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Worst type of customer ......

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#42 ·
See they wouldn't like me because id say sure. Then I'd tell one of my hands to take it to my mechanic and then charge for my hand, my mechanic and then put my percentage on all that lol

I know someone for everything
cedarboarder said:
what about the ones that think you are a mechanic too.
can you fix my minivans dvd player?

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#43 ·
cedarboarder said:
what about the ones that think you are a mechanic too.
can you fix my minivans dvd player?

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Had that happen when working on electrical for a surgeon and his wife. He's off at work, and, she asks me to fix the washer and dryer since I was there working on the electrical anyway.
 
#44 ·
Big Johnson said:
Did he wait to strip the sheathing til after it was in the box?
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Yep. Then used a jig to make sure they all matched.

Of course, he is also the guy who would sit on his rv porch in 110 degree weather and watch the framers work and not once offer a cold drunk.

Or also the guy who got us hay to help control mud on the hillside 2-3 story siding job the day we finished because he didn't want it to get muddy.

Among other things.

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#45 ·
I don't think anyone has mentioned the "nervous customer." Usually it's an older widowed woman, sometimes an older man. They are nervous about everything. Who you are, where you came from, why did you park out front...........loads of pointless questions like that. They have a hard time making decisions. They lock the door every time you go outside and you have to knock on the door to get back in........won't give you a key.....have to be there when you're there, so you can never work alone.

The worst was a widowed lady who wanted her living room painted. She said she was going completely different from what was on the walls now. Took 2 weeks to decide. Put the paint on the walls. IT WAS THE EXACT SAME COLOR!!! She then tried to blame me. I said, huh uh, you picked the color, I had nothing to do with it. Just a complete "nervous Nellie." I avoid those types at all costs now. They actually make ME nervous after being around them all day.
 
#47 ·
Jaws said:
See they wouldn't like me because id say sure. Then I'd tell one of my hands to take it to my mechanic and then charge for my hand, my mechanic and then put my percentage on all that lol

I know someone for everything

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Just said same at breakfast Saturday To friend who's family owns local golf course.

He wanted me, damned near got pissed and insisted I should build him a pole barn. Doesn't want any one else to do it.

I gave him the # of the guy I would use.
He said he lost the number. That was nearly 6 months ago.

"Look Carl, I've never build a pole barn in my life."

Yes, but you built that massive square log home. I saw the pictures".

Not the same Carl". Use this guy, because I would."

"But I want you to do it."

"OK Carl, this is what I'll do, I pull the permit, hire him, tack on 35K, and you will get your pole barn. Because that's all I can do."

"You OK with that?"

What's the damned number again...?"
 
#48 ·
cwatbay said:
Had that happen when working on electrical for a surgeon and his wife. He's off at work, and, she asks me to fix the washer and dryer since I was there working on the electrical anyway.
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Yep, I get this all the time too. Some people assume that electricians can fix anything that is powered by electricity. :rolleyes:

We get the right power to the receptacle and our job ends right there.
 
#49 ·
rselectric1 said:
Yep, I get this all the time too. Some people assume that electricians can fix anything that is powered by electricity. :rolleyes:

We get the right power to the receptacle and our job ends right there.
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And we're expected to VENT things like dryers, furnaces, fart fans, water heaters..............
 
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#52 · (Edited)
480sparky said:
I once had a builder tell me he was going to drill all the framing for wiring. He spent the better part of 3 days doing so.



His method was to set up a rotary laser and mark the face of each stud. Then use a square to extend the pencil mark to the side of each stud. THEN.... us a tape measure to mark the center of the stud at the pencil mark.



THEN, and ONLY THEN, would he drill the hole precisely in line with all the other holes and perfectly centered in the stud.







His reasoning? It would take less wire between boxes, so I should give him a break on price.



So he spent three frikkin days doing this.......... and I still didn't give him a nickel off the price.
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I can’t believe you called that stupid a$$ hole a builder!!!
 
#54 ·
avenge said:
99.9 percent of my clientele are female I prefer it that way. I was once on a job, couple weeks into it husband comes in the morning starts asking questions what the plan was. Wife comes in says to him "What the f**k are you doing talking to him? All you do is pay him and shut up."



He walked away with his head down and I never saw him again.



I get along great and have pretty close relationships with females. Their male counterparts need to stay out of the way and mind their own business. That's how most of my jobs are.



All my business is WOM so I don't get much of "worst type customers" but if I ever clashed with any it was the wealthy male who try and make themselves relevant until I or the wife put them in their place.
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I usually tell then to get to work so they can make money to pay me.


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#60 ·
TheConstruct said:
I had the worst customer experience I've ever had this week but fortunately I declined the job so it was only 20 minutes of my life. Nigerian couple new to Canada, not sure if their ethnicity has anything to do with it but I wonder if it's a cultural difference that made them come across as so rude. I talked to them on the phone on Tuesday night and happened to be working s few streets away from them Wednesday so I said I'd stop by in the morning.

Went and looked at this basement finishing job which I was told involved framing in a bedroom. I got there and it's actually going to be adding a kitchen and moving a laundry room as well. I tell them I'm booking 6 weeks. They are unhappy. I tell them their 100amp panel is full and I need an electrician to have a look at the logistics of adding a second range. They are unhappy. They tell me it's best the electrician looks at it that afternoon. I tell them unlikely but I'll let them know. Nope today is best for us so let's do it today.... I tell them If we do move plumbing and electrical around we will need to do some drywall patches. They disagree, it will be easy and require no drywall work apparently according to them. They want an estimate within 3 days. I tell I will do my best to give them a rough idea by then but we have a lot of questions to answer before we can even start thinking about a permit or talk about cost. The lady immediately tells me she Hope's the price will be negotiable! I haven't said anything about a price yet and already I'm fighting about money.

I told them I needed to get going. Calmed down for a couple of hours so I could call them to tell them their job isn't a good fit for my company and best of luck with their project. :no::eek:
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YES ITS A CULTURAL DIFFERENCE! Nigeria, Liberia, South Africans. etc, they are all that way. Hustle and bustle, no matter how much it is its too much. And the white man is always trying to screw them. They negotiate negotiate negotiate and still screw you in the end. Americans negotiate, agree, preform. S. Africans negotiate, reluctantly agree, complain the entire time you do the work and then negotiate more after its done, finally agree on a price and then dont pay.
 
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