Ranting about my customer am i right to????

[CJ CERAMICS]

Hi all,

just a quick rant about my customer who is driving me round the bend.

Yesterday i started a 7sqm splash back in 100 x 100 tiles.....to have glass tiles "randomly" placed within.
these glass tiles measure 102 x 102 mm???.
In this Kitchen there are 13 electric sockets Flush fitting flat plates (the tiles are bumpy) with a number of the sockets being 2 sockects with a 5mm gap between (sparkys favouite trick).
By 9.30am i had finally Planned marked and prepped the walls ready for my first tiles to go on.
By 12.45 i had tiled about 4sqm including the window when the customer popped her head in to just see how they look.
"oh i dont think that those white profiles go with the tiles can we swop them for the soft cream that you showed me"
the customer had picked the white over the cream. Had to take the tiles off again and go and buy more profiles.

Came back this morning to be told that the customers sister had popped round that night and did not like the design (that the customer had chosen) and could i move the glass tiles to different places :mad2: Then she said that because she had bought more tiles than i had measured could i tile above the cooker hood, this was not priced for so i explained that i would have to charge for it, oh she said i thought you could just stick them on for me???....After agreeing a price i finished the rest of the tiling( to the customers design and satisfaction). Just finished mixing the grout ready to start, when GUESS WHAT?? The grout colour that "She" had chosen after deliberating thru my mapei chart she had now decided that she did not like and could i just nip to the suppliers and change it, well seeing as i had already mixed it I dont know wether they will accept it back. Oh and by just nipping translate to travelling 18miles into warrington which at the moment is being dug up and the traffic is a nightmare. By now it was 3.15pm so i explained that i would have to come back tomorrow to grout due to having to replace tiles etc i would have to allow the adhesive to go off before grouting plus i was looking at 2 hours of travelling, and that i would be charging her for the grout and petrol. She agreed to this as i think she now undrerstood that i wasn't in the best of moods. Then to add insult to injury......just as i was leaving to get the grout the phone rang.....The conversation went like this "oh hi Stacey....the tiling....no he has to come back tomorrow to grout......not sure.....yes it has took him a long time.......:mad2::mad2:

rant over
chilling with nice bottle of white
chris

 

[White Room]

You should be charging some extra for the messing around but they don't see that

 

[CJ]

Chalk it up CJ........another pain in the arse customer.

I hate kitchen splashbacks with a passion...............and a lot of customers hate the fact that we have to charge a day rate and that it usually means returning next day to grout.

 

[doug boardley]

I just love it when they ask for random pattern,,,,,,but can you make sure none of the same colour are near each other??:mad2:

 

[user123]

God, I am guilty of laughing when I read this, actually I still am, but just because it's outrageous and my brain can't seem to think of another reaction, if that makes sense? Like some bad comedy. What a pain in the butt. I'd be ranting, too, if it was me, as it is I'm kind of laughing with a guilty concsience.. 😳

 

[tommyzooom]

I,m laughing too, as I've been there before too:mad2:
I hate splashbacks too, The 5mm between sockets is my pet hate too,most of these gaps aren't plastered either 🙁
Just get paid and keep her number in your phone under "Never again"

 

[CJ CERAMICS]

I,m laughing too, as I've been there before too:mad2:
I hate splashbacks too, The 5mm between sockets is my pet hate too,most of these gaps aren't plastered either 🙁
Just get paid and keep her number in your phone under "Never again"

Phoned a sparky friend of mine when i got home and asked him why they seem to do this....was it part of regs, or to save cable etc, no he said it just annoys tilers lol

 

[Aston]

hi chris
you certainly get your fair share of annoying customers mate lol....if i were you, id start charging for any work thats not your fault mate. if you can squeeze it in, then just bite you tongue as youve done but if you have got to go back, then its only fair they pay for you time.

ps, your bad luck has just rubbed off on me mate lol..my back light on my laptop has just gone while replying to this!!! back to dell again for another week???

ed ;0)

 

[Dan]

I'd have switched her to a day rate the moment she wanted too many changes which involved travelling. Then you can stand there swapping tiles and colours all day long. I bet she wouldn't want to then though!

 

[Richard Edwards]

Specific Quotations are the only way - state everything inc warnings about bumpy tiles and flat plate sockets, colour of tiles and grout etc and clause the quotations properly, I know its a pain, however, customer knows where he/she stands and you are comfortable with what your quoting for. There is an old thread about all this somewhere.