Difficult Customers

[simso]

What do others do when they get that difficult customer.

We do full resprays and restorations and do it as a sideline to our main repairs, as painting guitars does not really make money IMO, but really fills in the gaps when the workload becomes quiet.

We only take on one restoration / respray at a time and it usually takes about a month to make it happen from start to finish.

I encourage people to take there guitars home and use them until a vacancy occurs, we have a waiting cue at the momment of about 6 months.

I had a customer come in two months ago with a black guitar that was a gibson triple layer binding with a hole cut out of the top where someone had installed some tremelo system or bridge and then changed there mind and grafted piece of wood and average touch up, the paint was cracked to the wood, the binding had damage all over it from years of use, the hardware was all corroded and he wanted it to be all beautiful again, I told him yep we can do that, but there are two guitars already in the shop awaiting the restoration process so he would have to wait and I recommended he take his guitar home until we call.

He went nope, all good Ill leave it here for you to do. 3 weeks later I get an email hows my guitar going, ... Ummmm we havent started it yet, I need it for a recording in a week or two.

Should have ofloaded the guy back then, we still had two guitars that had not been started before his guitar, I decided, make him happy, Ill start doing some sanding at home in my own time so he could see the progress. We still had two guitars that the other customers have paitently been waiting for.

One of my guys started to do some paintwork on it and kept him informed, but it was not going to the front of the cue, this seemed to make things worse, he just the other day started being passive aggresive in his emails to one of my employees, (can you guys commit to a date, this is becoming a joke) so I decided to terminate his job, and have offered him his guitar back unfinished at no cost just to get rid of him, its been repaired/painted black/binding scraped/ needs a touchup black coat for rub through areas and then clear. The other issue, having to deal with him has also slowed the other guys guitars down, one of the guitars that was before his only just went back this last week.

What do you guys do...

[Strings]

having worked in retail/repair trade (cobbler) the best approach is to be firm (unmoving) about your work load and time frame to complete the job.
don't lower your standards just to be friendly or helpful cause it bites you in the a$$.
If the customer insists and you feel you can accomplish your existing workload and their repair within an acceptable time frame, let them know you will take the job on but it will cost double....
no point in putting yourself under pressure unless you gain some reward for it.

[rocket]

Haven't experienced this problem yet but i think if it was me i'd say " told you there would be a wait, if you can't wait till i get to it you better come and pick it up", i don't think i'd bust a gut for him and then have to hand it back not quite finished, only gives him more ammo to winge.
Rod

[kiwigeo]

"I told him yep we can do that, but there are two guitars already in the shop awaiting the restoration process so he would have to wait and I recommended he take his guitar home until we call.

He went nope, all good Ill leave it here for you to do. 3 weeks later I get an email hows my guitar going, ... Ummmm we havent started it yet, I need it for a recording in a week or two. "

The first thing I'm wondering is how the customer is going to successfully get through a recording session when it's quite obvious from your post that he's totally deaf.

The other thing that puzzles me is the fact this customer is communicating with you via email. Maybe its just me but when something's urgent I normally reach for the telephone rather than jot off an email. Much easier to ignore an email than a phone call.

[simso]

Its frustrating, I have been fine and re-interating the same point until the last email when he came across as kind of passive / aggressively rude to my employee, that was the point I just went, nuh not dealing with you come and get it, no cost just take it unfinished (its almost almost done)

Now I get an email, going to take you to court/going to spread the word with social media going to spread through the local muso scene your apalling customer service and BS, have the guitar ready for pickup on monday, Ill have a courier come and pick it up

Really.....

[kiwigeo]

Its frustrating, I have been fine and re-interating the same point until the last email when he came across as kind of passive / aggressively rude to my employee, that was the point I just went, nuh not dealing with you come and get it, no cost just take it unfinished (its almost almost done)

Now I get an email, going to take you to court/going to spread the word with social media going to spread through the local muso scene your apalling customer service and BS, have the guitar ready for pickup on monday, Ill have a courier come and pick it up

Really.....

And I make my point again...if he needs his guitar so urgently then why is he communicating by email? He's threatened to spread the word...via social media. Sounds to me like your average cyber bully.

[simso]

That is why I pulled the plug on the job.

When one does not listen and then starts to become threatening, My opinion when they get threatening like this, even on the completed job there still going to complain

This is the work sheet completed

Repair Cracked Headstock - Done
Repair Crack In body below Pickups - Done
Repair dodgy patch job in body - Done
Repair damaged areas of missing binding on body - Done
Remove cracked paint back to bare wood - Done
Binding all scraped back body top / back and sides
Pore filled and sanded
Primed and Sanded
Painted 5 layers of two pack poly urethane black

To finish job, two final layers of mist black for rub through areas on final black paint, 5 layers of clear and then Buff to high shine
Assemble all old electrics back into guitar

Very little to complete the job

But done and dusted, and I told him no charge just pick it up and take it out of my shop and have someone else finish it, not going to have him be passive aggresive with one of my employees, who is simply doing there job.

