Nightmare Customers

[bricol]

I think our depts worst customer is internal - our own sales department.

Never give a full spec, expect it yesterday, keep changing their mind, give stuff away, or agree at no extra charge to massive changes to spec, usually un-designed, certainly un-tested.

 

[northwest]

I've always given advice and help for free to my clients, at the end of the day it's easier to do things right than correct them later, but some people will ignore it.

It is much better to charge for the advice, that way they might actually take it. In my experience free advice is rarely taken seriously. Tell them you have set an hour aside next Monday for a "development consultation" tell them it will be £120 +VAT sit them down and tell them the advice then. You stand at least half a chance of them taking notice.

I had worked for her for years prior too,intill one day she turned on me.

One of the wisest bits of advice I was ever given - A customer will turn on you like turning on a sixpence and this has indeed proved to be the case over many years.

Best comeuppance for a debt:

I was in court one morning fighting the council, like you do. The judge was a friend of ours so I asked my old dad if he wanted to come along which he did. The council wanted money from me which I thought was excessive so I contested it. The witness for the council still owed my dad (I had no idea about this until we entered the courtroom - My father never forgot a debt and he recognised the woman) something like £17.10p after doing a flit from her house. My dad, not one to keep silent about things let the court know in no uncertain terms that this woman had some brass neck coming into court as the witness. Needless to say, it didn't go well for them. I was right anyway as I wouldn't have gone into court otherwise.

 

[ajlelectronics]

I had two memorable ones; Sky TV and the local housing association. From the first I learned never to allow the tail to wag the dog and from the latter I learned that no matter how big the customer, they still fall heavily just the same when in court.

 

[Hood]

I avoid the majority of WAFI's, want everything pretty but don't want to pay what it costs to make let alone to make it and make it pretty.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Not a nightmare but the oddest one I've had was a customer calling me to explain that they couldn't pay me until I had signed their contract...which for good reason I could not do, so we were at an impass!

I didn't say much on the call and the call eventually went quiet. The reason I didn't say much..their accounts dept had already paid me the day before. I guess I could have pointed that out right at the start but I just wanted to see where it would go .

 

[Blobber]

Now you've got space in your customer base Rachel said can you help with her accounts please, she said she wont be any trouble and give you all the "correct" facts and figures oh and can you find a credit card or loan for 62billion

 

[chunkytfg]

I think our depts worst customer is internal - our own sales department.

Never give a full spec, expect it yesterday, keep changing their mind, give stuff away, or agree at no extra charge to massive changes to spec, usually un-designed, certainly un-tested.

My Employer is similar in the regard that its one of the other internal departments thats the biggest pain.

We have an internal department who tends to cover the smaller scale project work that doesnt go out to outside contractors. When they dont have enough work do do they get called in to help with our general day to day maintenance and fault rectification work.

Trouble is we would give them a simple nights work requiring ~4 people but they would not have much work on so would send sometimes up to around 10. We'd then get billed for all 10 people!

 

[Kram]

The tree I should have been doing yesterday cancelled, I suggested to leave the gate open, better for me to be working alone. No, she wants to be there. Then she messages "good you didnt come, its wet", yet the ground is only slight damp and would have been a perfect day for it Today cancelled, she wants it done next week instead and I can see she has no respect for my time, particually after haggling down my quote to roughly half. As she is a friend of a friend, I felt obliged to accept. While I'd enjoy doing the tree, motivation is gone, except I have some new kit I need to try out. I'd normally leave a job clean and tidier than before I started - thats the hard bit, cleaning up well but it seems she doesnt realise that, and is not going to get it at the price.

Atleast I can drop big peices as she doesnt care about the other trees or if it makes holes in the grass. That will save some time.

 

[GRW]

I'm glad to hear the OP is a tidy accountant.
In work we've been going through a 'mare because of the opposite.
When I started there last Nov I quite quickly noticed that several things to do with the Accounts were "not right" (as in not being done), while queries emailed to the Accountant were ignored, while any correspondence was clearly written in haughty & arrogant tones, with zero explanations.
Big red flag.
(The previous incumbent doing my job was I think a bit less switched on, & just assumed that the Accountant was sorting things behind the scenes).
Lots of issues with HMRC, & strong evidence to suggest he was just "cut n paste & alter a few numbers" rather than actually do the figures properly.

Last month we canned him in favour of a younger, more personable & professional chap..... old one refused any handover, so I've been wading through Govt treacke trying to get access to stuff like NEST & the Directors Govt Gateway / Tax stuff.

I found out more about the guy - to find he'd not lasted at at least 2 bigger organisations in their Finance Depts (leading me to think he set up as an independent handling small businesses as he could get away with bull****, bluster & inept / lazy practices without getting exposed).
I strongly suspect he's not a chartered accountant at all (been unable to find his membership with any of the Accountancy Prof bodies) and he's just a chancer.

Thing is..... who actually asks "Professionals" to produce evidence of their credentials? This allows the odd bad apple to prey off the unwary.

 

[MattF]

Atleast I can drop big peices as she doesnt care about the other trees or if it makes holes in the grass.

That's usually the type of thing they say until afterwards.

You have no need to "feel obliged", btw. I'd be cancelling that job if it was I. They start off haggling, & you know they'll be a pain in the jacksy every step of the way. You're making a rod for your own back with that job.

 

[GRW]

That's usually the type of thing they say until afterwards.

You have no need to "feel obliged", btw. I'd be cancelling that job if it was I. They start off haggling, & you know they'll be a pain in the jacksy every step of the way. You're making a rod for your own back with that job.

I concur. Types like that are often those who will use anything and everything after the fact- to not pay or only pay a far lower amount (& they'll often skagen you off afterwards to boot).
Maybe ask for payment up front, or just politely decline?