Little bit of advice please!

[Spud]

this happens to the best of us, no matter who you are or what you do ,there will always be customers like this from time to time just forget about it and move on, well done for getting your money

 

[Bolter]

Yeah I know, I guess I care too much what people think about me. At least she is pleased with the tiling :santa_cheesy:

 

[cornish_crofter]

You're being far too nice IMO. She is taking the mick big time.

Still there is little you can do.

You try to help people with materials costs etc and then though their own greed or stupidity (or a combination of both) they shaft you.

Stick to CTD and your little voucher book, they get 15% off, no arguements. You're doing them a favour and CTD give you 15% of their spend. OR, confirm your price and discount with the customer BEFORE you buy the tiles for the customer.

 

[Bolter]

You're being far too nice IMO. She is taking the mick big time.

Still there is little you can do.

How would you approach it?

 

[enduro]

I always check baths/shower trays for marks and scratches etc before i start and point them out, never had a problem touch wood. Hope you get paid and put it down to experience, you did a professional job and don't let theses people drag you down, keep smiling :santa_cheesy:

 

[Bolter]

I always check baths/shower trays for marks and scratches etc before i start and point them out, never had a problem touch wood. Hope you get paid and put it down to experience, you did a professional job and don't let theses people drag you down, keep smiling :santa_cheesy:

Thanks mate. Appreciated :santa_cheesy:

 

[DHTiling]

OH!! the joys of being a tradesman......pleased you kept your cool and got an outcome...of sorts....as gary said you will occasionaly come across a customer who you will never please...

next time don't mention how much discount you can get them....just say i MIGHT be able to get a better price for you...or use the CTD voucher scheme then you win as well...

 

[user123]

Hmm, enduro beat me to it as I was thinking of an answer. Yes, checking is good and well done for getting your money inthe end.

But somehow there seems to be a communication problem here as well, the possible discount being a case in point, as it is surprising how little of what we say others actually hear, that 'up to 30% ' may have got completely lost, etc. and she may be so cross about you charging more (as it looks to her) that she is finding fault as a knee jerk revenge reaction and working herself into being completly over the top unreasonable, self righteous indignation and all that. You don't know her history of annoyance with trademen etc. Not that excuses her behaviour, but it's a good example how management skills etc have a place here.

I don't know how much you know about the rules of people skills etc, but have you ever heard about the Oreo Cookie approach? An Oreo Cookie is a filled biscuit, and in a potentially tricky conversation you are meant to start off with praise or any positive or expression of understanding, then followed by a calm statement/your explanation/ of the tricky issue, immediately followed again by a positive or understanding and friendly finish.
It takes a bit of practice but having a pattern to work with keeps you in control of yourself and to a large extend of the outcome of things.

I think it's brilliant you posted this because you won't be the only one this sort of thing happens to, and it gets everyone thinking about such cases and be a little better prepared.

The above by the way was an example of the oreo cookie, supported by the third person approach backing up enduro's valid point. Knowing how to use the oreo cookie diplomacy makes it no less sincere, but it makes sure that all factors are covered, and not just the critical ones, which does have the potential to leave all parties somewhat bitter.

Yes, you guessed it, in my teapot throwing days I didn't know about such things...

 

[cornish_crofter]

At this point I would put the conversation as you remember it in writing along the lines of:

Dear Mrs ..............

Further to recent events I feel that it is necessary to document what has been duscussed to date and to propose a way forward.

1) Cost of tiles. As you were concerned about the cost of the tiles out of goodwill I agreed to do what I could to get you the best discount. At no point did I guarantee you any discount. On some ranges I can get up to 30% discount but unfortunately the discount on the tiles you chose was rather less. However we agreed that I would go ahead with the purchase on the basis that I would pass the discount onto you, the customer. This I have done.

2) Apparent damage to kitchen doors. I am a very diligent worker and have a reputation to safeguard, hence I take every precaution not to damage other fittings. I assure you that I did not cause such damage in the kitchen. However I have agreed out of goodwill to help with the cost of rectifying this.

3) Apparent damage to the cooker hood. As I have clearly tiled well below the level of the cooker hood it is unclear how and why you believe I could have scratched the cooker hood. I did not need a ladder to gain access to work, and the tools and materials I handled as part of the job could not have possibly come into contact with the cooker hood to cause such damage.

