Asking The Homeowners For 3 References

Melissa

My husband has a 6th sense for PITA customers. He picks up on the signs when first meeting with them. Then they either get a fee tacked on or told we're too busy or some other excuse.

slickshift

Yeah I got one of those too
Comes in handy

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Originally Posted by ModernStyle I have never used this crap before and I pray to the paint gods that I never have to use it again, I would rather use Behr

asbestos

I can spot PITA customers in about the first minute about 85% of the time. in an hour I can spot another 10% The trick is listening to the voice in your head not the voice in your wallet. As far as the 5% left. well I spot them too - about halfway into the job

I like the idea of a BBB for HO's

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dirt diggler

wow, i sure know how to start a thread

there really should be a BBB for consumers.

while it's good to sense for PITAs --- there are some scam artists (YES --- scam artists can come in the form of a consumer as well) who really know how to play the game --- and some of em know what they're doing

in other words --- there really should be a BBB for consumers

Grumpy

In regards to your question, there is something called a credit check.

Now I will use this opportunity to tell a recent whacky story regarding refrences. And here it is:

My salesman was working on an estimate where the guy wanted 3 refrences he can call. Well we don't want to bother most of our customers so we havea pre printed list of some of the GC's we work for who don't mind getting the calls. You scratch my back, I scratch yours...

Anyways this entire roof job blew up from $7k for the whole roof down to $1,500 for just the porch. The guy wanted 3 more estimates of just home owners. Then the guy wanted to deal with the owner of the company (me) directly.

I told this guy that I am glad he has a chance to speak with me, so I could tell him that we will not be doing any work for him since he has shown us that he is not our kind of customer and if he is giving us this kind of head ache now I can't imagine the head ache I will experience once the job starts.

I think I told him ALOT more politely than my salesman wanted to.

Patty

Now there's the Grumpy we know & love!

Bone Saw

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A+Carpenter

Why just do 3? On all my customers over 2k I run credit checks on them.Homeowners that dont pay are subject to me on the doorstep. I have flat out told one client he threw flags and worried me from the start. He called me out the job and opened a envelope and stacked piles of money on the hood of my truck. PAID CASH AND $300.00 extra more for my sweating it.

Your right about the 6th sense tho.

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Brian

If you are aiming for a certain market, this could be a great way to differentiate yourself. A lot of people would be put off, but the right customers would love it.

I could even see doing it selectively-- when you suspect you have a PITA.

We see lots of stories about the scum bag contractors who rip people off. But we never see anything about the customers who rip off contractors.

I think the more prudent we are as businessmen the more we will attract customers willing to pay our price. Explain the reasons, and the right people will understand.

I had a customer last spring who was raising more red flags than I knew existed. I leveled with her, and told her I was close to yanking the bid. I learned that she is a high strung doctor with some other stereotypical tendancies. We've done more than $20K of work for her, and we're her "painters for life". Honesty is a good policy.

Brian Phillips

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