[kiwigeo]

Give him his guitar back and get him out of your hair. Sounds like your reputation is fairly well known already around Perth so I don't think you've got much to worry about.

[kiwigeo]

Very little to complete the job

Give him my contact details and I'll finish the job for him....shouldn't take more than 30 seconds to run the guitar through my table saw.

[simso]

It does infuriate a person, so much so, you begrudge giving them something back that you have put a lot of time and effort into at no cost to them, makes you want to remove all the paint and repairs already done.

I could charge them for work completed to date, partial component of the whole job, the job was only terminated due to there behaviour

Such is life, cant please everyone

[martintaylor]

In my business we refer people to the triangle (see attached). We tell them that they can only ever have 2 of the three points of the triangle. There is no way to have all three. It is impossible and any one that offers all three is either lying or delusional. Also, we let them know that we will never compromise on quality so that has to be one of the points. So, they can have quality quickly but they have to pay more for it or they can have quality at the standard rate but they have to wait for it. If they can't agree to this, they don't become clients.

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[Kim]

Now I get an email, going to take you to court/going to spread the word with social media going to spread through the local muso scene your apalling customer service and BS, have the guitar ready for pickup on monday, Ill have a courier come and pick it up Really.....

Court? Well unless he really enjoys throwing away cash trying to push his own fresh laid turds up a steep hill, then I think not Steve.

As for spreading the bad on social media and with local musos etc, etc..Well it sounds like the bloke is a complete tosser. Therefore he would no doubt have history with those who know him. So they will just smile to themselves wishing you well. As for those who read and believe anything he had to say.. I reckon you only need ask yourself if you would want such gullible philistines hanging around your factory putting off reasonable and 'paying' customers anyhow?

She'll be right mate, just tell him how you've been in contact with his mum recently who apologetically confirmed that he is indeed, more trouble than he's worth. Explain how you do accept the issue that he is having with his guitar is probably partially your fault because upon that day when fate had dealt you such a cruel hand by inspiring him to introduce himself, you had become immediately bored to distraction which explains your carelessly oversight of his glaringly obvious unpleasant disposition....and had you been paying more attention at that time, how you would simply have told him to 'F#@k Off'!! thereby averting any unsavory discourse altogether....we live and learn

Cheers

Kim

[peter.coombe]

Yes well I have had my share of difficult customers, one who I bent over backwards to please his ever changing requirements, but then he tried to trash my reputation but his bad behaviour ended up trashing his own big time. Later he tried to trash another builder's reputation, so it wasn't just me. If you have a waiting queue of 6 months then insist he takes it home and you will call back when he is next on the queue. No exceptions, others are in front of him and he cannot queue jump because that is unfair to your other customers, so - TAKE IT HOME. Leaving the guitar with you when there is a 6 month waiting queue is an immediate red flag of potential trouble ahead. He is expecting special treatment. Yea right, special treatment in his dreams. If he is not happy then he can go elsewhere and he is out of your hair. Stick to your rules and avoid the assholes. If he still hassles you then tell him to go elsewhere, you are full up and can't do it now. Unfortunately this is all very well in hindsight. So long as you document all the work done (pictures would be good) and there is no charge, then I would think he would be throwing money down the toilet trying to take you to court. Having been through this sort of thing myself, I know it can be terribly stressful, but it does blow over, and you put it down to lesson learned. Ranting and raving about the "bad" treatment he got from you only gets him a bad reputation as a winger and maybe (hopefully) will get him banned from the better forums, such as this one. That is if he actually does carry out his threats.

[simso]

I like the pyramid.

Was not concerned re the "Im taking you to court" , it just highlights the bully approach, me guess's he gets what he wants, when he wants normally.

I have had some idiots to deal with over the years but none that were passive aggressive.

Thanks for all the replys

[simso]

Feel good now. Rang the next customer this morning to let them know a position is now available, being a sunday and all, they had there guitar to the shop within 30 minutes of the phone call

Another Gibson for a full restoration, I showed them the almost finished job and the BS that came with it, and they could not believe the fact that the person is like that, and there guitar being at such a close to finished stage, unfathonable

The newest customer had me assess there guitar about 9 weeks ago, took it home and has been waiting for the phone call.

Any of you perth folks wanting to do just resprays, there is a big market for it

[Allen]

I've run business's for over 35 years and learnt a a very long time ago that space in the shop costs time and money. Every minute of the day. You have to work around it, or move it, or another one that is a better paying job can't get in because you don't have the room. There are no exceptions to this no matter how much you try to fool yourself.

If you aren't working on it, then it has no place in the shop, cause it's eating into the profit margin. You tell them when they can drop it off for your next available opening, and within a reasonably accurate time frame that they can expect it to be complete. Again, no exceptions.

Everyone knows whats going to happen, and more importantly the time frame. If they can't live with that then too F#*king bad. There's always someone behind them that will be easier to deal with.

