if not covered by new sales.

Imposing a 2 strike rule where any second instance of slow payment will result in withdrawl of credit is an effective tool.

Paul Norman · #3 (**permalink**) 01-01-2009, 06:25 PM

For me, slow payers. I deal with them by not dealing with them once unless they agree to pay properly. I have turned business away that looks good from companies that do not pay within sensible terms. I do not believe 60 days is sensible terms, unless I agree to them in advance. In which case, be sure I have built the cost of the delay into my prices!

I prefer to price reasonably and get payment swiftly.

**Mat** · #4 (**permalink**) 02-01-2009, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CFUK

Slow payers are the worst customers

Nit pickers I have no problem with as my ethos is to make customers happy so that they tell others, which in turn can help grow your business, but slow payers can damage your business.

Nitpickers with genuine concerns are fine. Nickpickers who feel obligated to find fault where there is none, usually in order to score points with their boss, cause problems.

But, as with slow payers, the problems can be minimised by ensuring stiff procedures are in place beforehand (e.g. 50% up front, 50% before delivery).

**INDIZINE** · #5 (**permalink**) 04-01-2009, 05:00 PM

if they dont pay i'd presume they are minus their website or whatever you have designed until they have paid?

easycheapweb · #6 (**permalink**) 08-01-2009, 12:41 PM

My worst customer was the small but august financial institution that gave me a deadline for their new website. Meant I had to forgo a sailing trip in the med, but a customer is a customer.

The deadline came and went, customer went silent, emerged again 2 months later and gave a new deadline. This came and went without information from the client (internal re-organisation). Finally finished 6 months after original deadline. Then my contact left suddenly (under a cloud I think). I got paid, but no chance of referrals or further business to help sooth my injured feelings.

**INDIZINE** · #7 (**permalink**) 08-01-2009, 02:19 PM

strict deadlines should have increased prices if it's short notice, plus penalty clauses to your benefit if they failt to respond and of course vice versa.

easycheapweb · #8 (**permalink**) 08-01-2009, 02:58 PM

I had at least a clause about mid-project stage payment being triggered by a date if they hadn't delivered on their side. Got that too when I requested it. Unfortunatly as it was a tender situation, I didn't want to 'inflate' the price with penalty clauses.

**Mat** · #9 (**permalink**) 08-01-2009, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by easycheapweb

My worst customer was the small but august financial institution that gave me a deadline for their new website. Meant I had to forgo a sailing trip in the med, but a customer is a customer.

The deadline came and went, customer went silent, emerged again 2 months later and gave a new deadline. This came and went without information from the client (internal re-organisation). Finally finished 6 months after original deadline. Then my contact left suddenly (under a cloud I think). I got paid, but no chance of referrals or further business to help sooth my injured feelings.

I had a similar situation when I first set up. The client couldn't get their act together, and as I was desperate for work, I hadn't written penalty clauses into the contract. I did finally complete the site, consoling myself with the knowledge that it looked really good and would be a great portfolio piece; Only to be asked 3 weeks later to pull the website as they'd been bought out by another company. Nightmare!!

simonr · #10 (**permalink**) 08-01-2009, 05:23 PM

We have a costings spreadsheet. It starts with our default day rate and then takes into account the number of repeat days and a whole bunch of things to come up with a recommended amount that we charge the potential client.

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

easycheapweb · #11 (**permalink**) 08-01-2009, 05:31 PM

I'd love to have an MBI index, but with the NEW REALITY in the marketplace I suspect your MBI rates will reach historic lows

simonr · #12 (**permalink**) 08-01-2009, 05:36 PM

But even if it does, it gives us a short and convenient shorthand to describe clients!

"What was that call about?"
"Possible big job in London but MBI five!"

Simon

**Mat** · #13 (**permalink**) 09-01-2009, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simonr

But even if it does, it gives us a short and convenient shorthand to describe clients!

\"What was that call about?\"
\"Possible big job in London but MBI five!\"

Simon

I like it!

**Conceptstore** · #14 (**permalink**) 14-01-2009, 11:29 AM

Worst clients:

The unprepared client:
The client who is not ready for their own project. They've hired you but can't keep up with you. They agreed to all the T's & C's but can't manage to stick to any of them because they didn't give it a second thought.

The board of directors: (much like the unprepared client)
They have absolutely no idea what there doing and use a go between to communicate with you.