It is regrettable that these issues have arisen, but I feel that the best way forward is to agree to disagree on these issues. To this end I propose that I deduct the sum of £X from my invoice as a contribution to the repair of the kitchen doors, and for you to pay the remaining balance of the invoice immediately.

Yours sincerely




Adam Bolter


If she has an ounce of intelligence she will take note that you have taken the trouble to write to her and that you mean business. IE you are quite happy to look at this from both sides but you are not prepared to be taken advantage of.

Also, I suspect that she's a bit dippy, she will have done this sort of thing before and probably felt a bit embarressed when brought to book, or on reflection at a later date.

Your letter will serve notice to her that she is doing this again and it really should stop.

 

[cornish_crofter]

Teapot Thrower

I like the Oreo Cookie approach explanation. I tend to approach situations like this in a simalar way, It is often said that when you give a presentation the material that sticks in the minds of most people is what is said at the beginning and at the end. Stuff said in the middle, although communicated, is very often not focused on.

 

[cornish_crofter]

next time don't mention how much discount you can get them....just say i MIGHT be able to get a better price for you...or use the CTD voucher scheme then you win as well...

Couldn't agree more with that Dave.

As Dan has said, the discount belongs to the fixer. It is the fixer's decision as to how much to pass on, if any, not for the customer to decide how much he/she is getting.

I passed on my discount to a customer recently because they gladly gave me a deposit, gave me loads of work and didn't fuss when one invoice came in over budget, as there were extras they had added and I found. Their understanding was rewarded with better material prices.

If anyone needs to offer a discount on materials to get work them make sure the customer knows how much discount there is and what the limitations are. Part of Bolter's problem is that through no fault of his own the customers expectations in this area have not been met, hence as Mosaic Girl said, she is now finding other issues to grumble about, to devestating effect.

 

[cornish_crofter]

I always check baths/shower trays for marks and scratches etc before i start and point them out, never had a problem touch wood. Hope you get paid and put it down to experience, you did a professional job and don't let theses people drag you down, keep smiling :santa_cheesy:

This approach IMO serves notice to certain customers that you're not a mug

 

[Bolter]

At this point I would put the conversation as you remember it in writing along the lines of:

Dear Mrs ..............

Further to recent events I feel that it is necessary to document what has been duscussed to date and to propose a way forward.

1) Cost of tiles. As you were concerned about the cost of the tiles out of goodwill I agreed to do what I could to get you the best discount. At no point did I guarantee you any discount. On some ranges I can get up to 30% discount but unfortunately the discount on the tiles you chose was rather less. However we agreed that I would go ahead with the purchase on the basis that I would pass the discount onto you, the customer. This I have done.

2) Apparent damage to kitchen doors. I am a very diligent worker and have a reputation to safeguard, hence I take every precaution not to damage other fittings. I assure you that I did not cause such damage in the kitchen. However I have agreed out of goodwill to help with the cost of rectifying this.

3) Apparent damage to the cooker hood. As I have clearly tiled well below the level of the cooker hood it is unclear how and why you believe I could have scratched the cooker hood. I did not need a ladder to gain access to work, and the tools and materials I handled as part of the job could not have possibly come into contact with the cooker hood to cause such damage.

It is regrettable that these issues have arisen, but I feel that the best way forward is to agree to disagree on these issues. To this end I propose that I deduct the sum of £X from my invoice as a contribution to the repair of the kitchen doors, and for you to pay the remaining balance of the invoice immediately.

Yours sincerely




Adam Bolter


If she has an ounce of intelligence she will take note that you have taken the trouble to write to her and that you mean business. IE you are quite happy to look at this from both sides but you are not prepared to be taken advantage of.

Also, I suspect that she's a bit dippy, she will have done this sort of thing before and probably felt a bit embarressed when brought to book, or on reflection at a later date.

Your letter will serve notice to her that she is doing this again and it really should stop.

Good idea.

Thats more or less how I have been trying to convey it to her verbally. I get the dosh Saturday, any further fuss from that I will start writing.

Also from this thread, and the job, I have gained more experience on how to go about dealing with a private job. This one made me feel proper crap though.

still ....... its xmas soon :santa_chesy:

 

[CJ]

Like I said.

Get ya money and punch her. :ninja:

 

[White Room]

A lesson learnt and one for everyone else to think about when tiling any where in the house, Check the finished work before you start fixing