When I book in work, I tell the client that I will see then on (pick a day that suits your schedule). Remember that you are providing the expertise service that they require.

Good clients will appreciate this approach, even though they might hope to get in sooner. The pain in the ass customers will hopefully go elsewhere.

[kiwigeo]

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[charangohabsburg]

What do others do when they get that difficult customer.
...
What do you guys do...

It never happened to me, of course mainly because I am not offering instrument repair on a professional basis.
But a friend of mine who runs his own guitar store and offers plucked instrument repair service of any kind told me years ago that he ran into a very similar problem as you did, which led to a solution that involves pretty much every instrument repairer within a range of about 150 -200 km (which is a a large distance for a small country like Switzerland). And he said it works. They simply start to "pass around" troublesome customers when those are getting nasty.

[Ormsby Guitars]

When he picks the guitar up, give him my details. I'll make sure that the quote he receives let's him know he's in trouble. PM his name just in case. If I get the job, I'll split the profit with you.

Ive found that increasing pricing, means I lose some jobs. However, the people that DO go ahead are much more patient, appreciative, and respect my time more.

As SOON as someone rings an alarm bell, I cancel and refund straight away.

There will always be a cheap bastard looking for cheap work. Let some other clown take that stuff on

[DarwinStrings]

I had the same thought when I was looking at this thread yesterday, just send him to Perry. That sort of list sounds like a good idea Markus. One thing to remember or that I have experience is that consumer affairs here don't think much of a wanker either. I once had a customer complain to them about a service I had provided to the customer, when they got the other side of the story from me then went and viewed the job that the customer had complained about then compared it to the price (she was a pensioner so I gave her a rock bottom price on the cabinet) they told me as well as the customer that they would not pursue the complaint any further.

Jim

[demonx]

In my business we refer people to the triangle (see attached). We tell them that they can only ever have 2 of the three points of the triangle. There is no way to have all three. It is impossible and any one that offers all three is either lying or delusional. Also, we let them know that we will never compromise on quality so that has to be one of the points. So, they can have quality quickly but they have to pay more for it or they can have quality at the standard rate but they have to wait for it. If they can't agree to this, they don't become clients.

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In the town I'm located there are two repair guys (I no longer do repairs but I'd be the third) - my pricing was on par with #2, who I currently send all my work to, while there's #1, the only one of us with a retail store front, who consistently bags out us #2&3 for being rip offs and he's always spreading the word he's the best in town. He charges $30 for a string change, fret dress and setup! At those prices he can have them but it reinforces to the public that he's the "good guy" and the rest of us are just trying to scam the public (or translated to English actually charging for our time)

Anyway, this repair is his latest "brag", fixing the split back on some vintage acoustic. Prime example of your triangle:

[demonx]

When he picks the guitar up, give him my details. I'll make sure that the quote he receives let's him know he's in trouble. PM his name just in case. If I get the job, I'll split the profit you

Yeah, this.

Are there many other repairers in the area he can turn to? Maybe try cover all bases if you're in good communication with them?

[needsmorecowbel]

if the guy has to go interstate for the repair maybe he'll realise the error of his ways...unlikely he'll come to that realisation though...

Markus that is just hilarious...

Stu

[Ormsby Guitars]

There was a time when the perth guys did somewhat have a 'shit list'. I knew if someone called and said "such and such recommended you" that meant "triple prices".

The problem with Perth, is that there are a number of repairers. Id class three in the 'good guy' list, although one can be difficult to work with and is socially awkward. The other 10-15 either simply should not be in business, or cannot offer a full range of services due to their abilities... or lack there of. There are some that specialise in specific repairs, and advertise as such, and my hat goes off to them for being honest about it all, and not over promising. They are however, very limited in what they do (which is not a problem if thats all they promise).

Case in point, one guy offers "vintage repairs" yet in the past six months Ive seen, or heard of some VERY valuable instruments that have been ruined beyond repair. I mean, how do you replace a brazilian rosewood fretboard these days? Or fix a fender from the seventies that has had half its fretboard chipped up during a dodgy refret, and filled with saw dust and superglue? Or get a near new $9000 guitar and start grinding away at the bridge, burning all the chrome, because you forgot the saddles move up and down? It's disheartening on a personal level, because until last year I was an option for guys wanting repairs, and could have somewhat avoided these sad stories. Now the 20-30 guitars a week I was doing are heading elsewhere...

For the record, unless its a very interesting instrument, or a very good long term customer that has spent a lot of money over the years, I recommend EVERYONE to Steve.

[simso]

I think the problem is, too many people come into this trade not really as a builder first or with a background in wood but merely as a player, they assume that because they can play a guitar then they can repair a guitar,

A customer I had about a year ago, asked can he watch us set his guitar up, he asked a thousand and one questions, where did we get these tools from and so forth, he now calls himself the guitar whisperer here in perth and does setups and repairs, really!!