Time wasting customer

[maselec]

Morning everyone,

On Wednesday (22nd) evening I called to look at a job, very simple, swapping 4 downlighters and a LV fan for new ones, couple of hours maybe. One of the downlights was over the shower and the cubicle door had been taken down. The customer asked me would it need leaving off or could they put it back on, I said either is fine as it was easy to work around. I gave him a price which he accepted and arranged to do the job this coming Wednesday (29th) but also said I may be able to fit him in sooner and would try to do so. He told me to let him know if I could and he would leave a key as there would be no-one in.

As it turned out this morning became free so I called him last night and left a voicemail, then sent a text to which there was no reply. At 8.15am this morning I received a reply asking what time I was coming, so, as the morning was free I replied, telling him 9.30am as I would have to pick up the bits I needed. His reply to this was 3 words, 'I'm at work'. So I had a little sigh to myself but politely replied that it wasn't a problem and that I would see him Wednesday or sooner if it was mutually convenient. His reply was that it needed doing sooner because the shower door had to go back in. I replied that, as I had stated, it wasn't a problem. His reply to this was his wife wasn't happy with that and to cancel the job completely. As I have been typing this post I have received another message, ' you could come collect keys but shower will be up sunday so if it cant be done before then I will have to get someone else'. He also left me his work address which is about 12 miles away down a very busy A road.

People like this really annoy me, especially considering tradesmen have to be whiter than white to maintain a good reputation. Do I have any recourse to hold him to the original agreement? I don't care about the money, I would just like to think that maybe he will consider his actions in future. I'd be interested in peoples opinions/experiences.

Thanks

 

[Doc Hudson]

The customer has a 7day cooling off period for all doorstep selling, which to my understanding is also what tradesmen visiting a home also come under. It was introduced to stop high pressure salesmen overselling product to people who do not fully understand what they are purchasing. Was you agreement purely verbal? In principal your situation is the same as when purchasing from a shop, you typically have a returns period, where providing the goods are in their original packaging and unused you can get a refund. So I think the customer is well within their rights.

Doc H..

 

[maselec]

Yeah as I thought, I was aware of the doorstep selling rights, just didn't know if it applied here.

Price was agreed verbally and I confirmed by email.

 

[kerching]

Bit late for you now but, in my Ts & Cs it states that 'the work area and surroundings will be assumed to be in the same state/condition as when the site visit was made, unless it has been agreed and confirmed to the contrary. If this is not the case then there will be a price adjustment'

ie look at a job, empty office no carpet...went to do job, carpet down and furniture in!!!!........ :coat

 

[ProDave]

I think I can sum up the problem here in two words:

TEXT MESSAGING

Personally I hate them and rarely if ever send a text.

If you had dialed a number and SPOKE to the chap, you probably could have discussed all the pro's and con's and when you were mutually available, and agreed a time to do it in just a minute or two, without any missunderstandings and confusion.

Sorry if I sound like a dinosaur, but speaking to the customer I find infinitely preferable to sending short terse text messages. (they are unavoidably terse because unlike a PC with a proper keyboard, I can't peck away for hours on a tiny phone keypad to send a long message like this one)

 

[Evans Electric]

If you sound like a dinosaur Dave , then I must sound like a brontosaurus.

So new name for Pro-Dave .....DinosaurDave !

Maselec, write them off as time wasters , lot of them about.

Had one myself this morning .

Phones me yesterday " Builder gave me your number , just moved in here, need some elect.work doing", Gives address in Aldridge.

Me. "I,m in Aldridge tomorrow morning , I can phone you mid morning and take a look " "OK"

I'm in Aldridge and duly phone ........ " Uh? who are you? .... Oh electrician... I remember..... I,m sorted mate"

 

[m4tty]

Sorry to butt in on your thread but how does Dave and Sandra show their location at top of post but most others don't ? Cheers

---------- Post Auto-Merged at 16:23 ---------- Previous post was made at 16:22 ----------

Don't worry mines just done it now. It shows

 

[Evans Electric]

It was another one of Admin's off days Matty,he pressed a button and all the locations disapeared.

 

[PC Electrics]

You'll just have to put it down to experience. Send him a tactful and polite text saying that you aren't able to attend before Wed so therefore he should get someone else in.

 

[safedepth]

Some customers are simply a pain in the a..e.

My non payer has been served with papers and is going to use a defense of not receiving an invoice through the post. He replied to the emailed invoice though! I've told him I'll let the courts decide who's in the wrong.

Maselec, Can I suggest you simply forget all about him, if this is the trouble he causes when simply trying to arrange when to do the work imagine the pain when it's done and he decides he doesn't like some aspect of it.

Write him off.

 

[ProDave]

^ +1

Some jobs are simply more trouble than they are worth.

 

[Jono Pashley]

^ +1Some jobs are simply more trouble than they are worth.

After today i couldnt agree more...think my head may explode before i finish sorting things out!

 

[ivixxiv]

Some customers are simply a pain in the a..e.My non payer has been served with papers and is going to use a defense of not receiving an invoice through the post. He replied to the emailed invoice though! I've told him I'll let the courts decide who's in the wrong.

Maselec, Can I suggest you simply forget all about him, if this is the trouble he causes when simply trying to arrange when to do the work imagine the pain when it's done and he decides he doesn't like some aspect of it.

Write him off.

One tip never reply in anyway to a customers email once proceedings have been initiated unless its a part 36 offer

 

[safedepth]

One tip never reply in anyway to a customers email once proceedings have been initiated unless its a part 36 offer

Sorry, too late for me. I was so pi..ed off with him I replied straight away, noting offensive so I hope it won't affect anything, but I must learn to ignore this sort of thing.

 

[Theorysparky]

had one a few weeks back

a women wanted me to sign off a cu change/refurbed house could i do it the same day as the leccky board were putting in a new meter

i was there 2 hours telling her she needed this that doing and waiting for the board to turn up...didnt charge her as she agreed a price for me to do the works

she was meant to phone me the following wednesday,,,didnt

followed up the following week,,,she is still waiting for the builder

2 weeks later nout

i know its not been done.........

you just need to take it on the chin,,,,,,