One member says "we want a green techy & modern logo with a star"
One says "we want a prestigious & traditional blue logo with a rectangle"

The go between tells me "we want a funky & traditional turquoise logo and throw in a sphere for good measure"

altyfc · #15 (**permalink**) 14-01-2009, 11:53 AM

Simple. The non-payers.

**Mat** · #16 (**permalink**) 14-01-2009, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Conceptstore

Worst clients:

The unprepared client:
The client who is not ready for their own project. They've hired you but can't keep up with you. They agreed to all the T's & C's but can't manage to stick to any of them because they didn't give it a second thought.

The board of directors: (much like the unprepared client)
They have absolutely no idea what there doing and use a go between to communicate with you.

One member says \"we want a green techy & modern logo with a star\"
One says \"we want a prestigious & traditional blue logo with a rectangle\"

The go between tells me \"we want a funky & traditional turquoise logo and throw in a sphere for good measure\"

I agree wholeheartedly - I recently took on a project, which was split between 4 major charities, each with a board of directors. Originally a 10 day project, it took 4 months to complete!

For unprepared clients, I now make sure that they know they've "booked" specific days, and if they haven't delivered their side of the project by that date, they'll be charged for the time regardless. Win, win!

**Conceptstore** · #17 (**permalink**) 14-01-2009, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mat

I agree wholeheartedly - I recently took on a project, which was split between 4 major charities, each with a board of directors. Originally a 10 day project, it took 4 months to complete!

For unprepared clients, I now make sure that they know they've \"booked\" specific days, and if they haven't delivered their side of the project by that date, they'll be charged for the time regardless. Win, win!

lol. Every problem has a solution. Very soon after we did the same with regards to unprepared clients and now we provide specific instructions on how to fill out the brief for all clients.

Veler · #18 (**permalink**) 15-01-2009, 04:40 PM

My worst customers are women to are not satisfied with their figure... They buy clothing of low size and return it in a very bad mood...

**Mat** · #19 (**permalink**) 15-01-2009, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veler

My worst customers are women to are not satisfied with their figure... They buy clothing of low size and return it in a very bad mood...

Ban them!

GingerChris · #20 (**permalink**) 23-01-2009, 06:04 PM

I would just like to say, I am seriously considering adopting the MBI

satureyes · #21 (**permalink**) 01-03-2009, 10:41 PM

The worst customers are the 'can you just' people.. the ones that you do some VERY cheap work because it seems like an easy job, then for 12 months afterwards they always ask 'can you just'..

**matt.chatterley** · #22 (**permalink**) 02-03-2009, 08:41 AM

Hmm. I'm stuck between the popular favourite - Slow Payers - and a personal favourite - customers who believe they know how to do the job better than you.

The latter does beg the question "Why are you paying us to do this, if you know a better way to fulfil your objectives??"

**matt.chatterley** · #23 (**permalink**) 02-03-2009, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by satureyes

The worst customers are the 'can you just' people.. the ones that you do some VERY cheap work because it seems like an easy job, then for 12 months afterwards they always ask 'can you just'..

Yeah.

You have to be firm.

I tend to permit "Can you just" and "Oh could we quickly" during Test/UAT and and "Live Trial" (if applicable) phases, but then I track things in 15 minute blocks afterwards (and make this clear).

I also explain, if necessary why we do this - it keeps prices (as a whole) lower - and ultimately saves all our customers money - rather than being a means to squeeze the extra pennies out of one particular customer!

seoandy · #24 (**permalink**) 08-03-2009, 04:42 PM

worst customers:

I have to say me .... when im dealing with me, i don't like anything I create or fix or anything like that, it took 6 months to settle on the design of my site and its been there for 3 months now and im sick of it... brill haha

Other than that its customers who have had bad experiences before but know what they want ...but it just cant be done within budget....and then there is clients that don't pay.... or there is the clients who just don't want to talk through ideas so they say they want tomsething and your interpretation is something totally different to theirs.

cinnamondm · #25 (**permalink**) 26-03-2009, 12:58 PM

"I just want to sell 6 products"
- 6 products added
"You missed these 22 products off"

"There is no details about anything on the pages"
- Several requests for info later a few unintelligible notes arrive and so you end up searching the depths of the web and writing the blurb yourself just to get the job done.

"I want an all-singing all-dancing highly customised site. What do you mean, you can't do it in two days?"